The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Saturday declared Ming An, Inc., an interstate passenger carrier based in New York City, to be an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered the company to immediately shut down.
“We are committed to removing unsafe bus and truck companies from our highways and roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will not let up and we will not slow down. Companies that ignore our safety regulations will not be tolerated.”
An FMCSA investigation of Ming An’s operations and its vehicles concluded that the carrier operated in blatant disregard for federal safety regulations. Investigators found that Ming An failed to conduct pre-employment drug and alcohol testing and allowed unqualified drivers to operate its vehicles in an unsafe manner with its drivers receiving numerous citations for speeding in excess of 15 miles per hour over posted speed limits.
The company did not require drivers to maintain log books or conduct vehicle safety inspections as required by federal regulations. FMCSA investigators found that the company lacked a systematic vehicle inspection, repair and maintenance program.
In addition, inspections of Ming An’s buses and vans revealed that many had been modified with after-market seats in violation of federal safety requirements.
The FMCSA order stated that the violations and conditions of operations substantially increase the likelihood of serious injury or death to Ming An’s drivers, passengers and the motoring public.
“This is a company that operates unsafely,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “It frequently uses part-time, unqualified drivers, and often ignores basic safety maintenance and operating standards.”
FMCSA urges consumers and whistleblowers to report any unsafe bus company, vehicle or driver to the agency through a toll free hotline 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238) or FMCSA’s consumer complaint Web site: http://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/HomePage.asp.