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OSHA orders Balkan Express to reinstate worker who reported safety concerns, pay $100K

FMCSA placed nearly a quarter of truck fleet OOS in past two years

OSHA orders Balkan Express to reinstate worker who reported safety concerns, pay $100K
Source: Balkan Express LLC on Facebook
OSHA ordered Balkan Express LLC to reinstate a worker after they reported safety concerns and pay $100,000. FMCSA inspectors placed 23% of the company’s fleet OOS in the past two years.
By Donald Halsing 
January 9, 2026

OSHA has ordered Fort Worth, Texas-based trucking company Balkan Express LLC to reinstate and compensate a worker who was terminated after reporting safety concerns.

The termination violated the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, which protects commercial motor vehicle safety complaints.

FMCSA inspectors placed 23% of fleet OOS in past 2 years

According to FMCSA data, U.S. states reported seven crashes resulting in injuries and nine resulting in towing involving Balkan Express in the past two years.

In that same period, FMCSA inspectors placed 14 of the company’s 497 drivers out of service, and 53 of its 230 vehicles out of service, or 23% of its fleet.

Balkan Express to pay $100,000 under whistleblower protection program

OSHA ordered Balkan Express to reinstate the employee and pay back wages, interest, compensatory, and punitive damages totaling more than $100,000.

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Programs enforces 25 whistleblower statutes that protect employees from retaliation for reporting potential violations involving safety, health, environmental protection, and other public interest concerns.

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About Donald Halsing

Donald Halsing

Donald Halsing is the Founding Editorial Director of Work Safety 24/7. He was formerly the Associate Editor of Robotics 24/7.

Don's experience spans the supply chain, logistics, and construction industries, having worked in both warehouse operations and land surveying. He is also a professional wedding photographer with his fiancée Ashley.

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Related Topics

Regulatory   Compliance   Inspections   News   Investigations   Press Release   Balkan Express   FMCSA   OSHA   Whistleblowers   All topics
 

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