Midwest Transport cuts 111 jobs in closing Jacksonville and Tampa terminals (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — An Illinois-based trucking company filed a notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act saying it ceased operations and closed five terminals, including one in Jacksonville.
Midwest Transport Inc. filed the notice Sept. 30 saying it was also closing a Tampa terminal, with 111 employees losing their jobs at both locations. However, it was not clear how many workers in Jacksonville were impacted.
A company official did not immediately respond to an email request for more information on the Jacksonville layoffs.
In a letter sent to the Florida Department of Commerce, MTI said it ceased all operations Sept. 9, affecting a total of 504 employees.
Besides the two Florida facilities, MTI had terminals in Greenup, Illinois; Harmony, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee.
A story posted by price reporting agency FreightWaves on the closure said the company contracted with the U.S. Postal Service to transport mail.
“Prior to the Business Cessation, MTI had been actively seeking an infusion of capital to continue operating,” MTI’s WARN letter said.
“While MTI was engaging in such efforts, a large creditor whose loan was in default unforeseeably exercised its right on September 9, 2024 to require the Business Cessation and appointment of a receiver to take possession, custody, and control of MTI’s business and assets for the protection of its creditors,” it said.
“This unexpected and sudden demand likewise prevented MTI from giving employees 60 days’ notice of the Business Cessation and layoff.”
MTI said all operations have ended “other than a few office and administrative staffers who are winding up MTI’s affairs and several Fleet Maintenance Managers and mechanics who are cleaning up the terminals.”
Photo courtesy of Midwest Transport, LLC