The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered Commerce City, Colo.-based E & K Trucking to immediately cease its trucking operations, declaring the company to be an imminent hazard to public safety. 

E & K Trucking, USDOT No. 604546, operates a small fleet of trucks that primarily haul construction scrap and debris. FMCSA says the company was discovered to still be operating unsafe vehicles in direct violation of an order issued by the agency in December, revoking the company’s operating authority for previous safety violations.

 An FMCSA investigation found that the company failed to routinely inspect, maintain and repair its vehicles to ensure they were safe to operate. Each vehicle inspected earlier this month by FMCSA was ordered out of service for serious safety violations. 

 Safety investigators also found that E & K Trucking failed to conduct background checks on drivers, to ensure that they possessed commercial driver’s licenses or that they were medically qualified. 

FMCSA’s investigation began last October with a compliance review of the carrier that found serious safety violations, including a vehicle out-of-service rate of 81%. E & K was warned to take corrective action by FMCSA. When it didn’t it was ordered to shut down in December.

In addition to accumulated civil penalties and interest already imposed upon the owners of E & K Trucking by FMCSA, the company owners face additional fines of up to $25,000 and possible criminal charges and imprisonment should they fail to comply with this latest imminent hazard out-of-service order. 

A copy of the imminent hazard out-of-service order can be viewed on the FMCSA’s website.