INDIANAPOLIS — The semi-truck driver involved in a crash that killed an Indianapolis mother and her 18-month old twin daughters has a history of traffic-related violations in other states, Call 6 has uncovered.
Bruce Pollard has received multiple traffic tickets in Missouri dating back to 1993, records show.
MISSOURI TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS AND CHARGES
- 1993- operated commercial motor vehicle with fifth wheel in position to interfere with weight/safety
- 1993- failed to properly secure load
- 1994- failed to keep proper motor carrier driver’s record
- 1994- gross weight exceeded 80,000 pounds
- 1994- failed to maintain capable brakes
- 2000- weight on tandem axle exceeded 34,000 pounds
- 2001- seat belt violation
- 2005- weight on tandem axle exceeded 34,000 pounds
- 2013- failed to maintain capable brakes
- 2019- failed to maintain capable brakes
Pollard has paid nearly $1,000 in fines as a result of traffic infractions in Missouri, court records show, and he pleaded guilty in each case.
Pollard was also cited in Johnson County, Kansas in 2004 for an overweight vehicle, court records show.
As Call 6 Investigates reported Monday, Pollard, of Sturgeon Missouri, received a traffic infraction in Indiana in August 2018 for failing to change lanes or move over for an emergency vehicle.
Terre Haute City Court records show Pollard, age 57, paid $140 in court costs and filing fees for the traffic infraction.
Pollard was arrested Sunday evening on preliminary charges of three counts of reckless homicide and five counts of criminal recklessness causing injury.
Call 6 Investigates requested an interview with Pollard, but a spokeswoman for the jail said its policy that inmates must appear in court before they can pass along interview requests.
The trucking company involved in the fatal crash is Weston Transportation out of North Kansas City, Missouri, according to Indiana State Police.
The Missouri license plate number for Pollard’s semi-truck was also cited on Mar. 28, 2018, in Michigan for unsafe driving due to following too close, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration inspection records.
Following too closely is the number one cause of crashes in Indiana, records show.
The same truck license plate number received a “driver fitness violation” in Michigan on July 20, 2018 which typically involves the driver not meeting proper requirements to operate a commercial motor vehicle, FMCSA records show.
For example, federal law says a truck driver who operates a commercial motor vehicle must be 21 years old, have a valid CMV operator license, and must submit a certificate of driver’s road test.
READ | Mother, twin toddlers killed in I-465 crash identified
It’s unclear if Pollard was driving at the time of the 2018 violations.
Federal motor carrier inspection records obtained by Call 6 Investigates list license plate numbers, but do not list who was driving at the time of violations.
Call 6 Investigates emailed Weston Transportation and called the company Monday morning, but a manager named Scott said “no comment.”
