News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Vermont
United States Courthouse and Federal Building
Post Office Box 570 (802) 951-6725
Burlington, Vermont 05402-0570 Fax: (802) 951-6540

BURLINGTON, VERMONT JUNE 20, 2001

The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont and the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, today announced that Beland & Beland Transport, Inc. (d/b/a/ B & B Transport Enr.), Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, partially satisfied an outstanding civil judgment the United States had obtained in federal court against the company as a result of B & B's failure to pay a fine for motor vehicle safety violations. B & B made a partial payment on the judgment after a trailer was seized on Monday night, June 18, 2001, at the Derby, Vermont Port of Entry to collect on the judgment. The seizure was made with the cooperation of U.S. Customs and the U.S. Marshals Service as B & B's vehicle attempted to enter the United States.

The federal court judgment was based on a fine the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) assessed against B & B. B & B was fined $11,720 by FMCSA in 1999 for serious safety violations, specifically, failing to conduct pre-employment and random drug tests, failing to retain logbooks, and falsifying logbooks. B & B was fined an additional $9,850 by FMCSA in 2000 for serious safety violations, specifically, failing to have a drug and alcohol testing program and falsifying logbooks. B & B declined to pay these fines as part of the administrative process and the United States had to institute a lawsuit to obtain a judgment and collect the fines.

The vehicle was released on June 19, 2001, when B & B signed a settlement agreement with the United States Attorney's Office. In this case, as in others, the United States Attorney's Office will use its powers, including seizure of assets, to enforce FMCSA administrative fines.

"We will continue to strictly enforce the federal motor carrier regulations against those truck and bus companies and commercial drivers that mistakenly take safety lightly. Our number one goal is to save lives and prevent injuries from large motor carrier-related accidents," said FMCSA Vermont State Director Gerard Amato. "This underscores the Bush Administration's commitment to reduce the number of truck-related crashes on our highways."