Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/655281
For Safety's Sake By Matt Cole 36 // COMPANY DRIVER // APRIL 2016 NTSB begins fi nalizing report on fatal 2014 Illinois crash, fi ndings include egregious HOS violations, falsifi ed logs T he National Transportation Safety Board held a meeting on Feb. 9 to determine a 2014 crash's probable cause in order to finalize a report on and issue recommendations from the incident, which involved two tractor-trailers and re- sulted in the death of an Illinois State Toll Highway Authority truck driver. NTSB investigators presented their fi ndings to the full Board, which included trucker fa- tigue and logbook falsifi cation, as well as "inadequacy of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration efforts to address the safety defi ciencies of high-risk carriers or prioritize action to halt their operations." Reports at the time of the crash revealed that the truck operator in the case, Renato Velas- quez, had been awake for about 35 hours prior to the crash and had driven over 1,000 miles in that time. He was also carrying falsifi ed logs, FMCSA reported at the time. NTSB will issue its fi nal report based on its fi ndings, along with recommendations as to how to prevent such a crash to regulators and A crash scene photo from the Illinois State Police