The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered truck driver Yakov Zaverukha off the road after he was pulled over in his truck with a blood alcohol level of seven times over the legal limit.
Zaverukha was trucking a large commercial truck through Illinois when he was stopped by police for driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level of 0.308%. He was also cited for possession of an intoxicating beverage while on duty or driving and for failing to maintain logbooks for the previous seven-day period. Zaverukha further received citations for illegal transportation of alcohol and improper lane usage.
For these violations, the FMCSA declared Zaverukha an imminent hazard, ordering him not to operate any commercial vehicle in interstate commerce.
This is not the first time that Zaverukha has been pulled over on duty for alcohol-related issues. In 2012 he was convicted in Connecticut for refusing a breath alcohol test and his CDL was suspended for eight months. A month later, he was again convicted for the same offense, resulting in the suspension of his CDL for 15 months.
In 2007 he was convicted of multiple driving under the influence violations in Massachusets and had his CDL suspended for around a year.
The FMCSA’s most recent out-of-service order states that his driving record “demonstrates that Zaverukha is unwilling or unable to cease operating a commercial motor vehicle while using alcohol.” The agency further emphasized that his continued operation of a commercial vehicle put the public at imminent risk if it wasn’t discontinued immediately.
Violating an imminent hazard out-of-service order by a CDL holder may result in civil penalties of $2,750 or more and disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle for at least 180 days for a first offense. A second offense may result in civil penalties of up to $5,500 and disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle for not less than two years.
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