Trucker’s Paradise truck stop fails to pay employees in face of “complex” business and investor situation

Employees at Trucker’s Paradise truck stop say that they haven’t been paid for months and the excuses for why keep changing. 

The Trucker’s Paradise along Interstate 35 in Gainesville, Texas opened earlier this summer with the intention to “provide truck drivers with the quality amenities that are too often missing in the industry” by repurposing an old outlet mall. A few months later, employees at the truck stop say that they are owed thousands of dollars for the work they’ve put in but haven’t been paid for. 

Employees say the first time a paycheck was missed “it was nothing because this stuff happens,” but now that it’s happened over and over, their personal financial situations are becoming dire. This past Friday, all employees were called into a company meeting, where they expected to be paid. Instead, they were met with more excuses. 

“It was one of the investors was on vacation I think was the first excuse…The second excuse he told everyone it was a medical issue,” said Nicholas Henry, a former employee.

“We have electric bills, water bills, no money for gas and no groceries. We live paycheck to paycheck, and he said ”well I know how you feel” and I said “no sir you do not,” said current employee Deborah Davis of the meeting. 

At that meeting, CEO Dean Ash told employees that they would be paid by Monday, September 22nd, but by Tuesday employees had still not heard anything about the missing checks. 

Trucker’s Paradise laid off a group of employees last month, and even those former workers say that they were never paid in full for their labor. At least one employee claims to be owed nearly $2,000. 

“They told me this is Texas, it’s a free work state so they don’t need a reason to fire me,” said Joanna Ross, a past employee.

Trucker’s Paradise has since issued the following statement to reporters at KXII12:

“Truckers Paradise was created to provide truck drivers with the quality amenities that are too often missing in the industry. Repurposing a former outlet mall into this one-of-a-kind facility has proven to be a larger and more complex undertaking than originally anticipated.

Recently, one of our investors faced unforeseen personal circumstances that temporarily slowed the flow of funding. While our remaining partners are working to bridge this gap, the situation has unfortunately resulted in a delay to payroll. We deeply regret the impact this has had on our employees, and ensuring they are paid remains our highest priority.

We are grateful for the dedication of our team members who continue to support drivers during this time, and we sincerely apologize for the hardship this has caused.

Additionally, we want to be clear that any threats made toward the company, staff, or leadership are being taken seriously and are being addressed with the appropriate authorities.”