FMCSA Shuts Down Ohio Trucking Company

Garfield Trucking of Jefferson, Ohio, has been shut down, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Nov. 19.

In the wake of an unscheduled compliance review Oct. 13, FMCSA declared Garfield “to be an imminent hazard to public safety” in ordering the company to immediately halt operations. A phone call to Garfield revealed that its number has been disconnected.

A Garfield truck had been stopped Oct. 4 for an unannounced roadside safety inspection in Missouri. A total of 43 safety violations were recorded, including 13 out-of-service violations: improperly adjusted or inoperable brakes, defective brake components, cracked frame rails, load-securement violations and falsified hours-of-service logbooks. The inspection also determined that Garfield had been operating in violation of two separate out-of-service orders, one of which dated to the previous October. 

When FMCSA investigators visited the company nine days later, they observed an “out-of-business” announcement on the premises so they mailed a demand-for-access letter and an administrative subpoena for company documents. Those have yet to be received.

According to FMCSA, Garfield’s refusal to allow access, continued operation despite two out-of-service orders, continued use of unsafe vehicles and failure to comply with hours-of-service regulations designed to prevent fatigued driving substantially increase the likelihood of serious harm to drivers, passengers and the motoring public.

Violating an imminent hazard out-of-service order and operating without proper authority and a USDOT number may result in civil penalties of up to $60,000 as well as fines of up to $25,000 and imprisonment of up to a year.