Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, May 6, 2020:
Uber Freight adds a leased owner-operator option
Freight-matching brokerage Uber Freight has added an option to its platform to allow owner-operators without their own authority to lease on to what the company has called a “virtual trucking carrier” dubbed CloudTrucks. The setup would be similar to that of an owner-operator who leases on to a larger carrier.
Operators with their own truck can run under Uber Freight’s authority and have access to loads in the CloudTrucks app. It also provides discounted insurance options, Uber Freight says. Likewise, for drivers without a truck, CloudTrucks has partnered with Ryder to allow truckers to lease a truck to then operate under CloudTrucks’ authority.
North Carolina towing company charged for price gouging truckers
A Charlotte, North Carolina-based towing company has been charged after allegedly improperly booting and/or towing trucks hauling COVID-19 relief supplies and price gouging truckers for the release of their trucks.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein obtained a temporary restraining order against A1 Towing Solutions and its owner, David Jewel Satterfield, which bans the company and Satterfield from the towing business in North Carolina until a court hearing.
Stein’s lawsuit alleges that the company “improperly and predatorily booted or towed trucks that were delivering food, water, bleach or needed medical supplies” during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though the truckers had permission to park where they were. The lawsuit also claims Satterfield and his company allegedly forced drivers to pay up to $4,400 to get their trucks back.
Other claims against A1 Towing, according to a press release from Stein’s office, include double-booting a tractor-trailer to double the price for removing the boots, charging inflated fees for the use of credit cards and “bogus fees for filings with the DMV,” and threatening to increase fees unless drivers paid immediately.
