FORT WORTH, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Fort Worth-based trucking company Balkan Express LLC to reinstate and compensate a worker who was terminated after reporting safety concerns, in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, which protects commercial motor vehicle safety complaints.
January 8, 2026
US Department of Labor investigation finds Texas trucking company wrongly terminated driver for raising safety concerns
FORT WORTH, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Fort Worth-based trucking company Balkan Express LLC to reinstate and compensate a worker who was terminated after reporting safety concerns, in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, which protects commercial motor vehicle safety complaints.
The department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration 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.
For information on whistleblower protections, visit OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Programs webpage.
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Editor's note: The U.S. Department of Labor does not release the names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.
Media Contact:
Office of Public Affairs – West
Release Number: 25-1637-DAL
OSHA Regional News Brief -