News Release

May 29, 2008

KCC assesses $102,000 in fines against 54 motor carriers

The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) is responsible to assure the public is not put at risk by motor carriers not adhering to safety rules and regulations by using defective equipment or employing unqualified or impaired drivers.

Safety Compliance Audits of 136 motor carries by the Commission's Transportation Division revealed safety violations with 54 of the carriers, resulting in a total of $102,000 in fines and penalties. The audits were performed during the second-quarter of the state's fiscal year 2008 (October 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007.

The Commission has fined the following motor carriers:

• All Steam LLC, Hays, Kans. $1,000 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle in intrastate commerce without operating authority.
• Almighty Tow Services LLC, Overland Park, Kans. $500 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection.
• Andrew J. O'Hanlon d.b.a. KC Drop, Spring Hill, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without proper operating authority and without a periodic inspection.
• Arkwin Transportation LLC, Winfield, Kans. $3,000 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program and allowing or requiring a driver to make false entries in the record of duty status reports.
• Arthur J. Holloway d.b.a. Art's Towing and Recovery, Parsons, Kans. $1,000 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without first having a valid medical examiners certificate and to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection.
• Bissen Concrete LLC, Westmoreland, Kans. $3,000 for three safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program, maintain driver qualification files for each driver, and require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports.
• Bohm Farm and Ranch Inc., Salina, Kans. $8,500 for six safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle on and after the effective date of an out-of-service order; allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle longer then the allowed 11 hours without being off-duty 10 hours, after 14 hours on-duty without the required 10 hours off-duty, and in excess of the allowed 70 hours in 8 consecutive days; allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing a vehicle inspection report, and making false entries in the record of duty status reports.
• Boyce's Moving Service LLC, Andover, Kans. $1,000 for failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program.
• Capital Iron Works Company, Topeka, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection.
• CDL Electric Company, Pittsburg, Kans. $2,500 for four safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program, maintain driver qualification files for each driver, allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without proper operating authority, and without completing vehicle inspection reports.
• Century Fire Sprinklers Inc., Kansas City, Kans. $500 for failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• Chad Parks d.b.a. Parks Trucking, Abilene, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid medical examiners certificate.
• Crescent Oil Company Inc., Independence, Kans. $1,500 for three safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid medical examiners certificate, without completing driver vehicle inspection reports, and without a periodic inspection.
• Curtis W. Clark d.b.a. Tri-Cross Hay Co., Cimarron, Kans. $500 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid medical examiners certificate.
• C.W. Feed Products Inc., Wichita, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program and failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• Daniel Enriquez d.b.a. Danny's Trucking, Garden City, Kans. $1,000 for failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver.
• Dinkle Gas Company LLC, Sharon Springs, Kans. $1,000 for failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program.
• Gary A. Lillich d.b.a. Flash Firework, Derby, Kans. $1,000 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a hazardous material safety permit and without completing vehicle inspection reports.
• Floyd Studer d.b.a. Floyd Studer Harvesting, Goodland, Kans. $1,000 for failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program.
• George Reno d.b.a. Ar-Kee Sanitation, Burlingame, Kans. $3,500 for five safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid commercial driver's license, a valid medical examiners certificate, proper operating authority, and without periodic vehicle inspections; and failure to require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports.
• Gonzalez Auto Repair Inc., Kansas City, Kans. $1,000 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without federal common carrier operating authority.
• Harshaw Fence & Deck LLC, Topeka, Kans. $4,000 for five safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without operating authority and without periodic inspections, failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver, maintain records of inspection, repair and maintenance, and failure to require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports.
• Hitchin Post Steak Co., Kansas City, Kans. $500 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection.
• The Island Corporation d.b.a. Island Audio Corp., Chanute, Kans. $1,000 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection.
• Jason D. Brannan d.b.a. Brannan Trucking, Dennis, Kans. $1,000 for failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program.
• Jerry Suchy d.b.a. Central Kansas Recycling, Russell, Kans. $3,000 for four safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver, require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports, maintain records of inspection, repair and maintenance, and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection.
• Joseph W. Ormond d.b.a. Joe's Towing, Wichita, Kans. $2,500 for four safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver, allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without proper operating authority and without periodic inspections, and failure to maintain current registration.
• Kansas Lighting Distributors Inc., Wichita, Kans. $2,000 for three safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver, allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without operating authority, and failure to require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports.
