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.
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