WASHINGTON — The trucking company that employed Christopher Savannah, the man accused of killing Loudon County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Jenkins has been declared an "imminent hazard" to public safety, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Koboat Trucking LLC, based out of Houston, was ordered on March 4 to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations, the administration said in a press release.
Savannah, the only driver for Koboat Trucking, ignored a rolling roadblock and crashed into two cars before killing Jenkins on Feb. 3, according to the Loudon County Sheriff's Office.
It has since been revealed that Savannah did not have a commercial driver's license, was prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles due to a previous positive drug test and was arrested for being under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash.
A review by the administration found that Koboat Trucking was noncompliant with multiple federal safety regulations and that it had no safety management controls in place.
Koboat Trucking had no programs to detect and deter the use of controlled substances by its drivers, ensure its drivers were qualified and licensed, control its drivers' hours of service and ensure its vehicles were appropriately inspected and repaired, the administration's release states.
The imminent hazard out-of-service order from the administration states that the trucking company's "complete and utter disregard for the [federal safety regulations] substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death for your drivers and the motoring public if [its] operations are not discontinued immediately.”
If Koboat Trucking fails to comply with the federal imminent hazard order, it will face civil penalties of over $28,000 for each violation. The company may also be assessed civil penalties of no less than $11,256 for providing transportation without operating authority registration and up to $15,876 for operating a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce without USDOT Number registration, according to the administration's release.
If Koboat Trucking commits knowing and willful violations, it could result in criminal penalties.
