Companies closed their doors overnight.

[Chamberpains]

https://fox8.com/2019/04/28/falcon-trans...thout-pay/

This article just popped up on my phone. I've literally had this happen two times in my trucking career. I worked for a company for damn near a year and we left at 3 a.m. To pull containers out of Port Newark. Work was solid 5 days a week every single week two containers a day if not more if you care to run the logs out coloring book style. Then one morning midweek at 4:30 a.m. every driver in the company got a mass text on their company phone that said cease where you're going and what you're doing turn around and park the truck at such n such designated parking area. We are out of business the doors are closed all equipment must be returned immediately there is no more operations.

This happened when every single one of us was on our way to New Jersey with empty or loaded containers. A few intelligent guys immediately got together and we decided to hold on to their equipment until we got paid. It was the one thing we had left for leverage knowing that if they shut doors with absolute zero warning, then what was to stop them from not paying us. A week later we got our checks and they got told where the location of their equipment was.

I didn't tell this story to give people an idea to steal equipment. But it's just to give an eye opening true tale backed up by a current news article of how the trucking industry will treat you. Be prepared. Get your finances squared away. Because I'd hate to see another article like the one I posted, where a guy can't eat the next day because he had no money and the company shut their doors down on him. Don't ever allow yourself to be in such a situation or predicament. This happens a lot more than you would think, even to the largest of companies. They give absolutely zero warning when they shut down and cease their operations.