Preston Drivers Demand Payment

PRESTON, Md. (AP) - Fallout from the financial collapse of Preston Trucking Co. continues rippling across the state and region, with truckers demanding their wages after their paychecks bounced.

In Philadelphia, Preston employees parked more than a dozen loaded tractor trailers outside the company yard Thursday and blocked the entrance to protest their paychecks bouncing and demand payment. Company officials say money will be in the accounts this morning.

Preston Trucking, with 300 workers in Maryland and 5,500 nationwide, announced Monday that it would close immediately. The company stopped taking new shipments, but said freight already in its pipeline would be delivered.

Chief Financial Officer Sean Callahan has said the privately-held company was unable to pay its bills.

In a closure letter to employees, President David Letke said "disclosing the company's operating results... would have severely affected our ability to retain key employees as well as undermined the public confidence in the company."

Philadelphia truckers complained that they were never warned about the company's plans to declare bankruptcy. They were angered even more when they realized Thursday that their paychecks had bounced.

Instead of returning the trucks to the company terminals, the workers parked them outside, with some truckers planning to protest all night. Some also planned to take off today if they didn't get their money by the morning.

"We let the company know we are for real. We were for real when we moved their freight today and this week. And we want to be paid for it," said trucker Cordell Harris.

Preston officials later told them that the money will available for the truckers this morning when banks open and money can be wired into the accounts.