Donald E. Wood Jr. also was ordered to serve three years of supervised release during sentencing in U.S. District Court in Montana on Nov. 9. His company, Woody’s Trucking LLC, was sentenced to four years of probation. The judge also levied monetary penalties totaling nearly $1.3 million.
Wood and his company were convicted by a federal jury in May for conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, obstruction of justice and hazardous materials shipping paper and placarding violations.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), on Dec. 29, 2012, a driver for Woody’s Trucking transported natural gas condensate — drip gas — from a processing facility in Watford City, N.D., to Custom Carbon Processing Inc. (CCP), a slop-oil processing/recycling company near Wibaux, Mont. The bill of lading that accompanied the shipment identified the product as “slop oil and water,” a nonhazardous substance. However, while the driver was pumping the product from the truck’s front tank into the CCP facility, a fire ignited.
The tanks on the truck burned for eight days, until the local fire department determined that they held drip gas and not slop oil and water, as indicated on the bill of lading, according to DOT-OIG, which said drip gas is a hazardous material and the truck was not placarded to indicate it held a flammable liquid.
Three CCP employees were seriously injured in the explosion.
DOT-OIG said that following the explosion, Wood directed the driver to place a falsified bill of lading in the burned-out truck to cover up the fact that the company was hauling drip gas without placards. Furthermore, the company did not have insurance coverage for hauling drip gas, investigators said.
Brokerage Compliance Symposium
The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.
F3 Awards Dinner
The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.
F3: Future of Freight Festival
Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register NowThe night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register NowIndustry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now