CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. - Thousands of truckers employed with Celadon, one of the largest trucking companies in America, are without a job.
- Thousands of Celadon truckers are out of a job
- The company filed for bankrupcy Monday
- The Hope Mills division remains open
The company filed for bankruptcy Monday and decided to only leave the division in Hope Mills open. Celadon's petition for bankruptcy showed the company is nearly $400 million in debt. In the past, the company was fined and agreed to pay more than $40 million to the Department of Justice for fraud allegations with previous managers.
The CEO says he tried to restructure the company before deciding to close it.
"The good thing about being in the trucking industry and being a truck driver and losing your job, is that there are plenty of jobs out there," Economics Professor at North Carolina State University, Dr. Mike Walden said. "It's estimated that there are 60,000 trucking jobs that have gone unfilled."
Officials at Celadon are attempting to sell the Hope Mills location in the future.