WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared a New Jersey-licensed commercial driver to be an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered him to immediately cease operating any commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce after several incidents involving alcohol while driving and ignoring federal orders.
Gurpreet Singh was served the federal order on April 19, 2024.
According to the FMCSA, on March 28, while operating his CMV, Singh rear-ended a passenger vehicle on Highway 10 in Washington County, Hillsboro, Oregon, and left the scene of the accident.
After being located, an inspection of Singh’s truck revealed a bottle marked “vodka” inside the truck’s cab.
Singh was placed out-of-service and directed not to operate his CMV.
“Nevertheless, Singh blatantly disregarded his out-of-service order and operated his CMV later that same day in Clackamas County, Oregon,” according to the FMCSA. “After attempting to evade a sheriff’s deputy while operating his CMV, Singh was apprehended and found to be visibly impaired.”
Singh was arrested and testing showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.07%, well over the .04 threshold for a CMV driver.
Under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) are subject to a variety of prohibitions on use of alcohol prior to and while driving CMVs, including a prohibition on using any alcohol within four hours of driving and a prohibition on driving with an alcohol concentration of .04 or greater.
Prior to the March 28, incidents in Oregon, on Aug. 31, 2023, Singh was operating his CMV in an erratic fashion in Pinal, Arizona, when he was apprehended.
A preliminary breath test revealed a quick capture of .111%, and Singh was arrested.
“Based on these incidents, Singh will be listed as prohibited in FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, and FMCSA is working with the state of New Jersey to disqualify his CDL,” according to the FMCSA.
He is charged in Arizona with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of operating a CMV while under the influence of alcohol. Singh is also charged in Oregon with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol.
FMCSA’s Imminent Hazard Out-of-Service Order states that Singh’s “blatant disregard for the safety of the motoring public demonstrated by these actions substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and the motoring public if not discontinued immediately.”
Failing to comply with the provisions of the Federal Imminent Hazard Order may result in civil penalties of up to $2,304. Knowing and/or willful violations may result in criminal penalties.
A copy of the Imminent Hazard Order issued to Gurpreet Singh is available here.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
