Scores of drivers claim they are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars after they alleged an Ontario trucking company told them to remove their belongings from the trucks they drove, and locked up the premises a couple of weeks ago.
True North Freight Solutions, based in Georgetown, west of Toronto, has a pending insurance cancellation, according to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) website. The carrier has 120 power units and employs 140 drivers.
Driver Amoljit Sidhu said he had been receiving partial payments for work done since January and is owed $29,000. He received partial payments and sometimes did not receive his wages.
“Sometimes they’d pay $1,000, sometimes $2,000, when I was owed much more. It would be a lollipop, not the full amount. They’d say complete one more trip and we’ll pay you. I trusted the company and its owners, they kept saying the money would be deposited in your account, but it never was,” he told TruckNews.com in Brampton, Ont., where he and other drivers employed by True North gathered to plan their next move.
He said work stopped April 16 when drivers were told to remove their stuff and the yard was locked. Some drivers who were on vacation still have their belongings in their trucks.
True North Freight Solutions did not respond to requests for comment. When TruckNews.com visited the company’s Georgetown facility, it was deserted, and a gate barred the entrance. Trucks were parked in the yard but there was no activity visible.
Team driver Davinder Khehra said the carrier owes him money too, and had been making partial payments for the past three months.
“At first the cheques started bouncing, then they started making partial payments via direct deposit. If you performed work for about $8,000, they were paying $2,000,” he said.
Drivers said mechanics, dispatchers and office staff are also owed wages. Fuel cards given to drivers were blocked a couple of times and the carrier then issued new fuel cards.
Drivers Hugo and Pushwinder said everything was moving along smoothly until late last year. In November 2023, cheques issued to drivers started bouncing. The company told drivers to provide direct deposit information in December.
Pushwinder, who was employed by the carrier for three years, saw the writing on the wall when partial payments were being made for wages due. He quit in March 2024 but is still owed $16,000. “I kept asking for my payment, but have not received the money,” he said.
Met with silence from the company, drivers said they are considering labor and small claims court options to claw back money from the carrier. The truckers are also looking for work, saying that the weak freight market is not helping their job search.
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