DESERT HILLS, CALIFORNIA — Inspectors at the CHP Desert Hills Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility discovered a trailer missing its entire brake chamber and several brake components on the rear driver side wheel of axle 5. Photos from the inspection show zip ties used in place of proper brake hardware — a dangerous improvised fix on a critical safety system.
When one brake chamber is missing, the remaining brakes on the vehicle work harder to compensate. That added strain generates excessive heat, increases stopping distance, and raises the risk of complete brake failure.
CHP used the find as a reminder that improvised repairs on safety-critical systems are never acceptable and that pre-trip inspections exist to catch exactly these kinds of defects before they cause a crash.
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PHELPS, NEW YORK — A tractor-trailer clipped a power line on Waddell Road in Phelps, bringing down a telephone pole and causing fluid from a transformer to leak onto the truck. NYSEG Hazmat and Clifton Springs Fire Department responded to the scene.
NYSEG Hazmat crews are working to address the fluid leakage and replace the downed pole. The most common fluid found inside transformers is mineral oil, which is used as an electrical insulator and coolant. While not immediately toxic, mineral oil is flammable and poses environmental concerns as a petroleum-derived substance.
No injuries were reported.
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MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA — A tanker truck driver reported a leak on his vehicle to his company approximately 20 minutes before the truck exploded outside a beverage plant in Mooresville, killing him and injuring a female plant employee, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The explosion occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, outside the Carolina Beverage Group facility off Barley Park Lane in Mooresville. The tanker was carrying 1,100 gallons of sodium hydroxide, a chemical commonly used as an industrial cleaner. The driver arrived at the plant for a delivery, got out of his truck, noticed a leak on the tanker, and reported it to his company. Twenty minutes later, the cargo tank exploded, separating the back compartment from the tank. First responders found the driver’s body in the area of the blast.
A female plant employee who was in the blast radius sustained injuries and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte. Her condition has not been made public. The identities of both the driver and the injured employee have not been released.
The NTSB announced its investigation on Wednesday, April 8, and said investigators will be on site for three to four days. The agency expects to release preliminary findings within 30 days.
Local trucker Matthew Tatum, who frequently hauls hazmat loads, said the situation underscores the importance of proper hazmat training. “Normally in a situation like that if you spot something like that, you’d want to at least clear the area out and try to call emergency services as soon as possible,” Tatum said. “There’s a lot of people out here that don’t know what the dangers are of what we haul.”
Carolina Beverage Group operates three locations, including facilities in Mooresville, Minnesota, and Texas. The Mooresville facility was built in 1997 and produces canned beverages.
Anyone with information relevant to the investigation is asked to email the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
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SUMTER COUNTY, FLORIDA — A non-English speaking truck driver from New York is facing a DUI charge after multiple motorists reported seeing his tractor-trailer swerving across lanes and failing to use a turn signal on Interstate 75 in Sumter County Tuesday afternoon. Breathalyzer results showed a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit on both samples.
Motorists began calling in reports at approximately 1 p.m. on northbound I-75 near the Sumter County and Hernando County line. Florida Highway Patrol troopers responded after several drivers reported a white semi with blue lettering failing to stay in its lane. A trooper spotted the truck drifting into the inside lane occupied by a black SUV. The SUV driver was forced to brake hard to avoid a collision. The trucker appeared oblivious to the fact that a crash had been narrowly avoided, according to the arrest report.
The trooper pulled the truck over and identified the driver as Numon Azimov, 36, of Rego Park, New York. Azimov is a native of Uzbekistan and does not speak English. He held a commercial driver’s license issued in New York. The trooper noted concern that Azimov did not meet the federal requirement that CDL holders be proficient in English.
Azimov appeared to have been drinking. He admitted to consuming BuzzBallz, a ready-to-drink cocktail. When asked how much he had consumed, he replied “not too much.” He then retrieved a nearly empty 200-milliliter BuzzBallz container with a straw still in it and showed it to the trooper. Two additional BuzzBallz containers were found in a trash bin in the truck, bringing the total to three containers.
The trooper conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises. Azimov performed poorly and became agitated before refusing to continue, opting to wait inside his vehicle instead.
At the Sumter County Detention Center, Azimov provided two breath samples. The first registered 0.259. The second registered 0.273. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08 — making his readings more than three times over the limit. Azimov was charged with driving under the influence and released after posting a $1,000 bond.
