Texas trucking company ordered off the road after changing name to avoid previous out of service order, FMCSA says
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) says that a trucking company was issued an out of service order in early May 2022 but continued operations under a different name.
On May 31, 2022, Houston-based carrier JPL Logistics LLC was issued a federal order from the FMCSA to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations.
From the FMCSA:
JPL Logistics was declared an imminent hazard after FMCSA determined that it began operating so Jaypur Logistics LLC, USDOT No. 3150073, could avoid the Imminent Hazard Order issued to it on May 7, 2022. The Imminent Hazard Order issued to Jaypur Logistics, which is still in effect, specifically notes that a motor carrier “cannot avoid this ORDER by continuing operations under the name of another person or company.” However, Jaypur Logistics did just that by operating as JPL Logistics. JPL Logistics used common ownership, common management, common control, and/or common familial relationship to enable Jaypur Logistics and its principal to avoid Jaypur Logistics’s Imminent Hazard Order.
Officials say that on May 7 when the Jaypur Logistics order was served, a Jaypur Logistics driver was stopped by law enforcement for violating the order and placed out of service.
“Jaypur Logistics immediately provided the driver with the DOT number of JPL Logistics to complete the trip,” the FMCSA said in a news release.
Jaypur Logistics was investigated by the FMCSA based on the carrier’s widespread violations documented by FMCSA and its partners during roadside inspections.
According to officials, Jaypur Logistics had nearly double the national average vehicle out-of-service rate and over five times the national average driver out-of-service rate.
FMCSA investigators say that Jaypur Logistics was “egregiously noncompliant” with multiple Federal safety regulations, including: Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing, Commercial Driver’s License Standards, Driver Qualification, Unsafe Driving, Hours of Service of Drivers, and vehicle Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance.
From the FMCSA:
During FMCSA’s investigation, Jaypur Logistics demonstrated a severe lack of oversight of its operations. It could only identify a fraction of the drivers and vehicles operating under its authority and was not even aware its drivers had hauled hazardous materials. Jaypur Logistics failed to ensure its drivers were eligible to drive, allowing six drivers who were already prohibited in the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to operate on its behalf. Twice Jaypur Logistics’ drivers have been cited for operating under the influence and three times its drivers have been cited for on-duty possession of drugs or alcohol. Jaypur Logistics did not have a program to detect and deter the use of controlled substances by its drivers, did not have an effective program to ensure its drivers were qualified and licensed, did not have a program to control its drivers’ hours of service, and did not have a program to ensure its vehicles were appropriately inspected and repaired.