Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Sept. 27, 2024:
Recall info added to RigDig Truck History Reports
While truck and trailer recalls are routinely published in Overdrive, keeping up with recalls that have affected any particular piece of equipment can be a cumbersome endeavor. Now, though, RigDig Truck History Reports, available to prospective used truck buyers here on Overdrive, offer truck owners all manufacturer recall notices recorded or issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for any piece of truck equipment.
That's in addition, of course, to a bevy of other information about a truck's history, from a wide array of potential title and odometer brands, among the latters reports of mileage mismatches, odometer replacement and/or tampering and more.
NHTSA recall data in the report shows the date of recall and component recalled, in addition to other information.
[Related: Latest recalls his Volvo, Great Dane, Trail King]
Often, truck manufacturers voluntarily issue recalls. Occasionally, NHTSA itself mandates a recall as a result of an investigation into consumer complaints.
The total number of recall notices that match a VIN's make, model and model year are reported in any Truck History Report's "Vital History" section, as illustrated below.
Download a sample RigDig Truck History Report featuring several recorded recalls via this link.
Details of each recall notice are outlined in the report with detailed information including:
- Date of the recall's issuance
- The component impacted
- A summary of the particular issue at hand
- And consequences and specific remedies to correct the issue.
Learn more about Truck History Reports via this link.
[Related: RigDig Truck History Reports now part of Overdrive]
Fleet owner sentenced in drug trafficking case
The owner of a Texas trucking company has been sentenced to 25 years in prison as part of a federal investigation that dismantled a Mexico-to-Chicago drug pipeline.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois said Jose Farias owned a trucking company in McAllen, Texas, and resided in Mexico. In 2015 and 2016, Farias arranged with truck drivers to transport dozens of kilograms of narcotics to the Chicago area hidden in the hollowed-out wheel axles of tractor-trailers.
Farias supervised numerous traffickers who unloaded the trucks in the Chicago area and distributed the drugs to sellers. The traffickers then hid narcotics proceeds in the trucks for transport back to Texas and Mexico.
Farias’s drug trafficking organization used warehouses in Naperville, Illinois, and Sugar Grove, Illinois, as well as an abandoned auto lot in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago and an auto repair shop in Channahon, Illinois.
During the investigation, law enforcement searched these locations and seized approximately 54 kilograms of heroin and nearly 17 kilograms of cocaine, as well as $630,200 in illicit cash proceeds.
In all, the drug trafficking organization distributed approximately 130 kilograms of heroin and approximately 45 kilograms of cocaine in the Chicago area. Seven other defendants were also convicted in federal and state courts as part of the investigation.
A federal jury in Chicago in 2021 convicted Farias, 44, on drug conspiracy and possession charges. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey on Sept. 23 sentenced Farias to 25 years in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
“The drugs [the] defendant caused to be distributed were resold to thousands of people, fueling addiction, tearing families apart, and decimating communities -- all for the profit of defendant and his co-conspirators,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Rothblatt and Kristen Totten argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.
[Related: Busted: Yet another truck-involved drug smuggling operation]
No charges for driver in fatal I-70 crash
The truck driver in a crash that killed three people on I-70 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, on Aug. 15 has been cleared of any criminal charges following a meticulous investigation by the local police department, which found that he was fully compliant, inspected just 40 minutes prior, and going under the speed limit.
After a meticulous and "comprehensive investigation," the Wheat Ridge Police Department said it "found no probable cause to recommend criminal charges in this case."
"Our department made it a priority to deliver this news to the victims’ family and walk them through the facts of our investigation, before announcing this to the public," the department wrote on Facebook. "This was a tragic, heartbreaking accident, and we want to give this family our full support."
Alongside the First Judicial DA's Office of Colorado, the department spent more than a month reviewing "significant evidence gathered," including video evidence and the environmental conditions on-scene.
"Our team got access to a level one inspection performed on the truck one month prior to the crash, finding no issues," it wrote. "Additionally, about 40 minutes prior to the crash, the truck pulled into a Colorado State Patrol Port of Entry weigh station along I-70."
The driver passed inspection, came in about 8,000 lbs. underweight, and was "over-strapped for the pipes it was carrying and had no brake issues based on infrared scanning."
"Black Box data from the truck and other data points indicated the truck was traveling 59 mph in a posted 60 mph zone," and they found no signs of impairment or intoxication from the driver, they wrote.
New One9 fuel stop opens in New Mexico
Pilot Company is expanding its network with the addition of a One9 travel center in Tucumcari, New Mexico, located at 3022 S. First St.
“We invite drivers of all kinds -- whether they drive professionally or just to explore new places -- to experience our new One9 travel center in Tucumcari,” said Allison Cornish, senior vice president of store modernization and development at Pilot Company. “We remain focused on creating exceptional experiences for our guests by ensuring every stop has what drivers need to refuel, refresh and hit the road. We can't wait to see you out here."
The new store features an array of guest-focused amenities, including 29 truck parking spaces, mobile fueling and exclusive in-app offers available through the myRewards Plus app, extensive fresh food options including grab-and-go, hot meals and deli, and more.
