California trucking co. ordered to cease operations following Colorado crash that killed one

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared a California trucking company an imminent hazard to public safety following a fatal six vehicle crash in Colorado last month.

On July 2, the FMCSA served Monique Trucking a federal order requiring the company to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations.

Monique Trucking employed driver Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, 47.

On June 11, 2024, Cruz-Mendoza was involved in a crash on US 285 near Aspen Park, Colorado. Cruz-Mendoza was hauling metal pipes and angle iron when he “failed to properly maneuver around other vehicles and caused a crash involving six vehicles.” The load of metal fell onto five other vehicles, killing one person and leaving others injured.

FMCSA investigators conducted a post-crash investigation into the company, which “revealed that leadership of Monique Trucking demonstrated a lack of knowledge of safety regulations despite receiving multiple roadside violations in the two years preceding the June 11 crash.”

Additionally, the FMCSA concluded that “Monique Trucking is egregiously noncompliant with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and has been cited with numerous serious violations of the FMCSRs in an investigation and in roadside inspections. Specifically, Monique Trucking failed to have in place a Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use Testing Program and was not registered in the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, failed to ensure that the driver employed met Commercial Driver’s License Standards, failed to comply with Hours of Service of Drivers requirements, and failed to comply with Vehicle Maintenance and Inspection standards.”

“FMCSA has concluded that Monique Trucking lacks safety management controls to ensure that its drivers are qualified to operate its CMVs, that its drivers operate its CMVs safely, or that its CMVs are in safe operating condition,” the agency stated.