USF Holland to Pay $490,000 and Provide $120,000 in Scholarships to Settle EEOC Sex Discrimination Suit

OXFORD, Miss. – USF HOLLAND, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of YRC Worldwide, Inc., and a less-than-truckload carrier, will pay $490,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

USF Holland’s Olive Branch, Mississippi terminal opened in 1986. The EEOC charged that it failed since that time to hire any female drivers at the terminal, except for one female whom Holland hired and fired before she completed her first route. The EEOC discovered that a significant number of qualified women with extensive truck driving experience applied for positions with Holland over the years because of Holland’s impressive benefits’ package. Yet, even when the women’s qualifications were equal or superior to those of male applicants, Holland failed to hire them.

Holland’s alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. The EEOC sued in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, Oxford Division (EEOC v. USF Holland, Case No. 3:20cv270-NBB-RP), after first seeking to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The three-year consent decree settling the suit, entered by Senior U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers, requires, among other things, that Holland establish a $120,000 scholarship fund. Holland will award the scholarships four times annually for $10,000 each throughout the duration of the decree to female appli­cants who seek to obtain their truck driver certifications through Holland’s truck driver apprentice­ship program.

The $10,000 scholarships will cover tuition, a DOT physical, daily wages at $17.50 per hour, commuting and transportation costs for those whose domicile exists outside the city of the Driver Academy, lodging, per diem, two class A state exams, and entry-level driver training for placement of qualified females in the Driver Academy. Holland must subject all applicants to the Driver Academy to the same minimum qualifications regardless of sex.

The consent decree also requires Holland to revise its anti-discrimination policy and to conduct annual training designed to prevent discrimination at its Olive Branch, Mississippi facility.

“While the trucking industry is traditionally a male-dominated field, qualified female drivers do exist and are paving the way for more women to enter the field,” said EEOC Trial Attorney Roslyn Griffin Pack. “We are pleased Holland agreed to take proactive steps to not only train female drivers through its apprenticeship program, but to also hire those qualified female drivers for positions in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. We hope these small steps will make a big difference in the lives of women who seek to enter the trucking industry.”

EEOC Acting District Director Edmond Sims added, “The Memphis District is pleased to have secured targeted relief and monetary damages for qualified women who applied for positions with Holland but were not hired. This resolution reaffirms the EEOC’s commitment to eradicate employment discrim­ination and promote and foster healthy work environments for all citizens across the Mid-South.”

Less-than-truckload shipping or less than load (LTL) is the transportation of freight sized between individual parcels and full truckloads. Parcel carriers handle small packages and freight that can be broken down into units less than approximately 150 pounds. Full-truckload carriers move entire semi-trailers.

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

The EEOC’s Memphis District Office covers Tennessee, Arkansas, and seventeen counties in the Northern District of Mississippi.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employ­ment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.