A federal agency is taking action against the trucking company involved in a crash that killed five people near Terrell, Texas earlier this year. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed an unsatisfactory safety rating for Hope Trans LLC. According to federal regulations, an unsatisfactory rating is the FMCSA's "preliminary determination that the motor carrier is 'unfit' to continue operating in interstate commerce."

Hope Trans LLC must take "substantive corrective actions" within 60 days or the company could be ordered off the road, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Transportation said.

Five people were killed in June when a Hope Trans LLC semi hauling U.S. mail slammed into a line of stopped cars on Interstate 20. The driver, Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, told investigators he fell asleep behind the wheel.  

Following a compliance inspection completed on August 15th, the FMCSA issued the Florida-based trucking company four violations:

1. Using a driver before obtaining a negative pre-employment controlled substance test result;
2. Failing to conduct post-accident alcohol testing following a recordable crash;
3. Operating a commercial motor vehicle that had not been periodically inspected; and
4. Maintaining a vehicle out-of-service rate of 46.2%.

Inspection records show the last known operation of a Hope Trans LLC truck occurred in mid-July. None of the company's vehicles have been stopped for inspection since—a possible indication that operations have already been paused.

Federal records also show the company's insurance is pending cancellation.

The USDOT said it has requested access to former Hope Trans LLC drivers as part of its ongoing investigation.

In the past 12 months, Hope Trans trucks were involved in four other injury crashes. Over the past two years, the company failed 35.4% of vehicle inspections, well above the national average of 23.1%. Its drivers were also repeatedly cited for falsifying or failing to log their hours. 

A CBS News Texas I-Team investigation found that before overseeing Hope Trans LLC, the same individuals operated other trucking companies with histories of crashes and safety violations.

"From looking at chameleon carriers to cabotage and freight fraud, U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy and FMCSA are looking at a host of new actions to crack down on bad actors and protect the driving public," the USDOT spokesperson said.