Trucking News and Briefings for Tuesday, April 4, 2023:
Staged accident plan in New Orleans calls for eight more convictions
Eight other people were convicted for their roles in a widespread New Orleans staged accident fraud scheme.
On February 15, Herbert Allen was sentenced to three years and one month in prison followed by three years on guard, and Dion Ridley was sentenced to six months in prison followed by one year on guard.
According to US Attorney Duane A. Evans, Allen falsely claimed that he was the driver of a car that was hit by a tractor-trailer on June 28, 2017. Ridley, a passenger in the car, falsely claimed Allen was driving the car. Instead, others were driving the car and intentionally crashed into a truck. Allen was able to get a $50,000 settlement from the truck’s owner and insurer, while Ridley pocketed $90,000.
Three other people were convicted on March 1 – Bernell Gale, Tanya Givens and Dakota Diggs. Gale received three years probation, Givens and Diggs five years. Diggs was ordered to pay $11,000 and Givens to pay more than $360,000.
According to Evans, on March 27, 2017, Givens conspired to stage an accident involving a truck, then filed personal injury claims with another passenger and received $272,500 for the fraudulent claims. Diggs and Gale were reportedly passengers in separate vehicles involved in staged collisions on May 17, 2017 and claimed injuries as a result and received approximately $10,000 from the trucking and insurance companies.
Troy Smith was sentenced on March 8 to six months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a May 17, 2020 staged accident. Smith was a passenger in a car that collided with a tractor-trailer and falsely claimed the truck hit her car.
On March 22, Marvel Francois was sentenced to five years probation, 100 hours of community service, and more than $20,000 in damages in connection with that accident, in which Francois falsely reported to police that she was driving her Dodge Durango and that the truck hit the car.
Finally, on March 29, Troylynn Brown was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. According to Evans, Brown falsely claimed that her co-defendant Herbert Allen was the driver of a car that was hit by a truck on June 28, 2017. The car was being driven by someone else, and Brown subsequently lied in a civil statement that Allen was driving the car. She also secured a $70,000 settlement from the truck’s owner and insurer.
[Related: More sentences handed down in New Orleans staged-accident fraud scheme]
CH Robinson launches digital cash advance for carriers
Freight brokerage company CH Robinson has taken steps to automate the process for shippers requesting cash advances, making it more efficient and effective for shippers to borrow against their invoice en route.
The company said cash advance requests are typically a manual process, but now, with the touch of a button, carriers can instantly request up to 60% of their payment 24/7 through the Navisphere Carrier app. Forwarders get paid immediately after confirming cargo pickup.
“We’re always looking for new ways to use technology to enhance the transportation experience,” said Cody Griggs, CH Robinson Director of Enterprise Product Management. “We all know that the last few years have been really challenging due to market conditions. By making it easier and faster for our trucking partners to access their money, we are adding another layer of efficiency and convenience to the trucking community.”
Shippers requesting a cash advance will have a code delivered instantly to their mobile phone, allowing them to receive a digital payment within seconds.
In addition, CH Robinson has also automated the sign-up process for Quick Pay, which previously required filling out a PDF form.
[Related: Struggling small fleets stung by aggressive ‘merchant cash advance’ lenders]
Trucker named Highway Angel for helping an injured U-Haul driver
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named Big Stone Gap, Virginia truck driver Ron Allen a Highway Angel for stopping to help a man who was hit by his own truck. Allen drives for Maverick Transportation out of North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Ron Allen On December 10, 2022, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Allen was driving on a freeway through Morristown, Tennessee while it was still dark. He was in the left lane and saw a U-Haul truck that appeared to be coming towards him and was going the wrong way on the road.
“The lights came toward me,” he said.
As he got closer, he confirmed it was a U-Haul rolling across the street.
“It went over the road into the median and got stuck there,” Allen said. “It happened right in front of me.”
He got on the shoulder to allow the truck to pass next to him and avoid the U-Haul, and when he pulled up he saw a man on the ground, almost in the lane, holding his leg. Allen and another motorist stopped to check on the man, and when the other person dialed 911, Allen got into the U-Haul, now wrecked in the woods, and parked it.
He said the injured man told him he thought he had parked the medium-sized truck after stopping at the side of the road, but in fact it was backwards. Once the U-Haul driver got out of the truck, he rolled his ankle on the rumble strip in the road, at which point the door pushed him down and the U-Haul ran over his leg.
Allen grabbed the casualty’s cell phone and jacket from the crashed U-Haul, brought them to him, and helped him put on his coat. The injured man had a compound fracture in his leg and his bone had skin holes. Allen waited for paramedics to arrive at the scene.
“The reason I quit was because something clicked in me, that I needed to help that person,” Allen said.
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