177-Truck Border Carrier Liquidates as Freight Bankruptcies Spread
Triple RRR Carriers, GLS Materials, and four other trucking companies filed Chapter 7 or 11 in the past 10 days. Logistics firms cut 548 jobs.
How many trucking companies filed bankruptcy in early June?
Six trucking and freight-related companies filed for bankruptcy protection between June 5 and June 15, with three carriers entering Chapter 7 liquidation and three seeking Chapter 11 reorganization. The filings came alongside 548 layoffs at logistics providers, marking the latest wave of distress in a freight market that has pressured small and midsize carriers for more than two years.
Triple RRR Carriers Inc., a Laredo, Texas cross-border trucking company, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in the Southern District of Texas on June 5. The carrier operated 177 power units and employed 286 drivers, according to FMCSA records. Triple RRR specialized in interstate freight transportation and maintained operations along the U.S.-Mexico border.
GLS Materials and Trucking LLC of Van Alstyne, Texas also filed for Chapter 7 protection in the Eastern District of Texas. The company reported estimated liabilities between $1 million and $10 million. Company records indicate its trucking and materials hauling operations had ceased prior to the filing.
Ruezga Hauling Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection on June 5 in the Northern District of California. The Milpitas-based carrier previously operated 10 tractors and employed 10 drivers before its DOT operating authority became inactive earlier this year.
Which logistics companies announced layoffs?
Dallas-area logistics provider Alan Ritchey Inc. will close an Irving transfer center and lay off 232 employees beginning in September, according to a WARN notice filed with state officials. Affected workers include forklift operators, shippers, packers, supervisors and managers.
Seattle-based Expeditors International eliminated approximately 230 technology-related positions across multiple Washington locations as part of a restructuring within its U.S. Global Technology Department. The cuts affected software developers, project managers, business analysts and other technology staff.
American Expediting Logistics LLC abruptly ceased operations last week and laid off 86 employees at its headquarters in Media, Pennsylvania. Company officials cited an inability to secure financing and broader financial pressures across the transportation sector.
What other freight businesses filed bankruptcy?
Circle D Truck Sales Inc., a truck sales and repair company operating in the Abilene, Texas area, filed for Chapter 11 protection on June 8 in the Northern District of Texas. The company, which also operated under the name FTSR, is seeking to reorganize its operations while continuing business activities.
ZDM Transport filed for Chapter 7 protection on Thursday in the Northern District of Illinois. The Rolling Meadows-based carrier joins a growing list of small and midsize trucking companies seeking liquidation amid ongoing freight market weakness.
What the filings mean for capacity
The latest bankruptcies remove at least 187 power units from active service (Triple RRR's 177 trucks plus Ruezga's 10), though the actual capacity reduction is larger when GLS Materials and ZDM Transport's fleets are counted. Cross-border trucking, truck sales and repair operations, warehousing and logistics technology departments all appeared in the latest round of distress activity.
The pattern mirrors earlier freight bankruptcies this spring, where carriers cited elevated operating costs and financing challenges as primary pressures. While many of the bankruptcies involve small and midsize carriers, the layoffs announced by larger logistics providers demonstrate that cost-cutting efforts continue throughout the supply chain.
For small fleets still operating, the takeaway is twofold. Capacity continues to leave the market through liquidation, which eventually tightens supply. But the pace of exits (six filings in 10 days, 548 logistics jobs cut) signals that rate recovery remains distant enough that larger players are still trimming headcount rather than adding trucks or warehouse staff.
