FMCSA Orders Land Air Express of New England to Cease Operations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered Land Air Express of New England, a regional less-than-truckload carrier based in Williston, Vermont, to cease operating after it said the company failed to submit a plan to rectify unspecified violations following a recent safety audit.

However, company President William Spencer told Transport Topics Jan. 4 that the company was “not shutting down.”

FMCSA issued an out-of-service order Dec. 29 and has an “unsatisfactory” safety rating listed for Land Air Express on the agency’s website.

UPDATED STORY: Land Air Express of New England elaborates



A spokesman for the agency said the company was notified of a “proposed unsatisfactory” safety rating after a compliance review in late October and had 60 days to submit a corrective action plan, appeal or contest the proposed safety rating. “That window closed Dec. 29, 2015,” agency spokesman Duane DeBruyne said Jan. 4.

“The carrier may still appeal or contest or work to provide a corrective action plan acceptable to the U.S. Department of Transportation,” DeBruyne added, although it’s not clear what the company intends to do.

When contacted by TT, Spencer declined to provide further comment.

The company operates a fleet of 285 tractors, 45 straight trucks and 581 trailers, according to FMCSA registration documents. A summary of activities for the past 24 months shows 151 violations resulting from 176 inspections. The company reported 49 crashes during that time period, with 17 involving injuries, 32 involving tow-aways and none involving fatalities.

While the company’s out-of-service rate for vehicles and drivers are both better than national averages — 20.1% versus 20.7% for vehicles and 2.8% versus 5.5% for drivers, the OOS rate for hazmat violations of 18.8% was significantly higher than the national average of 4.5%.

Founded in 1968 by Fred Spencer as Allied Air Freight, the company made several acquisitions and expanded its coverage to provide same-day and next-day freight service throughout New England, New York and New Jersey.

The company adopted its current name in 1990 and operates 13 terminals.