Trucking company suing Memphis A1’s Towing for illegally booting and towing two of their trucks from truck stops.
A1’s Hauling and Towing has been harassing truck drivers at truck stops in Memphis, Tennessee throughout 2023. Multiple drivers have had their trucks booted within minutes of arriving at truck stops, fined thousands of dollars before they could get their trucks back, and some drivers were even removed from their cabs by force so that A1’s could haul the rig away.
Now, Fenn Church of Church Transportation in Birmingham, Alabama says he is planning to sue A1’s after two of his trucks were towed from truck stops in the city, costing him more than $17,000. Church traveled to Memphis on Monday of this week for a hearing involving A1’s and the city’s permits office. Church also filed a complaint with the permits office to get his money refunded, which has still not been addressed, but says that an attorney present at the hearing accused A1’s of breaking the law, reported News Channel 3.
“They are pursuing them federally on criminal charges. So, that was the biggest thing for the meeting today,” said Church. “They just wanted to get them to admit stuff.”
In Church’s case, two of his company’s semi trucks were booted days apart at different Memphis truck stops. In both cases, his drivers say they tried to use credit cards to pay for the boot removal, but their cards were rejected and A1’s took their trucks anyway. One of those drivers locked herself in her rig for hours to stop A1’s from towing it, but when she finally had to leave to use the bathroom, they took off with the truck.
“When she went to the bathroom, they took off with the truck,” Church said. The bill to get that truck back was $12,550. The other driver’s rig cost $4,550 to get back.
“They’re not following the state law as far as when you boot someone, you’ve got to give them an invoice, and they’ve got 24 hours to pay it, but you know they don’t even give you an hour,” Church said. “Their driver manager doesn’t even know what the laws are.”
For now, Church says he is telling his drivers to stay out of Memphis, and that he plans to file a lawsuit against the company.
“I mean, they’re messing with interstate commerce right now. This is no local issue. This is a national issue,” he said.
The city permits office says that they have received more than a dozen complaints from truckers about A1’s in less than a year, and continue to receive complaints.