The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is Veolia Transportation, the parent company of Shuttle Port. They get the award for the following.

The driver of one of the airport shuttle buses involved in Sunday night's fatal crash had six points on his driver's license, which constitutes an unacceptable ''poor driving record'' under the bus company's contract with Broward County.

Meanwhile, drivers and family members of the driver who died Sunday night said 10-hour workdays and seven-day weeks are commonplace at ShuttlePort, the company that provides shuttle bus service at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Sunday night's crash left two people dead and eight injured.

The 2002 contract between Broward County and ShuttlePort Florida states that the company cannot employ drivers who have three or more points on their record.

Jackson Aristide, 55, had six points on his license, according to state records. He was working his sixth consecutive day for Shuttleport, according to his wife.

Aristide received a Florida driver's license in 1997 and a commercial driver's license in 2000, according to state records.

The driver of the other shuttle, George Pitter, 64, of Hollywood, and a father of six, died in the crash.

Also killed: Jameer Fyzool, 71, of Sunrise, who worked at one of the airport's eateries.

The Broward Sheriff's Office would not confirm which driver caused the crash, but a source familiar with the investigation said Aristide, of Pompano Beach, was driving the westbound shuttle that crossed the center line and slammed into Pitter's eastbound vehicle.

Aristide received three points on his license for speeding while driving a commercial motor vehicle in California in 2004, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

In 2005, he received three more points for failing to obey a traffic sign or device in Virginia. That violation does not state the type of vehicle he was driving.

Pitter, the other shuttle driver, had no violations since he received his commercial drivers license in 1995, according to records.

Kelly Smith, spokesperson for Illinois-based Veolia Transportation which owns ShuttlePort, confirmed that Aristide was one of the drivers involved in the crash.

Smith said the company researches drivers' records annually.

Asked why Aristide was allowed to continue driving with six points, Smith said: ``That's a good question. We are trying to figure out that answer ourselves. We are doing a complete internal audit of our records.''

The article went on to say The Broward County Attorney would evaluate Shuttle Port's contract to see if they violated it. That is a good step.

In the meantime, we have a company that apparently has no regard for their passengers safety. Six points is a clear violation of the contract the company had. Two people are dead and another six with varying injuries. No matter who is at fault, Veolia Transportation aka Shuttle Port shows a disregard for passenger safety in its pursuit of money, and that is good enough to make them today's Knucklehead of the Day.

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