Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Aug. 17, 2020:
New York-based moving company president, employee charged with fraud
The president of a Brooklyn, New York-based moving company and one of the company’s employees have been charged with wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy for allegedly defrauding customers.
Yakov Moroz, the president of Great Movers Inc. and its successor company New City Movers, and company employee Tal Ohana, were charged after allegedly misrepresenting estimated charges for moving services and then requiring customers to pay additional fees that exceeded the original estimate in order to recover their belongings.
According to a criminal complaint, Moroz and Ohana defrauded dozens of customers using this scheme, often requiring customers to pay more than 10% over the original estimate, requiring payment before the delivery of goods, or refusing to return and threatening to sell and auction the belongings if the additional fees were not paid.
“As alleged, Moroz and Ohana victimized their customers by holding their belongings hostage until the inflated fees were paid,” said Acting United States Attorney Seth D. DuCharme. “This office will hold accountable anyone who seeks to target the vulnerable in an effort to profit from predatory schemes.”
Hirschbach announces new pay incentives for lease operators
Hirschbach Motor Lines announced its new Top Tier Pay Incentive Plan for lease over-the-road operators, which is designed for drivers to earn $80,000 to $100,000 or more per year.
Beginning Aug. 10, new lease operators with the company were eligible for the program, which includes a weekly incentive, a monthly incentive and a soon-to-come long-term retention incentive plan.
The new plan adds 10 cents per mile for all miles driven for driving safely throughout the week. The monthly incentive adds between 10 and 30 cents per mile for all miles over 4,000 if drivers continue to drive safely and deliver their shipments on-time for a full four-week period.
The forthcoming All-In Retention and Rewards Program is a long-term savings plan in which Hirschbach will contribute $1,500 in the account every year the driver is with the company. Drivers can then invest those funds into a variety of mutual funds.
“It is not just about making sure operators are getting more pay every week and every month,” said Jessie Burnette, chief people officer for Hirschbach. “We also want to make sure they have something to support them when they are ready to move to the next stage in life. The money Hirschbach puts in this account is theirs to manage and is a reward from us for excellent service.”
