GOVERNMENT AGENCY
BLATANTLY IGNORING
SAFETY RULES BY ALLOWING
UNSAFE TRUCKS TO BE
DRIVEN ON THE ROAD. IT
WAS NEGLIGENT. SLIPSHOD.
EVEN RECKLESS. TONIGHT,
LARRY TELLS US ABOUT THE
MOST DANGEROUS
TRUCK FLEET IN NEW
MEXICO.
Johnson: "A. In my
opinion negligence is
probably one of the
first words I would
use." Lucero: "Q. Oil
leaks. air lines.
lights. Mirrors and
wipers. gauges.
reflectors. body damage.
Sound
like a well-maintained
trash truck to you? A.
No.
Pacheco: "Q. Is this the
kind of truck fleet that
would pass with flying
colors an inspection
...? A. No sir. No. Not
at all."
IT'S A RAGTAG FLEET OF
RUN- DOWN AND POORLY
MAINTAINED TRUCKS. THEY
PLY OUR CITY STREETS
WITH EVERYTHING FROM
WORN OUT TIRES TO
DEFECTIVE
BRAKES AND BROKEN SAFETY
EQUIPMENT.
Barker: "Is it some
rogue fly-by-night
operation? No. Welcome
to the City of Santa Fe
and its fleet of garbage
trucks. A News 13
recklessly putting
unsafe vehicles on the
road. Documents show
Santa Fe administrators
failed to address
hundreds
of safety related
defects in many of its
older garbage trucks."
SHIRLENE SITTON OVERSEES
SANTA FE'S REFUSE
OPERATION.
Sitton: "Q. How do you
grade the job the city
of Santa Fe is doing in
grade it a B. ... I feel
that we are doing an
adequate job and I think
our record shows we're
doing an adequate job."
BUT EMPLOYEES PAINT A
DIFFERENT PICTURE. THIS
FORMER DRIVER ASKED NOT
TO BE IDENTIFIED.
Montoya: "Q. The last
time you drove this
truck were there oil
good shape? A. No. ...
Q. How about all the
gauges, they work? A. No
you cannot rely on them.
... Q. Were the brakes
in good shape? A. No.
... Q. Bottom line your
opinion was his truck
safe to drive? A. No."
EACH DAY, TRUCK DRIVER'S
ARE REQUIRED TO INSPECT
THEIR VEHICLES FOR ANY
DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
THOSE
INSPECTION REPORTS ARE
THEN REVIEWED BY
SUPERVISORS. BROKEN
SAFETY EQUIPMENT MUST BE
REPAIRED IMMEDIATELY.
JOHNNY JOHNSON HEADS UP
THE NEW MEXICO TRUCKING
ASSOCIATION.
Johnson: "Q. What are
the consequences if a
fleet operator fails to
repair an out of service
piece of equipment? A.
Well number one they can
their authority to
operate taken away."
NEWS 13 OBTAINED
MAINTENANCE AND
INSPECTION
REPORTS FOR SANTA FE
TRASH TRUCKS GOING BACK
6 MONTHS. JOHNNY JOHNSON
REVIEWED THE
DOCUMENTATION.
Johnson: "It could be
budget. It could be
training. It could be
short staffed. None of
it is acceptable. The
fleet is poorly
maintained and there is
a total disregard for
public safety." Barker:
"Our investigation
finds, rather than
repair serious safety
hazrds, supervisors
simply looked the other
way allowing unsafe
trucks on the road."
ERIC LUCERO IS SANTA
FE'S OPERATIONS'
MANAGER.
Lucero: "Q. Has the
city of Santa Fe ever
put a truck on the
streets with faulty or
questionable safety
equipment? A. No, Not to
my knowledge. Q. And
you would know right? A.
I should know. Yeah."
ERIC MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN
ABOUT UNIT 557. ON
JANUARY 3RD
THE DRIVER WROTE 'TRUCK
IS INOPERABLE. CANNOT
USE.
DANGEROUS. ON JANUARY 6
THE DRIVER WROTE, ENGINE
DIES OUT ON ITS OWN
WHILE TRUCK IS IN
OPERATION. FOR THE NEXT
6 MONTHS 557 REMAINED IN
SERVICE WITHOUT ANY
EVIDENCE OF
MAJOR SAFETY REPAIRS.
