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A number of trucking companies across the United States, including Hendrickson Truck Lines, may be violating labor laws by misclassifying and underpaying their truck drivers.
Expenses for an owner/operator truck driver can be very high, including regular expenses like fuel and large ones like the purchase or lease of a truck, as well as insurance and taxes. On top of these and other expenses, truck drivers operating their own businesses also often work long hours, and may not end up even making minimum wage.
Unfortunately, the companies that truck drivers work with may be taking advantage of them by purposely misclassifying them as independent contractors when based on their work expectations and control the company exerts over them, they should actually be classified as employees and receive the wages and benefits to which employees are entitled. A trucking company may choose to misclassify its workers in order to avoid paying the individual business costs associated with truck driving, yet still maintain control of the drivers as if they were employees.
The main factor separating employees from independent contractors is the extent to which the company controls the worker. For instance, a company that exerts control over everything from a truck driver’s schedule to their mileage rates to their load assignments but considers their truck drivers independent contractors may be misclassifying their workers.
Many truck drivers like the freedom associated with being an independent contractor and owner/operator of their own trucking business, but if they are not truly being treated as independent contractors and are still being denied employee benefits, then there may be labor law violations involved.
Indeed, truck driver misclassification may violate the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as well as individual state labor laws.
Some trucking companies may also be failing to honor the terms of the contracts they have with their truck drivers.
Several California trucking companies are currently being investigated for potentially violating labor laws regarding the classification and payment of their truck drivers:
- Mercer Transportation
- Dalton Trucking Inc.
- Gardner Trucking Inc.
- Heitz Trucking Inc.
- Hendrickson Truck Lines
- KKW Trucking Inc.
- Matheson Inc.
- Osterkamp Transportation
- R & A Trucking Company
- TCI Transportation
- TRIUS Trucking
Hendrickson Truck Lines declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 3, 2019, citing a cut in rates along with maintenance problems. The company had previously declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in 2015.
A previous labor lawsuit was filed against Hendrickson Truck Lines over underpayment issues in 2017, alleging that the company failed to pay their truck drivers for all the time they spent working, and also failed to provide them all the meal and rest breaks required by California law.
Filing a Truck Driver Labor Lawsuit
If you currently work for or have worked for a trucking company like Hendrickson Truck Lines and you:
- live in California, OR
- you make deliveries or carry loads out of or through California
and you believe the trucking company you work with misclassified you, failed to pay minimum wage or overtime, or otherwise failed to honor their contract with you, you may be able to join this class action lawsuit investigation.
Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.
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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One thought on Trucking Companies Like Hendrickson Truck Lines Under Investigation for Possible Labor Violations
Yes i was one of the independent truck driver for CREngland for 3 years and 2 years as a company driver and paper wise i made 144k a year but my paychecks were always less then 200 dollars a week very seldom were $700 or $900 a week