FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 12, 2016
MDTA POLICE PREVENT TRUCK LEAKING HAZMAT FROM ENTERING HARBOR TUNNEL
Officers Take Unsafe Vehicle Off The Road;
Trucking Company Currently Under Federal Out Of Service Order
BALTIMORE, MD - During a random commercial-vehicle safety inspection
Sunday on northbound I-895 prior to the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police discovered a truck that was leaking hazardous material.
MDTA Police Officers stopped a box truck for inspection and discovered numerous safety and regulatory violations, including a container within the truck's cargo area that was leaking a corrosive cleaning fluid. The leak was immediately contained, and the Baltimore City Fire Department and the Maryland Department of the Environment responded to clean up the fluid.
"I am proud of the work of our officers who conducted this inspection Sunday. Stopping this vehicle and preventing a serious incident is all part of our core mission to keep Marylanders safe," said MDTA Police Chief Colonel Jerry Jones. "I am thankful that our officers were not seriously injured during this inspection."
MDTA Police Senior Officer S. Priller cited Jose Tomas Castillo Urbina of Baltimore for operating the vehicle without a Commercial Driver's License, not possessing a hazardous material endorsement on his driver's license and attempting to transport hazardous material through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel.
In addition, Castillo Urbina was cited for operating a commercial vehicle while under a Federal Out of Service Order, failure to display company name and DOT number as required, release of hazardous materials to the environment, multiple load securement violations and hazardous material placarding violations. The fines totaled more than $3,700.
The MDTA Police's Commercial Vehicle Safety Unit conducts inspections and enforcement activities at all facilities under Maryland Transportation Authority jurisdiction on most vehicles with a gross-vehicle weight in excess of 10,000 pounds.