Share and Follow
The post-crash inspection report reveals multiple violations for both the driver, Harjinder Singh, and the truck owned by White Hawk Carriers.
TAMPA, Fla. — Brand new information is shedding light on the trucking company involved in a deadly crash on the Florida Turnpike. Video shows the truck driver making an illegal U-turn moments before a minivan slammed into the side of his truck, killing three people.
10 Investigates obtained the post-crash inspection report, which reveals multiple violations for both the driver, Harjinder Singh, and the truck owned by White Hawk Carriers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revoked the company’s operating authority.
“There are multiple moving violations or driving violations. Illegal left turn, illegal U-turn,” said Steve Bryan, CEO of Bluewire, a company that collects crash and inspection data.
Bryan, who has analyzed trucking data for nearly two decades, says the inspection tied to the August crash also uncovered equipment and maintenance issues.
“They would be things that run the gamut from tires, brake lights, things like that,” Bryan said.
According to federal records, White Hawk Carriers has been cited before for vehicle maintenance violations, ranging from brake problems to underinflated tires. The company’s maintenance violation rate is higher than the national average, and its driver out-of-service rate is double the national average.
“In this particular post-crash inspection hours of service not an issue, but driving problems were and maintenance issues,” Bryan said.
He added these problems are not isolated.
“I dream of the day it may be a one company problem,” Bryan said. “Our primary mission is to identify risks in trucking industry.”
Federal officials recently announced new rules aimed at keeping unqualified drivers off the road. 10 Investigates previously reported on the surge of new trucking companies in its “Dangerous Deliveries” series. Oversight rules put in place more than a decade ago to monitor new carriers have yet to be fully implemented.
“I think the industry needs to pay attention and call the FMCSA to the table and why we have a surge in new entrant trucking companies at paces we’ve never seen since agency born in 2000,” Bryan said.
When asked if the latest federal changes are a step in the right direction, Bryan said, “I think it’s a start.”
The Department of Transportation declined multiple requests for an interview about oversight of new entrant carriers, including the company involved in this crash. As for the driver, Singh remains in the St. Lucie County Jail facing three counts of vehicular homicide.