The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered Tennessee-based trucking company Terri's Farm to immediately cease all interstate transportation services, based on evidence that it was a chameleon operation for an unsafe company previously shut down by the agency.


Following a thorough review of the company's operations, FMCSA shut down Terri's Farm after finding that it was operating the same vehicles and maintaining the same operational and safety management structure as former horse transporter Three Angels Farms.

On June 29, 2012, FMCSA ordered Three Angels Farms, its officers and vehicles out of service after safety investigators found multiple safety infractions, including allowing drivers to operate commercial motor vehicles without commercial driver's licenses and no controlled substances testing of drivers. During the past eight months, the former Three Angels Farms had two accidents involving poorly maintained vehicles and fatigued or disqualified drivers, which resulted in the deaths of four horses.

"Terri's Farm continues, in all significant aspects, the operations of Three Angels Farms," notes the out-of-sevice order.

On July 27, the Tennessee Department of Safety put a Terri's Farm driver out of service while driving back from Presidio, Texas, to Lebanon, Tenn., because his vehicle had defective brakes and he had a false record of duty status and had driven over 70 hours. Similarly, on July 20, another driver was cited because of vehicle defects and for not maintaining a logbook. Both drivers were operating vehicles that were included in the June 29 out-of-service order.

"Terre's Farm's operational structure and safety management controls are a continuation of the inadequate safety management controls of Three Angels Farms," says the order. "These inadequate safety management controls fail to ensure acceptable compliance with applicable safety requirements to reduce associated risks. By continuing to operate in this manner and in violation of previous FMCSA Orders Terri's Farm attempts to evade safety regulations and accountability."

The notice says failure to comply could result in civil penalties of up to $16,000 per day for each day the companies continues operating in violation of the order.