An educational event held during the Great American Truck Show in Dallas, Texas for truck drivers to let them know about current legal cases that have an impact on the them. Lawyers from top firms covering sexual harassment, discrimination, wage theft, lease scams, and truck driver whistleblower protections.

1. REAL Women in Trucking, Inc.
501 (c) (6) Truck Driver Association
Mission: To deliver highway safety through leadership, mentorship, education and advocacy

2. WELCOME

3. WHY ANOTHER
ORGANIZATION?
• Exploitation of new drivers of all genders
• Unsafe training practices that jeopardize public safety
• Female leadership promoting misleading images of women truck drivers
to public and new recruits
• Instigation of bullying toward women and new drivers who ask
questions about how to handle harassment, retaliation, and unsafe
situations.
• A need for authentic, truthful information to make better choices during
the first critical year in the industry.

4. REAL Drivers, REAL Issues
• A place to talk about real issues
• A place to make new friends
• A place to find others who would like to improve the industry
• A place to create a new culture of empathy and tolerance
www.realwomenintrucking.org
Breaking the Silence , Leading Change Since 2010
S.H.E. TRUCKING APPAREL
"The clothing brand to empower and recognize
professional women in the trucking industry
through fashion."
www.shetrucking.com

5. • Student Truck Driver Exploitation
• Sexual Harassment/Assault/Retaliation During Truck Driver Training
• Lease Fraud
• Blacklisting New Drivers From Employment Who Owe Tuition
• Knowing Rights Through STAA
• Truck Parking ( Jason’s Law )
EDUCATING TRUCK DRIVERS OF
THEIR RIGHTS

6. 2013 – 2017

7. NO MORE OF
THIS!
Oliveira v. New Prime, Inc.
The facts of this case
are particularly appalling. …
New Prime, Inc. v. Oliveira
Federal Arbitration Act: whether the
FAA's Section 1 exemption, which
applies on its face only to “contracts of
employment,” is inapplicable to
independent contractor agreements.

8.  Male Trainer / Female Student
 Female Student / Male Trainer
 Male Student / Female Trainer
 Female Trainer / Male Student
 Male Trainer / Male Student
 Female Trainer / Female Student
 Male Student / Male Trainer
 Female Student / Female Trainer
 Male Co-Driver / Female Co-Driver
 Female Co-Driver / Male Co-Driver
 Male Co-Driver / Male Co-Driver
 Female Co-Driver / Female Co-Driver
ITS NOT GENDER SPECIFIC, TRAINING SPECIFIC
Who is the Harasser? Who is the Victim?
Since this topic has been kept so under wraps it has led to pent up anger,
heart break and lack of accountability that makes it understandable it’s coming out in
torrents right now. ~ Ronan Farrow

9. NO ONE Should have to FEAR for the Personal Safety at their Place of Employment!
#WhoKnewinTruckingandDidNothing?

10. Craig Ackermann, Esq. Paul Taylor, Esq. Joshua Friedman, Esq.

11. Handle cases in all 50 states.
Practice is limited to:
Sexual harassment, Racial harassment, Disability harassment,
Sexual orientation harassment, and other forms of illegal harassment (religion,
national origin).

12. CATHY SELLARS, CLAUDIA LOPEZ, and LESLIE FORTUNE, on behalf of
themselves and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. CRST EXPEDITED,
INC., Defendant.
Actual Court Testimony:
Karen Carlson - Employee Relations Manager at CRST International, Inc.
Topic: A Sexual Harassment Complaint not corroborated without witness or
confession
Question to Karen Carlson:
“If the allegations of harassment concerned behavior that occurred on the truck
while the drivers are there together, would it ever be possible for you to find that
harassment was corroborated based on evidence other than a third person
eyewitness who was on the truck seeing harassment?”
Answer from Karen Carlson:
“Not unless there was an admission by the accused individual”

13. Question to Karen Carlson : Do you take into account the existence of the prior
uncorroborated complaint in deciding whether or not the new accuser is telling the
truth?
Answer from Karen Carlson: No, Each case is going to stand on it’s own merit
Karen Carlson: Employee relations manager,
responsible for conducting investigations of
employee concerns and tracking trends within the
department, including its investigative duties.
Out of 125 women
Among the issues they cited is harassment of the
women in male-female driving teams, which can
send a woman alone with a driving partner in a
truck for days on end.

