More Trucking Carrier Layoffs: 61 Drivers Terminated, Terminal Operations Shuttered

Another trucking carrier has shut down part of its operations in Wisconsin. Reportedly Black Horse Carriers Inc. permanently closed the doors at its terminal in Pewaukee on Monday.

The closure affected about 70 employees, which also included 61 truck drivers. According to Freightwaves, workers were given three days’ notice that the terminal would be closed.

Nancy Brooks, director of human resources for the Black Horse Carriers, said the shut the terminal in response to a customer’s decision to “discontinue business” with the trucking carrier, according to the WARN notice.

Brooks also said in the notice that the company “will ensure that employees will be paid all earned wages and agreed upon benefits at the time of their termination.”

Black Horse Carriers is headquartered in Carol Stream, Illinois, and has more than 80 terminals located across the U.S., including five in Wisconsin. The company has about 3,140 drivers and 2,490 power units, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.

Black Horse Carriers was exempt from the Wisconsin 60-day notice law based on “unforeseeable business circumstances,” the news outlet said.

The news of the layoffs by Black Horse Carriers comes just weeks after trucking firm Howard Baer Inc. closed its doors after nearly 70 years of service. In 2020, Cold Carriers Logistics also shuttered its operations after filing for bankruptcy in early February.