For Immediate Release

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

1 NW OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO
E-mail:ooida@ooida.com
Web site: www.ooida.com

Phone: (816) 229-5791 Fax: (816) 427-4468

Federal Judge Grants OOIDA Class Certification Against One of Country's Largest Container Haulers

Feb 7, 2006, Grain Valley, MO -A Federal Judge in New Jersey has approved class certification status to a lawsuit filed by the Owner-Operator Independent Driver's Association and seven drivers against one of the largest transportation companies in the world.

OOIDA filed the case in June 2004 against Bridge Terminal Transport Inc. along with seven of its owner-operator members as co-plaintiffs. On Jan. 31, 2006, Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled from the bench that OOIDA had satisfied all of the conditions for the case to be certified as a class action.

In its complaint, OOIDA alleges that BTT violated federal truth-in-leasing regulations by failing to disclose or properly document compensation provisions in its lease agreements. In addition, OOIDA has accused BTT of unlawfully charging truckers for fuel and fuel-related transaction fees, and illegally charging truckers for insurance-related administration fees.

OOIDA President and CEO Jim Johnston said that Judge Cavanaugh's swift ruling in its favor from the bench, while unexpected, was a welcome contrast to the waiting the Association commonly experiences for rulings in its legal actions against motor carriers.

"I think it shows OOIDA and its legal team have established an impressive list of case precedents in the courts where the appropriateness of class certification is involved," said Johnston. "We look forward to the day when many more of these pretrial issues can be dealt with just as swiftly so that we can proceed to the merits of our complaints."

A pretrial conference in the BTT case is scheduled for April 21, at which time OOIDA expects a trial date to be set. Attorneys representing OOIDA anticipate that the case might go to trial as early as this summer.

BTT, owned by the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group of Denmark, is one of the largest marine container haulers in the United States, with 37 terminals in the U.S. and Canada. BTT has its head office in Charlotte, NC. The class could include as many as 6,000 current and former drivers who have been parties to lease agreements with BTT since June 2000.

The BTT case joins a growing list of cases alleging violations of the federal truth-in-leasing regulations in which class certification has been granted. Recently, cases brought by OOIDA against major motor carriers such as C.R. England and Landstar have been approved for class treatment.

Founded in 1973, OOIDA is comprised of more than 133,000 owner-operators, professional drivers and small business truckers from all 50 states and Canada.

With its national headquarters located just east of Kansas City in Grain Valley, MO, OOIDA represents the interests of the nation's trucking professionals in the legislative and regulatory processes at both federal and state levels.

Contact: Mike Schermoly, OOIDA (816) 229-5791 or (800) 444-5791