Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Aug. 16, 2024:
Former fleet owner gets 2.5 years in prison for PPP loan fraud, reincarnating carriers
After pleading guilty earlier this year, a Georgia-based former fleet owner has been sentenced to federal prison for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud and operating an illegal trucking business.
Roderick Billingslea, 30, of Dacula, Georgia, was sentenced Aug. 13 to two years, six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $591,668.89 and the cost of his incarceration, or $49,770 annually.
“Billingslea falsified documents in order to receive PPP funds to operate illegal and unsafe businesses that he was ordered to stop operating,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “He has now been held accountable for his crimes. But our office’s work continues in collaborating with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who defraud the United States Government, including by stealing funds from PPP and other important programs.”
According to Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: In January 2020, the Department of Transportation ordered Billingslea’s trucking business, Billingslea’s Inc., to cease all operations due to multiple safety violations. Billingslea was also prohibited from creating any successor trucking entities.
Despite this order, Billingslea filed multiple registrations with DOT for new trucking entities that listed false owners and fake addresses. Billingslea controlled and operated these illegal businesses by stealing the corporate identities of legitimate trucking businesses. He then employed unsuspecting truck drivers who were unaware that they were hired by an illegitimate business. Billingslea used the drivers until they incurred DOT violations, after which he hired new drivers and moved on to another illegal entity.
Billingslea funded this illegal trucking enterprise with money he obtained from a PPP loan that he received through false pretenses. In June 2020, he applied for and received a PPP loan for $564,363 on behalf of Billingslea, Inc. He lied on his application, claiming that he was not barred from operating a trucking business. He also inflated the number of employees and monthly wages for the business.
In April 2022, he obtained forgiveness of the loan by submitting false tax documents with the forgiveness application.
[Related: Fleet owner pleads guilty to reincarnating carriers, loan fraud]
Truck crash kills three on I-70 in Colorado
A major crash on I-70 on Thursday morning in Wheat Ridge, Colorado killed three and left three others injured.
Just after 8:20 a.m., calls came into Wheat Ridge police. “Our preliminary investigation indicates a semi truck carrying large pipes crashed along EB I-70 near Ward Rd,” they wrote in a press release on Twitter.
Wheat Ridge police said the investigation remains ongoing and active, and they can’t comment on factors that played a role in the crash.
“The order of what happened in this series of events is still undetermined. At some point during the traffic event, the truck lost its load, which spilled across the westbound lanes,” they wrote.
A passenger car “was struck and crashed, resulting in three fatalities,” they said. “Two other people in that car were transported to a local hospital. The truck driver was also taken to a local hospital.”
I-70 fully reopened about four hours later.
Four to be inducted to trucking hall of fame
The American Truck Historical Society will honor four trailblazing trucking pioneers with their induction into the American Trucking and Industry Leader (ATIL) Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The 2024 ATIL inductees are:
- Robert Young, ABF
- John Ruan, Ruan Transportation
- Marvin Rush, Rush Enterprises
- Fred Jones, Thermo King
“Each of these pioneers has made a big impact on the industry. Robert Young is the founder of ABF. Fred Jones perfected the art of refrigeration for trucks and railroad trailers. John Ruan was the leader of transportation logistics. And Marvin Rush formed a nationwide chain of dealerships, Rush Enterprises.” said Tom Mullen (Linesville, PA), American Trucking and Industry Leader Hall of Fame Chair.
The induction ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 at ATHS headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Hall of Fame is made possible with funding from our Visionary Partners, Cummins, Daimler Truck North America, and Mack; and Participating Partners, Walmart Transportation, Women in Trucking, and OOIDA.
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