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SALINA, NEW YORK — A single-axle dump truck driver led police on a two-county chase Thursday afternoon before crashing into Onondaga Lake, ending a pursuit that began in Manlius and wound through multiple towns before reaching the Onondaga Lake Parkway.
The chase started at approximately 2:18 p.m. on Manlius Center Road when Manlius police initiated the pursuit. The truck weaved through multiple towns, briefly crossing into Madison County, before making its way back to Onondaga County. At one point during the pursuit, the driver allegedly attempted to strike police vehicles. Multiple law enforcement agencies joined the chase before it came to an end on the Onondaga Lake Parkway, where the single-axle dump truck left the roadway and crashed into Onondaga Lake.
The driver was taken into custody following the crash. No serious injuries were reported.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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SILVER LAKE, INDIANA — More than 200,000 eggs were destroyed Wednesday afternoon after the trailer of a Happy Eggs semi-tractor-trailer caught fire on CR 600W just north of Indiana State Road 14, near Silver Lake. The driver escaped unharmed and saved the truck cab by detaching it from the burning trailer before flames spread.
Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Conley said the department received the call at 2:42 p.m. Driver Derek Shea had been experiencing ABS issues with the trailer and pulled off Indiana 14 to wait for a maintenance man. Approximately 30 minutes after parking, while still on the phone with the maintenance man, a tire blew and flames broke out.
Shea reacted quickly, getting the semi-truck away from the trailer before the fire spread. The trailer was a total loss. The truck cab sustained no damage.
Firefighters got the fire under control in approximately 30 minutes but remained on scene for more than an hour and a half. Part of the extended stay involved waiting for Reicherts to tear apart egg carts that had melted together, allowing firefighters to reach the heat at the center of the pile. Conley said he could still hear eggs popping inside the melted crates.
The Burket Fire Department provided a tanker, grass truck, and additional manpower at the scene.
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MADISON COUNTY, FLORIDA — Florida law enforcement agencies joined federal partners for a four-day statewide commercial vehicle enforcement operation from March 23 through March 26, 2026, stopping more than 3,300 trucks for inspection or observed violations. Results were announced at a news conference at the Orlando Regional Operations Center on April 9, 2026.
Operation Highway Shield brought together the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Transportation, FMCSA, Department of Homeland Security Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and local sheriff’s offices across the state.
FDLE
The operation produced the following results:
• 3,300+ Commercial Motor Vehicles Stopped for Inspection or Observed Violation
• 176 Drivers Placed Out of Service
• 54 Drivers Placed Out of Service for Language Deficiencies
• 35 Individuals Arrested on Criminal Charges
• 42 Individuals Taken Into Custody for Federal Immigration Violations
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass stood alongside representatives from AgLaw Florida, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, FHP, FMCSA, ICE, HSI, and other agencies at the announcement. The priority of the operation, officials said, was to safeguard Florida’s citizens, visitors, and roadways while strengthening the security and resilience of the state’s critical transportation infrastructure.
FDLE said it remains committed to supporting its local, state, and federal partners in ensuring the safety and security of Florida’s roadways.
There is no audio.
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CASEYVILLE, ILLINOIS — Interstate 64 reopened in both directions at I-255 in St. Clair County Thursday afternoon after a tractor-trailer with a raised dump bed struck an overhead highway sign in a construction area, bringing the sign and its truss down across four lanes of traffic and triggering a more than 13-hour closure.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, on westbound I-64 approaching the I-255 exit near Caseyville. The tractor-trailer was leaving a construction site with its dump bed still raised when it struck the overhead sign. The impact damaged a support structure, causing the sign and truss to collapse onto the roadway. All four lanes were blocked. No injuries were reported.
IDOT District 8
The Illinois Department of Transportation closed the interstate through the overnight hours and into the afternoon rush. The highway reopened at approximately 1 p.m. Thursday. The closure stretched through the morning commute and caused miles-long backups, adding up to an hour to some drivers’ commute times.
No further details about the driver or construction company have been released.
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HIGHWAY 5, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — A Canadian truck driver received nearly $2,000 in fines and had his tractor unit towed after BC Highway Patrol stopped his auto transport trailer on Highway 5 between Barriere and Clearwater on March 28, 2026, and found none of the vehicles on board properly secured — three with no securement at all.
Officers found the following violations during the stop:
• None of the vehicles on the trailer were properly secured, and three had no securement whatsoever
• Ineffective, poorly maintained brakes on both the tractor unit and trailer
• Leaks in the air brake system and exhaust
The 53-year-old driver from Abbotsford, British Columbia received fines totaling $1,996 Canadian dollars. Officers placed the tractor unit out of service and had it towed away.
