Drivers stranded without pay after trucking company abruptly closes

Nearly 600 truck drivers employed by an Ohio-based trucking company are out of work after the company closed its doors for good without notice this weekend.

Late in the day on Saturday, April 27, Youngstown, Ohio-based trucking company Falcon Transport Co. notified its 585 truck drivers via email and text message to let them know that the company was closing down and that they must stop working immediately. More than 100 office and administrative workers were also laid off.

From the email sent by Falcon Transport Co.’s Director of Operations Jayson Calhoun:

“We regret to inform you that Falcon Transport Co. is not able to continue operations and will be shutting down effective today. 

“Please stop any work you are doing for the company immediately. You are not expected to return to work. Please be on the lookout for further information we will be sending regarding this information.”

The abrupt shutdown of Falcon Transport has left many truck drivers stranded with no way to get home. Load planner Mike Russell told Fox 8 that “I have a driver who lives in Florida right now that’s stranded in the Austintown yard and hasn’t received his paycheck and doesn’t even have money for food tonight. I may have to go down and give him some money for food tonight if he doesn’t get paid by morning.”

The company’s former drivers say that their fuel cards are no longer working and that they were not paid on time last Friday. Driver Tim Gudin said, “Our paychecks, they weren’t direct deposited like they normally do Friday mornings and then they said there was computer issues or whatever and we wouldn’t get paid until late that night. This is the third time and they just pulled the rug out from under us right now.”

Former employees blame Falcon Transport Co.’s shutdown on the closure of the Lordstown General Motors assembly plant in March 2019. They say that after the plant closure, the company attempted to move to shipping other types of freight but they struggled to make payroll.

Falcon Transport Co. was founded in 1903 and was purchased by CounterPoint Capital Partners in 2017.

For more on the company shutdown, take a look at the report below.