Trucking company Flexis has agreed to pay more than $7.5 million in fines and penalties to settle allegations it violated safety rules and failed to follow company procedures, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday.
The agency said Flexis will pay $4.6 million to settle a civil penalty for violations of federal airworthiness and hazardous materials regulations.
The company also agreed to set aside $1.9 million to provide relief to customers impacted by the alleged violations.
The settlement, announced in a letter to customers, comes as the Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are investigating a spate of fatal truck crashes.
The DOTs investigation, which began in January 2016, found that Flexis, which was formed by a combination of a small truck manufacturer and a large trucking company, failed to adequately monitor its drivers and failed on a number of other safety issues.
The safety of its drivers is of particular concern, as the company has faced numerous safety issues in the past.
In February, a truck crashed into the side of a Walmart parking lot, killing one of its four drivers.
In November, a tractor-trailer carrying a group of truckers derailed, killing the driver of a tractor trailer.
In November, another truck crashed while carrying two women in a wheel chair.
In March, a freight train derailed on the same stretch of railroad that killed two people.
Last week, a video showed a truck driver being dragged into the back of a pickup truck as he tried to stop the driver who was going too fast and too fast.
The video, which the company said showed the driver’s actions were “preventable,” sparked an outpouring of anger and frustration from the public, who called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
The new settlement also calls for a review of Flexis’ vehicle maintenance and safety practices, including training on how to recognize hazardous materials and how to detect hazardous substances, and a mandatory one-year safety inspection for each vehicle it transports.