Trucking Company Pays Dearly for PHMSA Related Scheme

When the DOT talks about their being “too cozy” with industry, I find it hard to understand why a company would not invest in verifying that their dangerous goods are being handled in a compliant manner. Certainly, the President of this company could not imagine what was ahead as a penalty for trying to wrongly represent their compliance. The employees of JNE Trucking falsely represented to a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) investigator that their driver had a copy of shipping papers in his possession during the shipment of hazardous materials, when in fact he did not. In assisting with this cover up, Meras emailed a fraudulent bill of lading to the PHMSA investigator indicating that the JNE driver had it in his possession at the time of shipment. As a result, on February 1, 2010, JNE Trucking Company, Inc., and Jamie Meras, President of JNE Trucking, were sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for making false statements and fraudulent reproduction of motor carrier records. JNE Trucking was sentenced to a $100,000 criminal fine, a $400 special assessment, and five years probation. Meras was sentenced to a $20,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and five years probation. This DOT/OIG investigation was worked jointly with the assistance of PHMSA.