What began in February is now a sealed deal as Hirschbach completes the purchase of John Christner Trucking (JCT) on May 2nd. Hirschbach and JCT were the sixth- and seventh-largest refrigerated carriers respectively. The price of the sale was not disclosed. Once the acquisition is completed, Hirschbach’s revenue will be an estimated $1 billion, with a capacity of 3,000 trucks, 5,000 trailers, and a $150 million “integrated logistics provider.” JCT will continue to operate as a “separate but integrated” company, led by Danny Christner, the new president of JCT. Dan Wallace will continue as president of Hirschbach.




JCT was in the news regarding a class action lawsuit for driver misclassification in Oklahoma. The process of litigating the case by a group of 3,000 drivers, covering 15 causes of action, began in 2017. Issues included drivers working 70- to 100-hour weeks and bringing in “negative checks.” What happens to that case is now up to the courts. I will be monitoring the merger to see if any changes to driver statuses occur. Issues of driver pay changes and workloads often pop up soon after the dust settles.
Read more by Rooster and follow me here