A trucking company has been shut down after its driver was involved in a tragic truck accident that killed 11 people, including the truck driver.

The Alabama trucking company, Hester Inc., has been ordered to cease operations after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration determined that the company failed to correct critical safety violations. Hester, Inc. will not be able to operate until the federal agency determines that the company is "fit" and reinstates its registration.

The closing of the company stems from a fatal March accident. The incident occurred when the company's driver crossed the median and struck a van carrying a van full of people on their way to a wedding. The truck driver was reportedly distracted and did not have his tractor-trailer under control when the crash occurred. The driver was talking on a cell phone and may have been speeding. Ten people in the van were killed, as was the truck driver. Only two small children in the van survived.

At the time of the truck accident, the cab was reportedly not properly secured to the frame.

After the crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audited the company and found critical and serious safety violations, including falsifying records of duty status, allowing a driver on the road who had been suspended, allowing drivers to drive for more than the 11-hour limits set by federal law and using drivers before receipt of pre-employment drug test results.

The company was given 60 days to correct these violations, but the federal agency determined that the company was still not in compliance.  

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash and will issue a report on its cause next year.

Source: Cincinnati.com "Trucking firm ordered to close after Int. 65 accident that killed 11" 9/2/10