Calif. Suspends Trucking License Of Firm Whose Tanker Crashed, Took Out Bay Area Freeway Ramp

Friday, May 25th 2007, 10:09 pm

By: News On 6

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ The California Highway Patrol suspended the hazardous materials license Friday of the company that owns the gasoline tanker that crashed and burned, causing a key San Francisco Bay area freeway ramp to collapse.

State inspectors found 36 safety violations at Sabek Transportation's main trucking facility in King City during an inspection completed last week. Two out of three Sabek trucks had brake, suspension and other maintenance problems that made them unfit for the road, CHP Capt. Rob Patrick said.

Inspectors also discovered Sabek has been operating three previously unknown trucking facilities in Northern California. The facilities are supposed to be reported to the state so they can be inspected every two years.

An inspection of one of those terminals _ in San Jose _ also resulted in safety violations and an overall ``unsatisfactory'' ranking. Patrick, commander of the CHP's commercial vehicle section, said inspections are ongoing at the company's other two newly discovered facilities.

Sabek did not immediately return messages left Friday. The company delivers gas to its 20 or so San Francisco Bay area gas stations.

The elevated section of highway that carries traffic from the east end of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was leveled April 29 after the tanker truck inferno. Officials and commuters initially thought it would take weeks, possibly months, to fix, but it reopened Thursday.