Trucking company allowed drivers to log excessive hours prior to fatal crash with party bus, report shows

A federal investigation into a fatal 2022 crash between a bus and a semi truck driver revealed Hours of Service violations by the trucking company involved, the report shows. 

The fatal crash happened in December of 2022 in Williamsburg, Virginia on Interstate 64. The  National Transportation Safety Board then launched an investigation into the incident and released their findings on Wednesday, August 29th, 2024. 

According to AP News, a truck working for Triton Logistics Inc. of Romeoville, Illinois was set on cruise control at about 70 mph when it rear-ended a slow-moving party bus moving at about 25 mph. The collision killed three, seriously injured nine, and caused minor injuries for 11 more. The truck driver was also seriously hurt in the accident. 

In the investigation, the NTSB discovered that Triton Logistics “created fictitious driver accounts for its vehicles’ electronic logging device systems that allowed drivers to exceed federal hours-of-service regulations and drive while fatigued.” The report states that the 61-year-old driver had been operating commercial vehicles for seven consecutive days and was almost finished with a run from St. Louis, Missouri to Chesapeake, Virginia when he started drifting onto the shoulder of the interstate in the minutes before the crash. The report concludes that the driver was fatigued at the time of the crash because he was allowed to use fictitious logs by his company, which caused the fatal crash. 

The NTSB report recommends that Triton do a better job of keeping accurate HOS records and “implement a robust fatigue management program.” It also recommends better state and federal oversight. 

The bus carrier also  “lacked appropriate safety management practices, as demonstrated by the poor maintenance” according to the report. The slow speed of the bus may have been caused by a partially blocked prescreen fuel filter, and contributed to the severity of the crash. 

Both Triton and the bus company, Futrell’s Party Adventures, reportedly have not responded to requests for comment.