FMCSA Declares Trucker Imminent Hazard for Alcohol-Related Crash
ROCKLAND, TN — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration declared a Tennessee-licensed driver to be an imminent hazard to public safety after reckless driving behavior, related to alcohol consumption, led to two deaths.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) declared a Tennessee-licensed driver to be an imminent hazard to public safety after reckless driving behavior, related to alcohol consumption. The accident led to the deaths of two motorists.
Randall J. Weddle, driving a truck for R&E Logistics on Route 17 in Knox County, Maine, when his rig crossed the centerline, tipped over and began scattering its load of lumber onto the highway. At the time of the crash, Weddle’s truck was traveling around 80 mph in a posted 55-mph zone.
A pickup truck, SUV and minivan were struck by the load of lumber, killing the driver of the pickup truck and the minivan after both vehicles were crushed. Two additional crash victims were airlifted to the hospital.
A field sobriety test conducted on Weddle by Maine State Police detected the presence of alcohol. The police also found a bottle of whiskey in his truck. Investigators also discovered that at the time of the crash, Weddle’s CDL had been revoked by the state of Virginia for a driving while intoxicated conviction.
Investigators further discovered multiple federal hours-of-service violations. Weddle was also found to have taken a family member as an unauthorized passenger on the same trip as the accident, dropping the passenger off shortly before the crash.
“[His] blatant disregard of [federal safety regulations] and continued disregard for the safety of the motoring public demonstrated by these actions substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and/or the motoring public,” stated the FMCSA in its out-of-service order.
Weddle may also be subject to civil penalty enforcement proceeding brought by FMCSA for his violation of the agency’s safety rules.
More at FMCSA website here
Purchase and access FMCSA 60/60 DOT Supervisor Reasonable Suspicion Training right now! – Fulfills Compliance for 49 CFR 382.603
What You Need to Know:
- 49 CFR 382.603 is the applicable regulation requiring supervisors of commercial motor vehicle drivers who operate vehicles that require a commercial driver license to take 60 minutes of training on the symptoms of alcohol abuse and another 60 minutes of training on the symptoms of controlled substances use (120 minutes in total). The purpose of this training is to teach supervisors to identify circumstances and indicators that may create reasonable suspicion that a driver is using or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, supporting referral of an employee for testing.
- If you operate vehicles that require a CDL on the public roads and you have more than one employee in the company, you are required to get DOT Supervisor Training. To verify if you are subject to the drug and alcohol regulations, please visithttp://www.dot.gov/odapc/am-i-covered
- Owner-operators are not subject to DOT supervisor training. However, you are still required to register with a consortium for DOT drug and alcohol testing.
- Employers need to ensure that the required content is made available to all persons designated to supervise drivers. Information can be found at /regulations/drug-alcohol-testing/what-are-my-employee-and-supervisor-training-responsibilities
