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U.S. Department of Transportation Declares Texas Long-Haul Truck Driver to be an Imminent Hazard to Public Safety

Thursday, August 1, 2019

FMCSA 55-13

U.S. Department of Transportation Declares Texas Long-Haul Truck Driver to be an Imminent Hazard to Public Safety

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared Texas-licensed truck driver Scotty G. Arnst to be an imminent hazard to public safety and has ordered him not to operate any commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Arnst was served the federal order Oct. 11, 2013.

“Safety should be the top priority of every driver of every vehicle out on our nation’s highways and roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.  “We will continue to work with our state law enforcement partners to protect the motoring public through vigorous enforcement of traffic laws and driver and motor vehicle regulations that prevent needless crashes and save lives.”

On Sept. 22, 2013, Arnst, a commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder, was operating a tractor-trailer on Arkansas State Highway 7 near Harrison, Ark., when he struck two pedestrians changing a flat tire on the roadway shoulder.  Both individuals were killed.

A subsequent investigation by FMCSA determined that Arnst had failed to disclose to three separate employers during the previous nine-month period his involvement in five commercial motor vehicle crashes in addition to his prior terminations as a commercial vehicle operator for high risk driving.  They also found that Arnst had potentially disqualifying medical conditions which he had repeatedly failed to disclose to employers or otherwise had submitted an outdated medical examiner certificate required by federal regulations to operate commercial motor vehicles.

“It is unacceptable for a truck or bus company, or any of its drivers, to disregard the law and put travelers at risk,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro.  “We will continue our aggressive efforts to prevent unsafe commercial drivers from getting behind the wheel and endangering the public.”

FMCSA's imminent hazard out-of-service order for Arnst is based on his pattern of unsafe driving, violation of local laws, crashes, falsification of employment applications after crashing, including failure to disclose medical conditions, and violation of federal safety regulations.

Since the beginning of 2013, FMCSA has declared nine commercial driver's license holders as imminent hazards, blocking them from operating in interstate commerce.

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