Truck company loses hazmat license over Bay Area freeway collapse

Truck company loses hazmat license over Bay Area freeway collapse The California Highway Patrol Friday suspended the hazardous materials carrier license of the truck company involved in the crash, explosion, and fire of a gasoline tanker that led to the collapse of a major Bay Area highway connector road last month.
   Following a post-crash inspection of Sabek Transportation and its fleet, state inspectors found 36 safety violations at the San Francisco-based firm's main trucking facility in King City. CHP cited the violations as a primary reason for the suspension.
   Inspectors found less than one-third of the firm's vehicles fit and legal for use on the road. The Sabek vehicle involved in the April 29 crash had previously been cited 27 times for safety violations.
   The state investigators also discovered the firm has been operating three Northern California truck facilities without reporting them to the state, thereby avoiding state-mandated biennial inspections. A subsequent inspection gave one of the facilities an 'unsatisfactory' rating from state inspectors. The other two facilities are still being scrutinized.
   The April 29 tanker crash, and the ensuing explosion and fire, caused the collapse of an elevated Interstate 580 connector ramp onto an I-880 ramp below. The collapsed connector reopened last week. The closure cost area commuters and businesses an estimated $4 million to $6 million a day in added commuting costs and lost business revenue.
   This is the first time CHP has suspended a gasoline carrier’s license since the agency was given the authority to do so 15 years ago.
   According to CHP, Sabek is appealing the suspension.
   As a direct result of the April 29 incident, Sacramento lawmakers last week introduced legislation to toughen standards for state truckers and truck firms that carry hazardous materials.
   Assembly Bill 1612 would levy fees on hazmat carriers to support a CHP program that inspects such trucks and tighten standards under which drivers obtain licenses to drive vehicles carrying dangerous loads, such as gasoline.
   The driver of the truck involved in the April 29 incident, who survived, had a criminal background that many have said should have disqualified him from driving a hazmat vehicle. However, under current law, the driver was able to obtain his license legitimately.