• Kenneth R. Kent d.b.a. Norton Ice, Norton, Kans. $1,000 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing driver vehicle inspection reports and without a periodic inspection.
• Lawn Sprinkler Services LLC, Wichita, Kans. $500 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without operating authority.
• Leoti Spraying Service Inc., Leoti, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid medical examiners certificate.
• Little Bear Transportation Inc., Neodesha, Kans. $2,500 for three safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program, allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle transporting hazardous material without documentation on file of hazardous material training for each driver, and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection.
• Magnatech Engineering Incorporated, Tonganoxie, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid medical examiners certificate and without a periodic inspection.
• Manuel Espino d.b.a. Espino Trucking, Deerfield, Kans. $1,000 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing driver vehicle inspection reports and without a periodic inspection.
• Melvin L. White d.b.a. Big Valley Transport, Kingman, Kans. $3,500 for four safety violations. The violations include failure to implement an alcohol and/or controlled substance testing program, failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver, allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection, and without proper operating authority.
• Miguel Hernandez d.b.a. M's & V's Trucking, Ulysses, Kans. $500 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing driver vehicle inspection reports.
• Mike L. Ellis d.b.a. Oasis Alfalfa, Scott City, Kans. $4,500 for three safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle in excess of the maximum gross weight allowed by law, allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection and without a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report.
• Morgan Diesel Inc., Pratt, Kans. $2,000 for three safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver, failure to require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports, and for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing driver vehicle inspection reports.
• Northwest Commodities LLC, Johnson, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing driver vehicle inspection reports.
• Northeast Transit LLC, Onaga, Kans. $4,000 for four safety violations. The violations include failure to require drivers to prepare record of duty status reports, allowing or requiring drivers to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing driver vehicle inspection reports, without a periodic inspection, and without a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report.
• Pepsi Cola Bottling Company Inc., Pittsburg, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without completing driver vehicle inspection reports.
• Peter Dyck d.b.a. P&D Transport, Lakin, Kans. $500 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid commercial drivers license.
• Power Chemicals Inc., Wichita, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report and failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• Preston Farms II LLC, Oakley, Kans. $500 for failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• Roger Janzen d.b.a. Roger D. Janzen Farm, Independence, Kans. $500 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a valid commercial drivers license.
• Ron Tiede LLC, Herington, Kans. $1,500 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report and failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• Ryan Studer d.b.a. Studer Harvesting, Goodland, Kans. $2,000 for two safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report and failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• Sam's Well Service Inc., Arkansas City, Kans. $4,000 for five safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report, failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver, allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection, without proper operating authority, and without completing driver vehicle inspection reports.
• Santiago M. Rueda d.b.a. Ants the Earth Movers, Garden City, Kans. $1,000 for allowing or requiring a driver to make false entries in the record of duty status reports.
• Randall Schwanke d.b.a. Schwanke Co., Scott City, Kans. $3,000 for four safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report, without completing driver vehicle inspection reports, without proper operating authority, and failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• Snell Harvesting Inc., Ellinwood, Kans. $7,000 for three safety violations. The violations include allowing or requiring drivers to operate Oklahoma farm registered vehicles as common carriers intrastate and failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.
• T & M Transportation LLC, Lawrence, Kans. $1,000 for allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without first receiving a negative pre-employment controlled substance test report.
• Worldwide Wine and Spirits Inc., Lenexa, Kans. $2,000 for three safety violations. The violations include failure to maintain driver qualification files for each driver, and allowing or requiring a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle without a periodic inspection and without completing driver vehicle inspection reports.
• Wurtz Trucking LLC, Clifton, Kans. $500 for failure to maintain a current motor vehicle record for each driver.

The Transportation Division offers free compliance seminars. The seminars are held weekly on a rotating basis in Topeka, Hutchinson, Hays, and Garden City. The seminars, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and lasting approximately two hours, are presented by the Commission's Transportation Division staff and are designed to help Motor Carriers comply with Safety and Economic Regulations. The seminar schedule is available on the Commission's website at http://kcc.ks.gov or by calling 785.271.3231.

The KCC Transportation Division is responsible for regulating public and private motor carriers in Kansas. The Commission's goal is to ensure appropriate and effective regulation and oversight of motor carriers and protect the public interest and safety.