A truck from Gill Freightlines sits under a Convoy load back before the collapse. Payment for the final hauls would never come, but will carriers like Gill ever consider hauling for Convoy again?Surinder Gill
In the fight to survive a tough market, owner-operators and small carriers often have to bite the bullet and deal with a certain shipper or broker when previously they'd said, "never again."
Perhaps nothing illustrates that as clearly as Convoy's relaunch under Flexport. Convoy's new owner has solicited carriers to use the service, even canvassing among those who'd been stiffed the last time they hauled for Convoy.
Eagle Radovish, one of the carriers left unpaid by Convoy and now tied up in the $519,000 lawsuit with former Convoy customer Ikea, claims Convoy left it unpaid on $160,000 worth of invoices back in October, something that pushed the eight-truck, Oswego, Illinois-based fleet to the breaking point.
Yet as of last week, the fleet is back using the Convoy Platform after personal conversations with top staff at Flexport. And Eagle Radovish isn't the only carrier still owed money by Convoy that has signed back on.
Why would anyone do that? Two reasons: First, the Convoy app, by all accounts, is good and easy to use.
Second, even if small trucking companies wanted to protest Convoy, it's a down market, and the economic reality is they just might not have better options.
