The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) ordered a Texas motor carrier to immediately cease operations after the crash death of one of the company’s truck drivers triggered an investigation that uncovered multiple violations.
Houston-based carrier 4 Life Transport Corporation was served a federal order on February 11, 2022, requiring the company to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations.
According to the FMCSA, on February 7, 2022, a 4 Life Transport driver died after crashing in Utah.
Investigators discovered that the driver and the commercial motor vehicle he was operating were previously associated with Adversity Transport, Inc., another Houston-based carrier that had previously been ordered out of service as an Imminent Hazard on January 25, 2022.
A subsequent review of 4 Life Transport initiated by FMCSA investigators following the discovery of the company’s connection to Adversity Transport found the carrier to be “egregiously noncompliant” with multiple federal safety regulations, including Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing, Commercial Driver’s License Standards, Driver Qualification, Driving of Commercial Motor Vehicles, Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operations, Hours of Service of Drivers, and Vehicle Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance.
From the FMCSA:
4 Life Transport’s vehicle out-of-service rate is 100%, compared to a national average of 21%, and its driver out-of-service rate is 67%, compared to a national average of 6%. 4 Life Transport fails to ensure its vehicles are safe, and multiple roadside inspections revealed vehicle maintenance problems including unsafe tires. The company also fails to ensure its drivers are qualified and drive safely – for example, its drivers have been cited for speeding and driving with a suspended license – and it fails to ensure its drivers comply with hours of service limits and recording requirements.
The Agency’s imminent hazard out-of-service order states that 4 Life Transport’s “…complete and utter disregard for the [federal safety regulations] substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death for your drivers and the motoring public if your operations are not discontinued immediately.”
FMCSA Acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson commented, “Safety is FMCSA’s top priority, and there is never a more urgent task for the Agency than removing an imminent hazard motor carrier such as 4 Life from our Nation’s roadways.”