Trucking firm owner admits to logbook violations

A Lancaster, Pa., trucking company owner has admitted he ordered drivers to falsify logbooks to work excessive hours.

Dean A. Landis, owner of D.A. Landis Trucking, entered guilty pleas March 16 in federal court for himself and the company, according to press reports. The company faces a maximum fine of $5.5 million and five years of probation. Landis faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 24.

The logbook violations occurred between 2007 and 2009. As part of a plea deal, Landis Trucking has agreed to implement a Compliance & Ethics Plan, subject to federal approval. The company also will place ads that will describe what it did, its conviction and sentence; the steps it will take to prevent a recurrence; and how other trucking firms can avoid similar misdeeds.

In addition, the company will instruct current and new employees to read the compliance manual and undergo training on regulations.