A third-generation family-owned trucking company and brokerage — Certified Freight Logistics, headquartered in Santa Maria, California — is ceasing operations on Saturday after 95 years.
Scott Cramer, president of Certified Freight Logistics (CFL), said he notified employees on Aug. 22 that the trucking company and freight brokerage, which employs 157 workers, including 101 linehaul and local truck drivers, would begin layoffs on Saturday with the wind down of the company concluding on or about Nov. 18.
CFL, which hauled refrigerated food and fresh produce for major retailers throughout the western U.S., also filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notification in August with the California Employment Development Department of the company’s impending closure.
Cramer told FreightWaves he is working with truck dealers about early lease terminations, adding that the “current freight conditions have been pretty difficult.”
“Management has been attempting to maintain profitable operations but current market conditions have made it difficult to operate without a loss,” said Cramer in a statement to FreightWaves. “Pandemic volume demand, equipment availability issues, increased costs followed by falling freight rates and reduced volume put us in a place to have to make this difficult decision.”
Cramer said the company has arranged transition services for its employees, including many who have been with the company for more than 20 years.
Besides closing its headquarters in Santa Maria, CFL will close its yards in Stockton, California, and Sumner, Washington.
“The company delayed any decision for some time while trying to resolve the fundamental operating issues and is no longer able to viably operate,” Cramer said.
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MW
The bloodbath continues folks.
If you haven’t slowed down yet
You are well behind the curve
Gary Hedman
It’s getting to a point any Company in California needs to move out of State just to survive. With diesel at $6.29 a gallon and going up no one will deliver in California soon
Manpreet Singh
This is real shame. Do much WA work with company. I will miss broker Steven Harris there. Good broker Very good man.
Mike MJ
Biden, please be smart or step down, Americans are dying, US economy is falling a part, yet you spent billions in military for other countries.
Checkinto
Good job democrats as the country continues to decline.
Stephen Mcmaron
@ trcuker244
Everything has gone up about double from what it was 10 years ago, Pay per mile, fuel, taxes, tires, trucks, trailers, mechanic labor, technical labor, insurance, registration, tolls, anything else i’m missing.
Meanwhile during COVID Surge driver pay went up from $0.45 CPM to now $0.75+ CPM. In the last year since inflation seems to have cooled things continue to raise in prices.
Example 10 years ago I was paying $600 for insurance, Now it’s $1400. Monthly.
10 Years ago I was buying a brand new truck for 100k, Now it’s 200k+.
Alot has changed in these last 10 years, Rates haven’t kept up.
Rates are bad yes, But also what chokes everyone is the fact that %50 of gross income goes straight to DIESEL.
Mel
lamo isn’t the ATA screaming about driver shortages?? 🙄
trcuker244
How is this company not sitting on 40-100million? Who manages these companies money?