Truck Driver Says Companies Underpaid Him and Other Truckers

A truck driver from Illinois recently filed a lawsuit against two of the companies he worked for, alleging they routinely underpaid truck drivers.

Lead plaintiff Zhanat T. alleges that he and other employees were misclassified as independent contractors, were consistently underpaid (that is, not paid for all of the miles driven), and their employers made deductions from their paychecks without their consent—indeed, without alerting them at all, the underpaid truck driver lawsuit claims.

Zhanat claims that he himself hasn’t been paid for more than 4,000 miles he’s driven for the company, and is therefore owed at least $2,200. This is part of an “exploitative scheme” to target recent immigrant drivers with low proficiency in English, Zhanat claims.

“Instead of running an honest business,” the plaintiff told Law360, the defendants “designed the above-described scheme of deductions and wage withholdings to take money from hard-working, vulnerable employees who could not or would not fight back.”

Indeed, the lawsuit claims that companies were hoping to take advantage of recent immigrants, assuming they wouldn’t fight back against the deliberate underpayment or other wage and hour violations.

These actions were in violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collections Act, the lawsuit alleges. Zhanat also alleges that the defendants committed a number of common law violations as well, including fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment and civil conspiracy.

Patriot Transport and Expeditor Systems are sister companies which are owned and operated by Ivan Zabolotovsky and Igor Terletsky, both of whom are named as defendants.

Zhanat filed his lawsuit against Patriot Transport and Expeditor Systems, on behalf of himself as well as all the current and former employees of these companies in a similar situation to his own.

Indeed, the lawsuit alleges, these wage and hour violations weren’t a single occurrence, but instead were a business model for the companies, Zhanat alleges, leading to the “vast majority of truck drivers who worked or work for the company” to be “misclassified, underpaid, and subjected to illicit deductions” according to Law360.

This proposed class action lawsuit is seeking damages of over $1.5 million. The lawsuit was filed on August 8, 2019 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.

Filing an Underpaid Trucker Lawsuit

If you currently work or have worked as a truck driver and you have been underpaid or hit with other wage and hour violations, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. Filing a lawsuit can not only help compensate you for what you’re owed, but can also help those responsible accountable for their actions.

Litigation can be intimidating, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting a lawyer can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

The Trucker Wage and Hour Lawsuit is Case No. 2019-CH-09186, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, County Department, Chancery Division.

Join a Free Trucker Overtime Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you have worked as a contract truck driver and believe your carrier has failed to pay you minimum wage or overtime, or otherwise might not have honored a contract with you, you may qualify to file a truck driver lawsuit or class action lawsuit.

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