Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, June 3, 2025:
Kentucky small fleet owner sentenced for cocaine trafficking conspiracy
The owner of a Lexington, Kentucky-based small fleet was sentenced June 2 to 28 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to launder drug proceeds.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Alejandro Galvan Gomez, 51, previously pled guilty to the charges. According to his plea agreement, from November 2023 until September 2024, Gomez agreed with others to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine.
Gomez owned a trucking company, G and G Transportation headquartered in Lexington, and used the trucking company and its trucks to travel to the southern border of the United States at McAllen, Texas, to pick up drug loads. Gomez made these trips on a frequent basis, at least two times per month.
Gomez would conceal the cocaine in large vehicle batteries that were hollowed out to allow for four kilograms of cocaine. To evade detection by law enforcement, the batteries contained a small battery within the modified battery, so that the battery would still produce a charge if tested. Gomez would receive at least two batteries per trip to McAllen, and sometimes as many as 10 batteries. Once he obtained the drugs, he would then distribute them to others around the country, including in Dallas, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; Dayton, Ohio; and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Additionally, Gomez admitted to laundering drug proceeds by methods known as promotional and concealment money laundering. To do this, he would make large cash deposits in both his personal and business accounts. G and G Transportation was not a cash-based entity, and the source of the cash stemmed from his involvement in drug distribution offenses.
Gomez would use the cash deposits to pay the transportation company’s expenses, including maintenance and fuel for the Volvo semi-truck that was used to pick up the drug loads and for his personal expenses, including mortgage payments.
From September 2023 to May 31, 2024, he deposited $159,350 in cash in the G and G operating account and $105,745.95 into his personal account. He also admitted that these funds were the proceeds of the drug trafficking offenses and that they were intended to promote drug distribution offenses.
Under federal law, Gomez must serve 85% of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
[Related: Fentanyl/cocaine seizure at roadside in Arkansas]
Utah DOT teaching drivers how to be safe around trucks
A program developed by the Utah Department of Transportation is educating passenger car drivers on safe practices for driving around semi-trucks. UDOT’s Truck Smart campaign urges drivers to learn how to safely share the road with big rigs.
In 2024, there were 45 commercial vehicle-involved fatalities on Utah roads, UDOT said, and six such fatalities so far this year. In 75% of crashes involving semi-trucks, passenger vehicle drivers are at fault and responsible, the department added. Additionally, nearly a quarter of all vehicles on Utah roads are large trucks.
“With such a high number of commercial vehicles on Utah roads, it is vital that our drivers understand how to safely navigate driving around big rigs,” said Laurie Huntsman, UDOT spokesperson. “With a few simple changes in our driving habits to improve how we drive around semis and other big trucks, we can make our roadways safer for all drivers.”
[Related: Highway-safety PSAs fit for our four-wheeled friends]
The Truck Smart campaign reminds passenger vehicle drivers of two main practices when merging and driving around large trucks:
When passing or driving near a semi-truck, drivers should look for the truck driver’s face in their mirrors or even make eye contact with the truck driver.
Before merging in front of a large truck, drivers should make sure they see the entire truck or both headlights in their rearview mirror before moving over.
“Commercial vehicle drivers have far too many close calls every single day driving on Utah roads,” Huntsman added. “Truck drivers go through intensive training to earn their commercial driver’s license, with hundreds of hours of training. They do everything they can to keep themselves and other drivers safe; however, every driver on the roads also carries the responsibility of understanding how to safely drive near trucks to help keep our roadways safe.”
In addition to educating the general public, Truck Smart also does in-person presentations to teens in driver’s education courses about how to prevent crashes around semi-trucks. More than 700 presentations were given to driver’s ed classes in 2024.
[Related: 'Our Roads, Our Safety' week under way with FMCSA]
Generative-AI assistant gaining ground for telematics company's customers
May a year ago, according to telematics/ELD systems provider Geotab, more than 100 different customers of the company signed up to be part of an "early adopter program" to provide feedback on the Geotab Ace generative AI assistant. That assistant reached a milestone recently: it's now used by more than 1,500 companies, Geotab said, and is getting better at "processing vast quantities of telematics data quickly," working with Microsoft.
Geotab Vice President Data & Analytics Mike Branch, looking at some of the most common prompts given to the system, noted that "what’s striking is the quality of prompts -- fleet managers are asking smart, targeted questions, and they’re doing it confidently."
The company shared questions asked by managers of fleets large and small, such as:
- Provide: total engine hours, idle hours, average fuel cost, and gallons/hour during idling -- for all trucks
- Show seatbelt violations that occurred while vehicles were over 30mph
- Calculate November 2024 utilization per vehicle (driven >25 km/day = utilized). Return: Asset name, Days driven, Total days, Utilization %
Other common queries had to do with dwell time at particular facilities by a company truck. Branch contended such specificity in prompting the system to return company-level data was "only possible because Geotab Ace is built on a trusted, structured data foundation. This is a perfect example of where AI can be put to real use. It’s not about replacing people; but rather equipping teams with better tools.”
[Related: Truckers may get the last laugh on artificial intelligence]
Trimac owner-operator recognized as Highway Angel for administering CPR at roadside
The Truckload Carriers Association has named Trimac Transportation driver Oleksandr Tkachuk, from Edmonton, Alberta, a Highway Angel for stopping and administering CPR on the side of the road during a medical emergency.
Oleksandr TkachukTCA
“On the side of the road I saw a vehicle, and two young people were helping a young man, probably about 25, who was on the ground,” said Tkachuk. “I didn’t see anyone else, so I thought that I should stop.”
Tkachuk immediately realized the man on the ground was unconscious, and what appeared to be his crying younger brother was trying to administer CPR. The man was unresponsive. Tkachuk asked if he could help, since he has CPR training, so he took over for the other young man.
“I was trained in CPR, and I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to use it in my life, but I needed to use it -- I was doing chest compressions for this guy who was on the ground,” he said.
The young man and young woman who were at the scene held the phone up, with 911 dispatch personnel on the phone talking Tkachuk through the procedure. He performed CPR for about 20 minutes, until emergency personnel arrived and took over. The young man never regained consciousness while he was there.
“I was hoping to see if he survived or not, but I don’t know,” he said. “I was doing what I was trained to do.”
His courage, quick thinking and willingness to help in a life-threatening situation are a powerful reminder of what it means to rise to the challenge.
