California truck driver placed out of service

A California truck driver was charged with multiple offenses for operating his truck with a blood alcohol concentration of over seven times more than the legal limit for commercial drivers. The incident happened on March 21 in Illinois.

Law enforcement officers with the Illinois State Police reportedly tested the man's blood alcohol concentration at a level of 0.308 percent. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an off-the-road order in response to the charges.

The FMCSA stated that the man was previously convicted two different times in Connecticut for operating his truck in alcohol-related offenses. He was also convicted for a similar offense in Massachusetts. The man has had his CDL suspended several times but has somehow managed to regain it each time. Besides the DUI, the man was also charged with not keeping his vehicle log book for the week before the incident and driving on duty while possessing alcohol. The off-the-road order means the man will not be allowed to continue driving a commercial vehicle, a move which the FMCSA characterized as necessary in order to protect the public.

It is extremely fortunate that this truck driver did not cause any accidents. Commercial trucks are so much larger and heavier than other vehicles that accidents in which they are involved are often fatal or very serious. People who are injured in a truck driving accident may be permanently disabled, suffering a lifelong reduction in their ability to enjoy a good quality of life. When these accidents are caused by impaired truck drivers, injured victims may want to get help from personal injury attorneys in filing civil lawsuits against the truck drivers as well as against the companies that employ them.

Source: Overdrive Online, "FMCSA shuts down Calif.-based driver after multiple DUI convictions," April 4, 2016