The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently declared New Jersey-based trucking company 1 Noor Trucking, Inc. to be an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered the carrier to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations. The federal order was served Friday, May 24.
Gurpreet Singh, owner-operator, sole driver and President of 1 Noor Trucking, Inc. was previously served with an imminent hazard out-of-service order on April 19. The events leading up to its issuance consisted of a March 28, incident in Hillsboro, Oregon in which Singh rear-ended a passenger vehicle while operating his commercial motor vehicle (CMV) and left the scene of the accident. An inspection of Singh’s CMV revealed a bottle marked “vodka” inside the cab.
A statement from the FMCSA said Singh was placed out-of-service but blatantly disregarded that order and operated his CMV later that same day in Clackamas County, Oregon. After attempting to evade a sheriff’s deputy, Singh was arrested, and testing showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.07%. Singh was also apprehended in Pinal, Arizona on August 31, 2023, for operating his CMV in an erratic fashion. A preliminary breath test at that time revealed a quick capture of .111%, and Singh was arrested.
Following the issuance of the April 19, imminent hazard out-of-service order against Singh, the FMCSA said its investigation found 1 Noor Trucking, Inc. to be "egregiously noncompliant with multiple federal safety regulations," including Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing (49 CFR Part 382), Commercial Driver’s License Standards; Requirements and Penalties (49 CFR Part 383), Driving of CMVs (49 CFR Part 392) and Hours of Service of Drivers (49 CFR Part 395).
The FMCSA said its investigation also revealed that on March 22, while operating his CMV on Interstate 78 in New Jersey, Singh was stopped after failing to maintain his lane. After failing a field sobriety test, Singh was arrested and a probable cause search of his CMV revealed four open vodka bottles. Singh is charged in New Jersey with use of alcohol, a prohibited controlled substance; driving while intoxicated; prohibition of an open, unsealed alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle; reckless driving; unsafe lane change, and following too close.
FMCSA’s imminent hazard out-of-service order states, “1 Noor Trucking, Inc. lacks effective safety management controls to ensure its drivers operate CMVs safely. The cumulative violations of the FMCSRs significantly increase the likelihood of death or serious injury to 1 Noor Trucking, Inc.’s drivers and the motoring public and establishes an imminent hazard if not discontinued immediately.”
Failing to comply with the provisions of the federal imminent hazard out-of-service order may result in civil penalties of up to $33,252 for each violation. 1 Noor Trucking, Inc. may also be assessed civil penalties of not less than $13,300 for providing transportation in interstate commerce without operating authority registration and up to $18,758 for operating a CMV in interstate commerce without USDOT number registration. Knowing and/or willful violations may result in criminal penalties.
A copy of the imminent hazard order issued to 1 Noor Trucking, Inc. is available here.
