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A trucking company is being accused of not paying new employees during orientations and baiting them with jobs that never materialize.
Six former drivers who worked with TransAm Trucking are accusing the company of violating federal and state labor laws, in a class action lawsuit filed Wednesday.
These drivers, who live in various states, claim they were enticed to sign up for work with TransAm and were promised jobs after attending an orientation.
TransAm only holds orientations in three cities, each in Texas, Florida and Kansas, according to the complaint.
Prospective TransAm employees travel for hundreds if not thousands of miles to get to these locations, the former employees said.
Once signed up, these drivers are expected to stay for 3 to 4 days, followed by a week’s worth of time shadowing experienced drivers in trucks.
The former workers say TransAm either doesn’t pay new employees at all for the orientation and shadowing or do so at a rate that falls below the federal minimum wage.
Even more, according to the class action lawsuit, TransAm misleads new hires by initially promising company jobs are available but later pressures them into buying a truck lease and working as an independent contractor.
All of the six former workers report this is how TransAm treated them when they drove the long distances to their orientations. One driver, John Curtis, tried twice and encountered this alleged bait-and-switch each time.
“Many individuals recruited by TransAm with the promise of company driver positions have little choice but to sign on as lease purchase drivers, because they are stranded at the orientation site with no way to get home and often without the financial means to do so,” the lawsuit stated.
The nonpayment of wages violates the Fair Labor Standards Act, the class action alleges. TransAm’s hiring practices of not being clear about job availability violates the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
The plaintiffs are seeking to recover the unpaid hours in addition to damages.
In addition to not paying new employees, several trucking companies are allegedly misclassifying their semi truck drivers as California independent contractors—a practice that allows them to take advantage of commercial truck drivers by passing on business costs to them while still maintaining control over the means and manner under which the truck drivers must perform their jobs.
Do you or someone you know work for TransAm Trucking? Have you ever had your paycheck shorted? Let us know in the comments below.
Counsel representing the plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit are Brendan J. Donelon of Donelon, P.C.; Hillary Schwab, Brant Casavant and Rachel Smit of Fair Work, P.C.
The TransAm Truck Driver Wages Class Action Lawsuit is Roberts, et. al, v. Transam Trucking, Inc., Case. No. 2:21-cv-02073, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
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28 thoughts onTransAm Trucking Co. Accused of Not Paying New Drivers
Trans Am is very misleading, I was not suppose to pay for reefer fuel. Never seen reimbursement. I was a lease driver. Ran 3000+ miles, unexplainable charges and fees. Check was never over a thousand. Truck was down for over 6 days for a bumper. Could have ran , said it was illegal. Which I find out after 6 days it wasn’t. I was never given a loaner truck after asking for 3 consecutive days. Was left with a -1600 dollar check. Then they wanted told me to find my way home. Left me stranded with no hotel, no money. Then wanted me to catch an Uber to the air port with no money to recover a truck for them. Trans Am is by far the worst company to work for. Also I referred 3 people never seen a dime. When I left I was over 3900 in the negative and stranded in Florida. That’s a brief description, I have pay stubs and other fellow drives in the same boat.
I have not recieved pay from orientation which was over a week ago or
My miles from trans am. I quit for the same reasons people quit. Trash company. If they dont pay me by monday which is when the money is supposed to
Come in because of direct deposit. But i have not been paid for orientation/training so if they dont pay me
Ima sue their asses
I’m definitely trying to get in on the law suit. This has been detrimental to my mental health and finances
After orientation I’m told to get on a flight and rescue an abandoned truck in Indianapolis. I refused because I do not fly. They then put me in a filthy truck with a used bed, A beat up cab and broken drivers window that won’t go down. Short while later went to a KW dealer to get a broken driver door repaired and head lights aligned. They refused to pay a $70 bill and only paid once they sent me a load They wanted picked up. After 1st home time which they lie about telling you you can do 2 weeks on/3 off or 4 weeks on/6 off you find out all you can do is 1 month on and 6 off. Truck immediately breaks down again with no a/c. Take it to Tampa terminal to have them fix it. I’ve been left in motel lobbies and not given a room while my truck had to be repaired, so i had to purchase my own, which took them a week to reimburse. I was given trip plans that they then redirect you to relay with other drivers who do not find you to make the relay. They will wake you out of sleeper birth with phone calls and garmin alarms until they get your attention but if you ask questions they will not return calls or messages. They will void your dispatches and put you on late loads that you will become a work in and they do not pay any detention which they will not tell you about until your at orientation. Then give you trailers during a relay that are broken and had me sit around for 2 days while they attempted to get fixed. I expect to make some kind of financial living out here but Trans Am will not provide that. We all have bills to pay and they do not consider drivers a resource, only a liability. I have had my CDL 10 years and never in my life have I made so little trucking. My pay stubs are proof of that. I’ve spent almost 80 hours in 1 week waiting and broke down, had to cancel my home time because I could not afford to take my 6 days off per month with how little I work