A trucking firm out of Wausau is paying big for a chemical spill in Plover Wednesday – one deputies say was the result of negligence on the company’s behalf.

Authorities say not only is Road Ready Transfer facing criminal charges for allowing an unlicensed river to transfer hazardous materials, they’re paying for all the clean-up costs too.

The spill Wednesday shut down the highway between Plover and Wisconsin Rapids for most of the day.

The Portage County Sheriff’s Department says the State Patrol found quite a few things indicating the company and driver didn’t properly handle the transfer of hundreds of gallons of hydrochloric acid.

Portage County Lieutenant Dan Kontos says from the get-go the driver of the semi-truck didn’t handle the acid right because he never secured the load in the back of the truck. In fact, he says the load was on a wheeled pallet. Not only that, he says the back door of the semi wasn’t secured shut either. But that’s not all.

"The driver should not have been driving that load in the first place,” Lieutenant Kontos said. ”He did not have the proper endorsement for hazardous materials and also the vehicle should have been [plastered] that it was carrying hazardous materials and it was not properly signed either."

The driver of the vehicle has been cited for having a load improperly secured and he’s also facing a criminal charge for driving a semi without a hazardous materials endorsement.

Road Ready Transfer is also facing a charge for allowing him to drive without a proper license.

The company refused to comment on the situation.