WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Postal Service officially severed its transport contract with Long Beach, California-based Caminantes Trucking Company following a pattern of severe safety infractions and two fatal collisions. Federal postal officials are actively seeking replacement motor carriers to take over mail-hauling routes across the affected regions in the coming weeks. Operating under the legal name of owner Jose Mauricio Coreas, the intrastate carrier maintained a fleet of 46 power units and employed 37 drivers under FMCSA authority originally granted in August 2008.
Federal records show that Caminantes saw its contract carrier authority revoked and reinstated twice over the lifespan of the operation. The company racked up $28,160 in federal fines, including a $6,700 penalty handed down in September 2013 and a $21,460 fine in November 2022. During a recent 24-month inspection cycle, trucks registered to Caminantes underwent 223 examinations resulting in 65 out-of-service orders. That generated a 29.1 percent out-of-service rate, sitting well above the national industry average of 22 percent. Company drivers faced 331 inspections with 20 out-of-service orders, landing at a 6 percent driver out-of-service rate that tracked close to the national average of 6.6 percent.
Investigators uncovered that Coreas routinely subcontracted postal hauling duties to outside carriers, including a Colorado-based operation named Lucky 22, Inc., owned by his son. A driver for Lucky 22, Jesus Puebla, was operating a Kenworth T800 straight truck near Mead, Colorado, in June 2022 when he slammed into the rear of a Ford Edge SUV carrying a family of five. Court filings from a lawsuit brought by surviving family members indicate Puebla was traveling at approximately 70 mph when he hit the vehicle, which was moving at under 10 mph due to backed-up traffic on Interstate 25. Investigators discovered that Puebla lacked a valid CDL and required medical certification, while the truck's brakes were dangerously out of adjustment. Puebla was subsequently arrested in December 2022 and charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and commercial vehicle safety violations.
What This Means for Drivers
This high-profile federal contract termination highlights the intense scrutiny facing motor carriers that skirt FMCSA regulations and misuse sub-tier dispatching agreements. CDL-A drivers and independent owner-operators working under government postal contracts can expect heightened compliance audits regarding equipment maintenance, driver qualification files, and valid operating authorities. Fleet managers must verify that every truck dispatched on federal freight meets rigorous out-of-service thresholds and that all assigned operators possess verified credentials. Reputable trucking companies hiring professional drivers are doubling down on internal safety compliance to distance themselves from operators engaging in unauthorized brokering and safety lapses.
Industry Reaction
The enforcement action underscores growing federal and public intolerance for motor carriers that prioritize cheap capacity over highway safety. Safety advocates and compliant trucking operations have long called for tighter oversight of federal mail-haul networks, where multi-tiered subcontracting can obscure who is actually behind the wheel. As the USPS opens bidding for replacement carriers, the spotlight remains firmly fixed on whether federal agencies will enforce stricter pre-qualification vetting to prevent unsafe fleets from gaining access to government freight.
Key Points
- USPS terminated its contract with Caminantes Trucking Company following multiple safety violations and fatal crashes.
- The Long Beach carrier recorded a 29.1 percent vehicle out-of-service rate over a 24-month inspection period.
- Owner Jose Mauricio Coreas subcontracted mail routes to unauthorized carriers, including Lucky 22, Inc.
- A June 2022 crash involving an unqualified driver killed a family of five on Interstate 25 in Colorado.
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