EEOC Reaches Early $5.5 Million Resolution With Central Transport Over Nationwide Sex Discrimination in Hiring

PHOENIX - Central Transport, LLC, a nationwide trucking company based in Warren, Michigan with over 200 regional and local facilities, will pay $5.5 million to resolve a federal lawsuit charging the company with violating federal law when it intentionally refused to hire qualified female truck drivers throughout the country, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, Central Transport, for at least the past ten years, repeatedly passed over qualified female truck driver applicants. Instead, the company routinely selected male truck drivers, many of whom were hired despite being less qualified or having less experience. Numerous female applicants reported that company personnel nationwide subjected them to different hiring procedures than those used for male applicants.

Several female driver applicants also observed Central Transport throwing their job applications in the trash at local truck terminals, and some company terminals including the Phoenix and El Paso locations did not hire any female truck drivers for a number of years despite having numerous female applicants. At a Dunbar, West Virginia truck terminal, the dispatcher informed a female applicant that corporate offices had instructed him not to hire any female truck drivers, according to the suit.

"Unfortunately, sex discrimination in hiring continues to be a problem in some industries," said Mary Jo O'Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC's Phoenix District Office. "It is illegal for employers to refuse to hire women because of their sex. We appreciate Central Transport's willingness to resolve this case with an early settlement. We hope that through this consent decree, Central Transport's efforts will result in a hiring process free from sex discrimination."

During the EEOC's investigation, the agency received reports of sex-based discrimination at the following locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Bartlett, Tennessee, Blue Springs, Missouri, Cheboygan, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan, Dunbar, West Virginia, Horn Lake, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee, North Jackson, Ohio, Phoenix, Arizona, Portland, Oregon, and Springfield, Illinois.

The company's alleged hiring practice violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 by intentionally discriminating against female truck drivers and failing to hire them because of their sex. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Central Transport, LLC, Case No. 2:26-cv-02201-JJT) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona after first attempting to reach a settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

EEOC Phoenix District Director Melinda Caraballo said, "Female workers who are qualified for a job should be given an equal chance to compete for the position with men. We also remind employers that they need to retain job applications and hiring records, particularly when they have received charges of discrimination. The EEOC is committed to fighting for the rights of all qualified workers, including women."

The consent decree signed by Central Transport, the EEOC, and Arizona Federal Court Judge John J. Tuchi, requires Central Transport to pay $5,500,000 to the four original complainants and a class of other qualified female truck drivers who applied but were not hired. In addition to monetary relief, the decree requires the company to allow affected applicants to apply for positions and participate in the company's recruitment and hiring processes free from sex-based discrimination and retaliation for participating in the lawsuit.

Central Transport will also hire an outside consultant to review its hiring policies, practices and procedures to ensure full compliance with Title VII. Further, the company will institute training on its anti-discrimination policies, including training on its recordkeeping obligations and the filing of EEO-1 reports as required by current law. Central Transport will also appoint a monitor to review and verify the implementation of the decree's terms and report on compliance to the EEOC.

In addition to Mary Jo O'Neill, the EEOC was represented by EEOC attorneys Jeff Lee and Lucia Moran.

For more information on sex-based discrimination and retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination and https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation .

The EEOC's Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction over Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and parts of New Mexico.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .