A Texas trucking company has been ordered off the road after changing its name to avoid a previous out-of-service order.
JPL Logistics was issued an out-of-service order in early May 2022 but continued operations under a different name, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
FMCSA has declared the Houston area trucking company to be an “imminent hazard” to public safety and ordered it on May 31 to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations.
Same carrier, new name
JPL Logistics was declared an imminent hazard after FMCSA determined that it began operating so Jaypur Logistics could avoid the Imminent Hazard (IH) 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.”
FMCSA says 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’ IH Order.
On the same day that the out-of-service order was served on Jaypur Logistics, a company driver was stopped for violating the IH Order and placed out of service. Jaypur Logistics immediately provided the driver with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) number of JPL Logistics to complete the trip, according to the FMCSA.
Multiple regulatory violations
FMCSA’s prior review of Jaypur Logistics had found the company to “be egregiously noncompliant with multiple federal safety regulations,” according to an FMCSA statement.
Those violations include controlled substance and alcohol use and testing, commercial driver’s license (CDL) standards, driver qualification, unsafe driving, hours of service of drivers, and vehicle inspection, repair and maintenance.
FMCSA’s imminent hazard out-of-service order states that avoidance of compliance with federal safety regulations and the Jaypur IH Order “substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death for your drivers and the motoring public if your operations are not discontinued immediately.”
Failing to comply with the provisions of the federal imminent hazard order may result in civil penalties of up to $29,893 for each violation, according to the FMCSA.
JPL Logistics may also be assessed civil penalties of not less than $11,956 for providing transportation in interstate commerce without operating authority registration, and up to $16,864 for operating a CMV in interstate commerce without USDOT number registration. The company may also face criminal penalties for knowing and/or willful violations.
