Truck drivers in Maverick Transportation’s refrigerated division said they received messages via their PeopleNet devices late Thursday, May 23, stating the company had entered an agreement to sell its temperature-controlled business to KLLM Transport Services of Jackson, Mississippi.
Approximately 150 drivers will be affected by the division’s closure, John Culp, president of Maverick, told FreightWaves on Friday.
“After nine years of hard work building our business, we have made the very difficult decision to exit the temperature-controlled space and focus on our strengths, our flatbed and specialized business units,” Culp said in the message to drivers.
Maverick, headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas, has 1,658 power units and 1,701 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER site.
“[KLLM] will be purchasing selected tractors and offering employment to our drivers,” Culp said.
“We are grateful our drivers in our temperature-controlled business chose Maverick for their driving career and although we are exiting the temperature-controlled business, we want them to have a seamless opportunity to work with a company we know and respect,” he said.
Representatives from KLLM plan to meet with drivers on Tuesday, May 28, at Maverick’s headquarters.
KLLM specializes in the temperature-controlled freight and has around 2,400 refrigerated trailers, according to its website.
“Our logistics team is in communication with our customers and is working on final freight coverage options and KLLM is also working with them to assist in mitigating any disruptions in their freight movement,” Culp said in a statement to FreightWaves.
