The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) ordered Champaign, Ill.-based passenger carrier Illini Tours Inc., to immediately cease all operations, declaring that its drivers and vehicles pose an imminent hazard to public safety.

Illini Tours Inc. operates five motorcoaches providing tours and charter services within Illinois and neighboring states.

FMCSA investigators found that Illini Tours did not have a systematic inspection, repair and maintenance program for its vehicles. Inspections of four of Illini Tours’ buses resulted in every vehicle being immediately placed out-of-service for critical safety violations. Illini Tours allowed one vehicle to remain in service for several days despite the fact that multiple drivers had repeatedly listed in their vehicle inspection reports that the anti-lock braking system warning indicator light remained illuminated.

The owner of Illini Tours, Robert L. Frazier, is also the owner of Lex Express Inc./Lincolnland Express, a passenger carrier ordered shut down by FMCSA in December 2012 for multiple violations, including making false entries on vehicle maintenance records and failing to correct identified safety defects contained in drivers’ inspection reports. The imminent hazard out-of-service order cited Frazier’s history of operating motor carriers in an unsafe manner.

To view a copy of the imminent hazard out-of-service order, click here.