Three former drivers of the now-shuttered Quickway Transportation filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, seeking class certification for over 100 unionized ex-Quickway drivers. The plaintiffs allege Swift Transportation Services, U.S. Xpress, Werner Enterprises and Kroger jointly refused to hire them following Quickway’s closure.

The lawsuit names Swift Transportation Services LLC, U.S. Xpress (both under Knight Swift) and Werner Enterprises as the carriers who, under instruction from Kroger, rejected job applications from qualified ex-Quickway drivers. Plaintiffs claim company representatives acknowledged a top-down 'gentlemen’s agreement' to block former Quickway workers.

Plaintiffs assert this coordinated hiring boycott constitutes an illegal restraint of trade under the Sherman Act, causing lost employment, suppressed wages and restricted labor competition. If certified as a class action, the case could expose defendants to substantial antitrust damages and reputational harm.