When rock haulers become a menace

You’re driving down the road, and suddenly a rock hauler speeds by in the next lane, pebbles and bits ricocheting across the roadway.

Who ya gonna call?

Two readers thought they should complain to the trucking company. Like smart members of The Watchdog Nation, they copied down identifying information from the truck.

Daniel Payne of Fort Worth said he saw a truck quickly weaving in and out of traffic, spewing rocks. He describes his chase for ID information as "an adventure of rocks and madness." He copied down the license plate, the vehicle ID number and the company name, Ledesma Trucking of Joshua.

The other driver, Renee Green of Azle, said, "I have been nearly run off the road" by Ledesma trucks twice. In one instance, she said, the truck ran a stop sign, and she had to drive off the road to avoid being hit.

Both tried to find the company to complain. Neither could.

Payne said he wanted to alert the owners and ask, "What are you going to do about this?"

"I looked in business information, the Yellow Pages, the Better Business Bureau. I spent two or three days and couldn’t find anything," he said.

Green says she fears for her family’s safety on the roadways because of the near-accident.

"I tried to find a phone a phone number or address for them but have been unsuccessful. Can you find out more about this company so that I may file a complaint?"

I figured, how hard could it be to get a phone number?

Answer: as hard as the hardest rock in a rock truck.

I’m still periodically dialing a number that I think might be the company and getting a constant busy signal.

The company doesn’t have a Web site or a listed phone number. The phone number provided on its state registration document is wrong. The company doesn’t register as a corporation because it seems to be what is called in the industry "a mom and pop operation," or sole proprietorship.

I did get the address from the company’s state registration and wrote a letter seeking information. No luck.

But the good news is you don’t need to throw a rock through the window of a trucking company to get its attention. You can file complaints with two state agencies, and one of them, the Texas Department of Transportation, will tell you the carrier’s insurance company so you can file a claim directly if your vehicle is damaged.

State law is clear: Trucks carrying rocks and other loose materials must cover the load. But as every driver knows, that doesn’t mean there are no violators.

"We do get quite a few of these complaints and try our best to provide as much information as we can," said Celia Coker, an investigator in the Transportation Department’s motor carrier division. "It happens quite often, especially where there are heavy construction sites."

I directed the Azle woman to file a complaint with the Texas Department of Public Safety. The department keeps a record of such complaints and determines by priority and "available manpower" whether to pursue them, a spokesman said.

But when I checked on her complaint last week, DPS officials said they keep complaint information confidential.

I also checked the Transportation Department’s records about Ledesma. The agency shows no complaints from the public.

However, state records show that state troopers and inspectors wrote up the company 19 times in the past three years. Officials say that is about average for a small company such as Ledesma, which has four trucks.

Trucks were ordered pulled out of service for repairs four times. Fourteen tickets were written for violations such as "failure to cover load, no tarp" and loose material.

In November, the company was cited in Azle because a dump truck leaked as much as 40 gallons of oily fluid on Northwest Parkway and Boyd Road. The company reimbursed the city $1,300 for cleanup expenses, Fire Marshall Kenny Wilson says.

To contact the company, write to Ledesma Trucking, 8036 Farm Road 1902, Joshua, TX 76058-4347.

News researcher Cathy Belcher contributed to this report.