Benjamin Scott Brewer, the driver of the truck involved in the June 25 crash on Interstate 75 that killed six people, has been ordered not to operate any commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce.
He also was called an imminent hazard to public safety, according to a release from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Brewer was served the order Sunday.
The Kentucky-licensed Cool Runnings Express Inc. driver falsified his records-of-duty status, a FMCSA investigation discovered.
He said he was off duty from June 15 until 7 a.m. on June 25. However, tracking systems used by his employer showed Brewer had been driving June 22, 23 and 24, the release said.
On Brewer's application for employment, he was required to list all accidents and traffic convictions he had during the past three years, the release said. He omitted a crash that occurred in June 2013 and a citation for speeding 16-20 miles over the speed limit in January 2015.
I-75 crashAlso, Brewer tested positive for controlled substances in May 2015.
Chattanooga police say Brewer "plowed" into several stopped cars on his way from Florida to Kentucky. The death toll was the highest for a single crash in Hamilton County in the last 21 years, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
"I've been involved in traffic fatalities for 27 years and this is by far one of the worst I've seen," Chattanooga Police Lt. Adrian Gibb said to the Times Free Press after the crash.
The investigation is ongoing.
Contact staff writer Evan Hoopfer at ehoopfer@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/EvanHoopfer or 423-757-6731.