Arbitrator Cuts FMCSA Penalty Against Texas Carrier to $19,820
FMCSA assessed A B J Express, Inc., a Dallas-based motor carrier, $23,820 in civil penalties for five sets of violations found in 2023 and early 2024. The agency said the carrier under-tested drivers for controlled substances, skipped required Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse pre-employment and annual queries, failed to require drivers to prepare records of duty status on eight trips, and allowed drivers to falsify logs showing off-duty or sleeper-berth time when records showed they were refueling and driving.
FMCSA and A B J agreed to binding arbitration under guidance published in the Federal Register in 2012. At an October 19, 2026 arbitration conference, the carrier's owner accepted responsibility for the violations, described new oversight measures and a staff change, and said the company had cut its driver count in half while fuel costs rose, straining its finances. FMCSA's counsel argued the penalty already reflected the carrier's financial condition and stressed the deterrent value of the fines.
The arbitrator, Board Judge Elizabeth W. Newsom, reduced the penalty to $19,820 and ordered payment in $330 monthly installments over 60 months, with the balance due on the final payment.
What's next
- 2026-12-01: First $330 payment due from A B J Express.
- Decision is specific to this carrier and not precedential for other enforcement cases.
All sources
- Other: In the Matter of A B J Express Inc. - United States Civilian Board of Contract Appeals - Arbitration Decision — Regulations.gov (FMCSA), 2026-10-28
