FMCSA Declares California-based Motor Carrier an Imminent Hazard to Public Safety

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared California-based trucking company Manrique Agramon dba Monique Trucking ("Monique Trucking"), USDOT No. 3888730, to be an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered the carrier to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations. Monique Trucking was served the Federal order on July 2, 2024.

On June 11, 2024, an employee of Monique Trucking was operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) when it failed to properly maneuver around other vehicles and caused a crash involving six vehicles. One of the drivers of the vehicles involved was killed and others were injured.

Following the crash, FMCSA conducted a compliance investigation and 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 (49 CFR Part 382), failed to ensure that the driver employed met Commercial Driver's License Standards (49 CFR Part 383), failed to comply with Hours of Service of Drivers requirements (49 CFR Part 395), and failed to comply with Vehicle Maintenance and Inspection standards (49 CFR Part 393 and 396).

The investigation 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.

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 Imminent Hazard Out-of-Service Order states "[t]he cumulative violations of the FMCSRs…substantially increase the likelihood of death or serious injury to [Monique Trucking] drivers and the motoring public and establish that [the] entire motor carrier operation is an imminent hazard."

Failing to comply with the provisions of the Federal imminent hazard order may result in civil penalties of up to $33,252 for each violation. Motor carriers may also be assessed civil penalties of not less than $13,300 for providing transportation in interstate commerce without operating authority registration, and up to $18,758 for operating a CMV in interstate commerce without USDOT Number registration. Knowing and/or willful violations may result in criminal penalties.

A copy of the Imminent Hazard Order issued to Monique Trucking is available here.

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