Broader Enforcement Push
The stop was part of an enhanced enforcement campaign in the Kamloops area. Between March 18 and 20, 2026, BC Highway Patrol joined forces with Kamloops RCMP and Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officers at multiple checkpoints near Kamloops. The three-day operation produced the following results:
• 35 Comprehensive Vehicle Inspections
• 83 Notices and Orders to Compel Repairs
• 200 Motor Vehicle Act Charges
• 139 Written Warnings
• 9 Vehicles Placed Out of Service
What Officers Said
“The Highway 5 corridor north of Kamloops has seen a decrease in fatal collisions in the last two years, but we will continue to work to make the area even safer,” said BC Highway Patrol Corporal Michael McLaughlin. “Commercial trucks are much larger and heavier than other vehicles on the highway, so BC Highway Patrol is continuing to work with CVSE to reinforce the expectation that commercial drivers maintain a higher safety standard.”
McLaughlin also addressed the high rate of defects found during the operation. “The majority of commercial drivers put in the time and expense to make sure their vehicles are safe and legal, while a minority of drivers are causing the most problems. BC Highway Patrol and CVSE are specifically looking for vehicles that are unsafe, which helps explain the high percentage of defects found in vehicles we pull over. We want to make sure that only ethical, professional drivers are left operating on our highways.”
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HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS — The superintendent of Hays Consolidated Independent School District is urging the Texas pardons and parole board to deny parole for the concrete truck driver convicted in a 2024 crash that killed a 5-year-old boy on a school bus and a doctoral student in a car behind it. The driver became eligible for parole just seven months into an 18-year sentence.
Jerry Hernandez pleaded guilty in June 2025 to two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in September 2025. His parole eligibility begins April 19, 2026.
The Crash
In March 2024, Hernandez was driving a concrete truck on State Highway 21 when he crossed the center line and slammed into a Hays CISD school bus carrying 44 students and 11 adults returning from a field trip. Five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, who was on the bus, died in the crash. Ryan Wallace, 33, a University of Texas doctoral student traveling in a car behind the bus, also died. Dozens of others were injured.
Court records show Hernandez admitted to using cocaine the morning of the crash, smoking marijuana the night before, and getting just three hours of sleep. He also had a history of drug use and a prohibited driving status — something his employer is accused of failing to check before hiring him. Prosecutors originally charged Hernandez with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminally negligent homicide. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The criminally negligent homicide charges were dismissed. The charge did not include a deadly weapon designation.
The Push to Deny Parole
Hays CISD Superintendent Eric Wright sent a letter to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice opposing parole. “The direct victims and the greater community have barely begun to heal. Classmates who watched Ulises die are still only in the first grade,” Wright wrote. “If he were granted parole at just two years’ time served, it would not be justice at all.”
Hays CISD Chief Communication Officer Tim Savoy echoed that sentiment. “It would be a terrible injustice for this person to be paroled so incredibly soon after getting an 18-year sentence,” Savoy said. “Every time you think about this crash, it brings up those same powerful emotions that you felt the very day of the crash — just trauma, pain, anger, because this is a crash that was completely preventable.”
Savoy stressed that the community and victims have not recovered. “We still have students and staff members that work in our district that were injured physically and emotionally because they were on that bus. They’re not recovered yet, and I know that the families of those who were killed — they’ll never recover,” he said.
Attorneys for Victims Speak Out
Sean Breen, an attorney representing an injured teacher, said early release would send the wrong message to employers. “Being eligible for parole doesn’t mean he will get parole, and he shouldn’t get parole. If they don’t deny it, this just compounds the tragedy, and it sends a message to the employers of Texas who employ awful drivers like Mr. Hernandez that it’s okay — not only do you just get a little slap on the wrist civilly, but criminally, you’re going to get out early too,” Breen said.
Jason Feltoon, attorney representing families of several injured children, said granting parole would undermine the entire sentencing system. “Two years into an 18-year sentence, and we’re already here. A court of law looked at what Jerry Hernandez did, the life he took, the children he traumatized, the families he destroyed, and said 18 years. That wasn’t arbitrary. That was the system working the way it’s supposed to. Granting parole now doesn’t just fail these families — it tells every future jury, every future judge, that the sentences they hand down are just a starting point for negotiation. We can’t allow that,” Feltoon said.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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