Asphalt Company Runs Afoul Of The Law Again

SPOKANE — A local paving company is finding itself in trouble with the Spokane Police Department for the second time in as many weeks for safety violations.

Two weeks ago all four of Asphalt Paving’s dump trucks were pulled over in a ticket writing fest that totaled more than $11,000 in fines for trucks being overweight, faulty braking systems and one driver who wasn’t licensed to drive his rig.

“It’s making it very unsafe and it’s obvious with the company and the four of the trucks they just don’t care,” Spokane Police Officer Brad Moon said two weeks ago.

On Thursday Asphalt Paving found its trucks being stopped again; deputies pulled over one of their trucks on Highway 2 while Officer Brad Moon stopped another rig on Sunset Hill.

“Today we issued three criminal citations for no fuel permits as well as two overweight citations,” Moon said. “Same company we dealt with two weeks ago to the day.”

James Daley, the owner of Asphalt Paving, doesn’t understand why if he’s already paying a fuel tax at the diesel pumps why he has to buy a fuel permit as well and accuses the police department of trying to run him out of town.

“I’m not illegal in the country, I’m a human being, I’m an American citizen and I live in Idaho across the line and Spokane Asphalt jumps up on the truck screaming get your (expletive) (expletive) back to Idaho we don’t need you here get out of here,” Daley said.

Police officers deny singling out Daley because he’s an out-of-state competitor in asphalt. Officer Moon said their primary goal is the safety of other drivers.

“The main objective out here is for everybody to be safe and if you’re running rigs with brakes that are not working or overloaded or things like that it is a safety issue for stopping or just being on the roadway,” Officer Moon said.

Ordinarily overweight vehicles are stopped at the Idaho state line but local companies rarely run by the port of entry which is why Asphalt Paving’s vehicles weren’t stopped at the border weigh station.

Following up on the information of Asphalt Paving’s safety violations, the Better Business Bureau sent out a release Friday stating warning about the ethical conduct of the company, saying they are “not registered to conduct business in the state of Idaho, even though it lists an Idaho Falls address on its Washington State Labor and Industries Registration.” Instead, the company gives an address for a UPS store as their headquarters and BBB warns that the company has “unsatisfactory reports due to unanswered complaints.”

According to the BBB release, personnel from Asphalt Paving go door-to-door in and around Spokane “stating that they have been working in the area, have leftover product and can do your driveway.”

The BBB also singled out a handful of other asphalt companies in Idaho and Washington that they describe as “a group of scam artists selling sub-standard paving services to businesses.” Community Paving with a contact of George Stanley, B & B Paving with contacts of Melvin Byrd and/or William Boswell and Swartz Paving, DJ’s Paving or S & S Paving of Roberts, Idaho are all suspected of engaging in unethical practices.

“If you have an unresolved issue concerning [these companies], the BBB urges you to file formal complaints for resolve with the BBB at BBB.org
, your state Attorney General’s Office, and if in WA State, contact the WA Department of Labor and Industries, as well,” the Better Business Bureaus recommends.