Ken Oaks, CEO of Total Quality Logistics (TQL), reportedly told employees this week they could either commit fully to the company or take a $2,000 payout to resign.
In a companywide email sent Wednesday and shared on social media, Oaks said the goal was to keep workers who are “all in” while encouraging those less committed to move on.
“We work in a demanding and fast-paced business that requires every one of us to be all in,” Oaks wrote in the message.
It is unclear if the email marks a new program or a revival of past offers. In 2015, Oaks extended a one-day, $2,000 resignation deal that 53 employees accepted, according to the Cincinnati Business Enquirer. Former workers said a similar offer resurfaced in 2019.
Related: Steam Logistics offering $2,000 cash for quits
TQL, based in Cincinnati, did not respond to a request for comment from FreightWaves by the close of business on Thursday. The company, founded by Oaks in 1997, is one of the largest freight brokerages in the U.S., with annual sales topping $8 billion and more than 9,000 employees across 60 offices.
In 2023, third-party logistics provider Steam Logistics also offered employees $2,000 to quit the company.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based 3PL told FreightWaves it has offered the cash-for-quits program periodically for several years.
“It’s simply an offer to anyone in the company, and it’s meant to help people move on if their heart is not in it for the long term at Steam,” Steam Logistics President Steve Cox told FreightWaves in February 2023. “It’s rare that anyone opts for it. But we’ve had some take us up on it this go around, likely due to the changing market conditions.”
