[ RadSafe ] Truck Driver Charged With Lying AboutRadioactive Cargo

[Bryan Kirk]

>From the original posting,
"Randall U. Kubsh, 53, is charged with two counts of lying, to the FBI
and U.S. Department of Transportation, according to an indictment handed
down this week. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison, but
it's unlikely he will get that much time."
 
Sorry Steven, 
 
Maybe I'm misreading your comments below, but you appear ready to blame
everyone else, the media, the NRC, and the "eff bee eye". When you
mentioned "employers fault" I took it to mean you think it's was their
fault too (that he lied). 
 

"It's easy to believe that things are not quite as they appear. The
press is incompetent and scientifically illiterate. The NRC undoubtedly
wants to look like a bunch of swaggering tough guys who will throw the
book at anyone who dares to cross it. It's a sorry state of affairs all
the way around."

"True on both counts. Have you noticed how the FBI is busy sticking its
nose in everywhere? Funny though how it ignored reports from flight
schools about suspicious people who only wanted to know how to fly
airplanes, not how to get them off the ground and land them. I wonder
how that happened."

"I don't mean this against you Clayton -- I wonder if they can't get a
straight answer, or if it is a matter of they can't get the driver to
admit to some clever lie they have concocted. I wonder if the eff bee
eye video taped the interrogation, and if so, I wonder if the tapes are
available to anyone other than the "authorities."

Sorry if my training comment was "notably dumb" but in your world where
everyone is out to get you, it seemed to fit.

Bryan Kirk

 

 
 
 -----Original Message-----
From: Steven Dapra [mailto:sjd at swcp.com] 
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 11:42 AM
To: Bryan Kirk; 'Radsafe'
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Truck Driver Charged With Lying
AboutRadioactive Cargo


Aug. 31

        In a message dated Aug. 30, Clayton Bradt wrote, "There were
numerous DOT violations and there still are unanswered questions about
what actually happened to the package, and they can't get a straight
answer from the driver."

        In reply to this, I wrote, "With respect to the DOT violations,
where does the driver's employer fit into all of this?  Some of those
violations may be the employer's fault, such as (only guessing now)
placarding violations.  Did anyone inspect the truck before it departed
the loading dock?  Had the driver gone through all the training required
by DOT?"

        I was talking about DOT regulations that have been put down in
writing in a book of regulations --- regs such as placarding, drug
tests, log books, and physicals.  In light of that, and in light of my
hypothetical suggestion about placarding violations, the suggestion
below about being trained not to lie is notably dumb suggestion.  In
fact, since Bryan Kirk introduced the role of the broker/transporter,
where was the broker/transporter in this tragicomedy?  Was one required
on this shipment?  If so, why didn't he check the load to see that it
was properly secured?  Has the FBI grilled him?  Perhaps some hot dog US
attorney should be snarling at him about ten years in jail for not
seeing that the load was properly secured.

Steven Dapra


At 08:39 AM 8/31/07 -0400, Bryan Kirk wrote:



I don't know the details of the case, other than what I've seen here.
Assuming they are reported correctly, the driver should pay a stiff
price for lying, we are not talking about a box of lost candy. I don't
think 10 years is appropriate nor do I think he will get that sentence.
It's better to give proper notification and begin a real search and
maybe even lose your job rather than someone finding the item and
getting hurt, and you spending time in jail.

As far as the companies responsibility to properly train, I didn't know
you were supposed to be trained not to lie.

As a broker / transporter of radioactive materials and I am ultimately
responsible for making sure my load is properly secured. 

Bryan Kirk

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Steven Dapra
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 7:50 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Truck Driver Charged With Lying
AboutRadioactive Cargo


Aug. 30

         Yes, 10 years is definitely insane.

Steven Dapra


At 12:00 AM 8/30/07 -0400, BLHamrick at aol.com wrote:
>It was a Molybdenum-Technetium generator (the event report is at the 
>NRC site).  It should have been secured against movement during normal 
>transport.  Frankly, I'm not terribly surprised that the driver said it
>was stolen, rather than it fell off the truck.  I imagine he was scared
>about losing his job.  I'm not saying he wasn't dumb, not saying he
wasn't 
>dishonest, just that I'm not surprised by it.
>
>Actually, I think that's what's insane is that this guy could get 10 
>year for that.
>
>Barbara L. Hamrick