Trucking News · Nationwide · November 15, 2026

Six Trucking Companies' Racketeering Lawsuit Against Brokers TQL and C.H. Robinson Heads Toward 2028

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Six trucking companies have sued two of the country's biggest freight brokers, TQL and C.H. Robinson, under the federal racketeering law known as RICO. The claims have not been proven, and one legal analyst says the carriers face long odds.

Freight brokers are middlemen who match shippers' loads with trucking companies and take a cut.

What the lawsuit claims

The carriers allege the brokers relied on fraudulent trucking companies that used forced labor and illegal manipulation of electronic logging devices, the in-cab systems that track a truck driver's hours, FreightWaves reports. The suit claims that pushed rates down and locked legitimate carriers out of shipper contracts, costing the plaintiffs tens of millions of dollars.

These are allegations in a civil lawsuit. Nothing has been proven in court.

Where the case stands

The case is still in its early pleading phase. Jury selection is tentatively set for April 2028, and attorney Matt Leffler told FreightWaves the timeline could stretch further.

TQL has filed two motions, according to FreightWaves: one asking the court to dismiss the case for failure to state a claim, and another asking to move the case from Texas to federal court in Ohio, TQL's home state. C.H. Robinson has filed its appearance, with its own response expected within weeks.

The odds

Leffler pointed to a 2006 Supreme Court decision that he said held lost business contracts tied to alleged fraud are not recoverable under civil RICO. "I think that the plaintiffs have a really hard road ahead of them," he said. He also noted that three of the six carriers have vehicle out-of-service rates above the national average of 24.9%.

If the case did win, RICO allows triple damages. A $50 million damages finding could mean $150 million plus attorney's fees, FreightWaves reported.

Big Rig Daily has also covered the push for a broker transparency rule.

A question for readers

Are cheap, shady carriers the reason rates stayed so low for so long?

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