Summary

On June 20, 2016, Lewis Scott Niles was charged via Information and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Concord, NH, to operating a commercial vehicle to transport hazardous materials without a valid commercial driver's license (CDL).

DOT motor carrier safety laws were enacted by Congress to protect people and property from the dangers inherent in transporting hazardous materials. Hazardous materials transported in containers having a capacity of greater than 119 gallons require safety placards to be visibly mounted on the outside of a commercial vehicle. These laws also require commercial vehicle operators to possess a valid CDL.  

Niles admitted that from approximately September 2013 through April 2014, he sold and transported hazardous materials to be used as fuel for heating furnaces to individuals and businesses in New Hampshire and Maine. Niles used a motor vehicle to transport approximately 925 gallons of fuel oil and diesel fuel and approximately 1,500 gallons of a flammable liquid in containers having a capacity of greater than 119 gallons without a valid CDL.

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with assistance from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.