TRUCK 556. EVEN THOUGH
THE DRIVER
NOTED A TIRE WAS SO
DAMAGED THE STEEL BELT
WAS EXPOSED,
SUPERVISORS SENT 556 OUT
THE NEXT DAY WITHOUT
REPAIR. 588. OVER A 30
DAY PERIOD THE DRIVER
REPEATEDLY
REPORTED FAULTY BRAKES.
THREE VISITS TO THE
MAINTENANCE SHOP FAILED
TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
Lucero: "Q. Brakes
needed. Brakes needed.
Service brakes needed.
Brakes needed. service
brakes needed. Holy cow.
This catch your
attention? A. It does.
That's the case there I
might have to look
into."
Johnson: "This vehicle
was operated In an
unsafe manner alot of
days. And it was an
out of service type of
violation which is
probably the worst that
you can probably
think of to put on the
highway."
UNIT 565. FOR 22 DAYS
THE DRIVER REPORTED A
PROBLEM WITH THE AIR
COMPRESSOR, WHICH
CONTROLS THE BRAKES.
Johnson: "Q. To have the
air compressor be
repeatedly, for almost a
month, cited as a
deficiency and not
repaired? A. That's just
totally unacceptable. Q.
Is
this the kind of truck
that should be on the
road? A. No sir."
UNIT 561. THE DRIVER
WROTE TRUCK IS IN NEED
OF REPAIRS. AND,
A 'BIG AIR LEAK' WAS
REPORTED FOR TWO WEEKS.
THERE ARE NO
RECORDS SHOWING THE
SAFETY ISSUES WERE
ADDRESSED. Johnson:
"Absolutely
unacceptable." 536.
Lucero: "Q. You've got
brakes and air lines
that were reported
repeatedly. For nine
days. This truck was put
on the road even though
the brakes were
indicated they need
adjustment. And the air
lines had a leak. And
the truck was put on the
road? Concerning? A.
Concerns me yes."
LUCERO SAYS SOME REPAIRS
WERE DEFERRED BECAUSE OF
LIMITED STAFF AND
FACILITIES IN THE
MAINTENANCE SHOP.
Lucero: "Q. Well if you
can't fix the trucks
that have problems then
maybe you shouldn't be
operating trucks right?
A. We shouldn't be
picking up trash either
right?" THERE ARE LAWS
TO PREVENT TRUCKING
FIRMS FROM ALLOWING
UNSAFE VEHICLES ON THE
ROAD. HOWEVER, CONGRESS
SPECIFIED THAT
GOVERNMENT OWNED TRUCKS
SHOULD BE
EXEMPT. THAT MEANS SANTA
FE'S FLEET IS
UNREGULATED. Johnson:
"Q. Who is out there to
guarantee safety of an
unregulated fleet? A. By
virtue of this? No one."
Pacheco: "Q. If You
regulated this fleet
would they have been
subject to some kind of
compliance action? A.
Absolutely sir."
MAJOR GABE PACHECO
OVERSEES TRUCK SAFETY
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC SAFETY.
Pacheco: "There were
violations that
continued for a period
of time for up to a
month and there were no
repairs shown. Whether
there was a repair or
not the repairs or
receipts were not
shown."
WE TOOK THE RESULTS OF
OUR INVESTIGATION TO
MAYOR JAVIER GONZALES.
Gonzales: "It's
completely unacceptable
... There will be an
outside review agency
coming in with a report
offered up to myself on
operationally where are
the gaps. Where do we
need to improve? And ...
how do we make sure that
when you look at the
safety regulations of
the city of Santa Fe
That you can place some
reliance that they're
being followed and that
the public is safe."
IN JUNE THIS TRUCK
DRIVER WROTE A LETTER TO
CITY
ADMINISTRATORS ABOUT
BEING FORCED TO DRIVE
UNSAFE TRASH TRUCKS. HE
WAS LATER FIRED. THE
CITY WON'T COMMENT
SAYING IT IS A PERSONNEL
MATTER. Gonzales: "Q.
If the drivers feel ...
that that
truck is unsafe can they
refuse to drive that
truck without
retaliation? A. Not only
can they but I would
expect that they do."
LARRY BARKER, KRQE NEWS
13.
TO SEE A PHOTO GALLERY
OF DRIVERS REPORTS AND
THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER LETTER GO
TO THE KRQE NEWS APP.