UPDATES: Trucking firms seek to hire laid-off Jersey drivers
Non-union New Century follows Jevic into private-equity oblivion
UPDATE 6/13: Several ttrucking firms are looking to hired laid-off drivers from New Century, the 1,500-worker Burlington County-based firm that shut and declared bankruptcy in recent days:
Greentree Logistics, Greenfield, Minn., with sites in Kulpsville and other Northeast and Midwest locations, is "expanding and looking to hire 80 drivers," and "would love to hire some of their former drivers if possible," rep Liz Mazmanian told me.
Separately, Kevin Mast, owner of Mast Trucking, a 90-truck refrigerated-trucking sevice out of Millersburg, Ohio, tells me he's looking to hire a few former New Century drivers.
Also, Jason Cardoza of Truckers America, a national driver-recruitment firm that claims "multiple clients throughout the country," says he's reaching out to ex-New Century drivers and officials.
UPDATE 6/12: New Century Transportation Inc., Mount Holly, N.J., filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation yesterday in federal bankruptcy court for New Jersey with its affiliates Northwind Logistics LLC and Western Freightways LLC. Case is U.S. Bankruptcy N.J. 14-22093-MBK, lawyer is Lowenstein Sandler in Roseland NJ. Court-appointed trustee is Catherine E. Youngman, Esq, Forman, Holt, Eliades & Youngman LLC, Paramus NJ.
The companies employed "over 1,500" at sites around the U.S., and controlled around 2,000 trucks and trailers, according to court filings signed by chief executive Terence J. Gilbert and director Brian J. Fitzpatrick,
EARLIER: New Century and its affiliates Northwind Logistics LLC and Western Freightways LLC, shut down June 9, idling up to 1,500 nonunion drivers and other staff at depots around the nation without warning, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the law firm of Outten Golden LLP, New York, on behalf of Robert Kearney and other ex-New Century employees. (Updated and corrected, no confirmation of a bankruptcy filing.)
New Century, which had been owned by Jeffries Capital Partners, was a "de facto successor" to Jevic Transportation of Delanco, a nonunion trucking company which was shut by its owner, Marc Leder's Sun Capital, in 2008, idling 1,900, Jack A. Raisner of Outten & Golden told me. The lawsuit accuses the company of violating federal WARN Act notices requiring employees to be warned of mass layoffs in advance.
The company, founded in 2000, told employees in a letter last week it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, reports Trucking News here. Both New Century and Jevic were founded by Harry Muhlschegel of Delran, who has retired from active management, the Burlington County Times reports here.