According to the Marshfield News Herald, Roehl Transport Inc. denies allegations that the company pays its student drivers less-than-minimum wage.
Last week, a former student filed a lawsuit against Roehl alleging the company failed to pay its drivers the minimum federal wage. Former Roehl student driver John Morales earned just $300 a week and says the he put in up to 70 hours per week, which breaks down to $4.29 per hour.
In response to the allegations, Roehl Transport’s vice president of workforce development and administration, Greg Koepel, told the Marshfield News Herald that his company complies with all FMCSA, state and local regulations regarding pay.
“The typical time training per day provides for at least the minimum wage,” he said.
Morales was employed as a student driver for Roehl for 10 days.
Morales said while he wasn’t paid for coffee breaks and time spent waiting for loads, he was paid for driving, fueling and maintenance time.
In addition, Morales alleges he was required to be on-duty 24 hours a day so that he could keep an eye on the truck and its contents, a claim Koepel also denies.
Frustrated with the pay, Morales left his training with Roehl.
Koepel first learned of the lawsuit from the Marshfield News Herald. He told the publication he wishes that Morales had reached out to the company for a resolution before filing a lawsuit.
Morales is seeking $5 million in damages and class-action status “for the ‘thousands’ of student drivers Roehl employed during the past three years,” the Marshfield News Herald reported.