14. • What if my trainer tells me I must sleep with him or her to pass my driver
training?
• How do I preserve evidence?
• What could reduce sexual assault and harassment?
• What if my co-driver / trainer (including one classified as an independent
contractor) makes me feel unsafe?
• What if my dispatcher/driver manager (DM or FM) asks me to stay on the truck
after I have told them I feel unsafe?
• What does it mean to be a Plaintiff and/or “Lead” Plaintiff?

15. • At what point should the police be called?
• What should we not say to the human resources department?
• Have women or men been fired after reporting harassment to the human
resources department?
• Is this particular issue limited to one carrier since you began representing women
truck drivers?
• How frequently do women in these cases allege being blacklisted from future
employment as truck drivers elsewhere?

16. www.ackermanntilajef.com
Licensed in Texas, California and Washington

17. www.ackermanntilajef.com

18. GATS 2018
Speaker:
Paul Taylor, Taylor & Associates, Ltd.
5100 Edina Industrial Boulevard, Suite 230
Edina, MN 55439
www.truckersjusticecenter.com

19. Licensed in Minnesota (all courts)
Federal Courts of Wisconsin, Michigan.
Staff licensed for North Dakota federal.
All states for whistleblower cases under (STAA) which are Dept. of Labor jurisdiction
Paul also handles Owner Operator leasing disputes throughout the country (if large
enough)

20. Leasing Disputes
• Skimming
• Improper Chargebacks
• Lack of Transparency
www.truckersjusticecenter.com

21. Retaliation for Conduct
Advancing Safety
• Safety Complaints
• DOT
• Internal
• Safety Refusals
• HOS
• Bad Weather
• Overweight
www.truckersjusticecenter.com

22. False DAC Reports
• Process for Challenge
• Legal Remedies
www.truckersjusticecenter.com

23. Other Hot Legal Issues
• Controlled Substances / Marijuana
• Personal Conveyance
• ELD
www.truckersjusticecenter.com

24. • What kind of protection do I have if I object to my employer changing my logs?
• Does a violation have to be an out of service violation for me to be protected if I
drive?
• If I’m being asked to break a DOT regulation what rights or remedies do I have if I
just quit?
• Does a carrier have to give owner operators copies of rate confirmations?
• Do carriers have to pass fuel surcharge received to the owner operators?
• If carriers receive a rebate from a fuel chain based on volume is that supposed to be
passed on to the owner operators?

25. • Can a carrier mark up insurance premiums that it deducts from drivers
settlements?
• How can I get an abandonment on my DAC report?
• Am I entitled to interest on a maintenance account escrow?
• Can I legally log time waiting to be unloaded as sleeper berth or off duty?
• If I refuse to run illegally and then take the load am I still legally protected?
• Can a driver receive punitive damages if a whistleblower claim?
• I drive for an outlaw company. How can I protect myself before I get fired?

26. • What if my trainer tells me I must sleep with him or her to pass my driver
training?
• How do I preserve evidence?
• What could reduce sexual assault and harassment?
• What if my co-driver / trainer (including one classified as an independent
contractor) makes me feel unsafe?
• What if my dispatcher/driver manager (DM or FM) asks me to stay on the truck
after I have told them I feel unsafe?
• What does it mean to be a Plaintiff and/or “Lead” Plaintiff?

27. • At what point should the police be called?
• What should we not say to the human resources department?
• Have women been fired after reporting harassment to the human resources
department?
• Is this particular issue limited to one carrier since you began representing women
truck drivers?
• How frequently do women in these cases allege being blacklisted from future
employment as truck drivers elsewhere?