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New Penn requests additional headcount

YRC’s Northeast unit to hire for new velocity centers

Image: New Penn

New Penn Motor Express, the Northeast regional U.S. unit of less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW), has notified the Teamsters union that it plans to add utility employee positions for “improved service and growth.”

The proposed “change of operations” would add 86 utility employees traveling within a 175-mile proximity of “three newly established regional velocity centers” in Newburgh, New York, and Scranton and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, New Penn stated in the notice on Friday. 

The YRC unit said the facilities handle approximately 1,600 daily shipments. The proposed change of operations would affect approximately 1,000 daily shipments.

The change is expected to eliminate approximately 50 layover trips, which would allow more employees to return home nightly. The 86 positions would originate from 12 terminals within the new regional velocity centers, New Penn stated. It does not reduce the number of local cartage employees at these centers, it said. The change would not alter any terminal’s assigned pickup and delivery area, according to New Penn.


The National Master Freight Agreement between organized labor and company management allows a company to implement a change of operations. Management is required to meet with the union to discuss the proposal and allow union representatives to provide input. However, the union cannot prevent the company from implementing the changes.

New Penn has requested a hearing date of Feb. 25, with implementation no sooner than March 22.

The addition of labor continues a change of course for New Penn. Last February, it filed a change of operations to close and consolidate facilities. However, it withdrew the proposal following the abrupt February 2019 closure of Northeast LTL carrier New England Motor Freight Inc. (NEMF), which created unexpected new opportunities for New Penn.

FreightWaves obtained a copy of the change of operations notification on Truckingboards.com.


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3 Comments

  1. Freight Chaser 156

    Based upon YRC’S poor decisions in the past , why would this be any better? This move will erase any progress alot of us have made rising in seniority ranks only to get closer to the bottom. Very sad, very discouraging. Elimination of the road in scranton will mean those that dont retire will bump into the city, all but 1 have significant seniority and I along with many others will mostlikely get a crappy bid or sit by the phone. Furthermore road mens livelihood will change , that $75-$90k salary will now be about $50-$55k in the city. I cant see this being a good move for the workers. Once again it’s all about numbers and all you are is a number!

  2. Jim

    You need to check the facts, change of operation requires that they eliminate road positions ,and add utility driver’s so they can do it cheaper. At my terminal they cut 20 road bids and didn’t add any utility driver’s. I am out of Camp Hill pa . This will displace 20 other people that work at Camp Hill ,because 20 people will be bumped to unemployment line. I am a road driver and will be bumping someone onto the unemployment line because now I have been relinquished to the city or dock work. No jobs were added to this terminal!!!

Comments are closed.

Todd Maiden

Based in Richmond, VA, Todd is the finance editor at FreightWaves. Prior to joining FreightWaves, he covered the TLs, LTLs, railroads and brokers for RBC Capital Markets and BB&T Capital Markets. Todd began his career in banking and finance before moving over to transportation equity research where he provided stock recommendations for publicly traded transportation companies.