February 16, 2001

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that Rudco Transport, Inc., of Clackamas, Ore., a for-hire motor carrier that primarily hauls general freight, was served with a "Notice of Claim" letter for $368,200 in civil penalties.

The FMCSA uses the Notice of Claim to initiate civil actions for violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and the Hazardous Materials Regulations. This claim letter alleges that Rudco Transport, Inc., committed multiple violations of the FMCSRs, discovered during an investigation conducted by FMCSA's Oregon Division.

"We will continue to identify at-risk trucking companies and strictly enforce federal motor carrier regulations. Our number one goal is to save lives and prevent injuries from large truck- and bus-related accidents," said FMCSA Acting Deputy Administrator Julie Anna Cirillo

FMCSA investigators issued a proposed unsatisfactory safety rating and cited Rudco president, Sergey Rudnitsky, for violations involving drug and alcohol testing, commercial driver's licenses standards and requirements, qualification of drivers, and inspection and maintenance of motor vehicles. In addition, it is alleged that Rudco allowed for the falsification of records of duty status and allowed its drivers to drive when they had already exceeded their hours of service limits. The company reportedly employs approximately 88 drivers and operates 64 trucks.

Additional information about federal motor carrier safety regulations and the FMCSA's efforts to increase national motor carrier safety is on the Internet at FMCSA Home Page.

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