FMCSA Shuts Down Carrier for HOS Violations

Federal regulators have shut down HP Distribution LLP and HP Distribution LLC, two Kansas City, Kan., trucking companies that operate under one roof, for “flagrantly falsifying” log books and violating federal hours-of-service rules.

“The evidence demonstrates that you refuse to comply with the [HOS] regulations and refuse to require drivers to do the same,” according to an “imminent hazard” out-of-service order announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Friday.

HP “dispatch(es) dispatch drivers to the highways in a potentially fatigued or excessively fatigued condition and without regard for their or the public’s safety,” the agency said.

The company has had HOS problems dating back to 2006, when FMCSA first found its operations to be unsatisfactory. In 2009, field inspectors documented a 34% records-of-duty status falsification rate.

HP did not return a phone message seeking comment on Monday.