A Chattanooga, Tennessee-based company had to pay more than $150,000 to retrieve five Celadon trucks “quarantined” in Mexico back in December, according to recently released court documents.
The court filings are part of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware hearings for trucking company Celadon Group, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 9.
Sese Logistics U.S. had to pay $152,433 in fees and expenses to obtain the release of five loads of goods from Mexico in December, according to court filings.
The loads were being transported by Celadon from a Volkswagen factory in Mexico to the Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga. Sese Logistics and Celadon Group had a broker-carrier agreement dating back to June 2, 2014, according to filings.
Sese Logistics said it was notified by Celadon on Dec. 8 “that the loads in transit would not meet their final destination” and “the five trailers were quarantined at a facility in Mexico.”
It is not immediately clear whether the trucks brokered by Sese Logistics were abandoned, seized by force, or were embroiled in Celadon’s bankruptcy.
Jaguar Transportation, Celadon’s Mexican division, had drivers and employees take over trucks and terminals in an attempt to receive money they claimed they were owed when Celadon’s bankruptcy occurred.
Officials at Sese Logistics declined to comment to FreightWaves.
Matt Silver, co-founder and CEO of Forager, said transporting cross-border loads always involves risk.
“The experience with potential theft or ransom in the past has generally been tied to high-value goods and goods that you could easily resell on the black market, like tequila, tires and products that could be melted down into a material,” Silver told FreightWaves.
Chicago-based Forager is a freight tech company focusing on freight from Mexico and Canada.
“I’ve been involved with automotive shipments being taken hostage, but generally, when the thieves open the trailer and realize those parts are built specifically for someone like Volkswagen, they give the freight back, unless they see value in the truck and trailer itself,” Silver said.
According to court documents, Sese Logistics said it worked for several weeks and “incurred $152,433 in fees and expenses in obtaining the release” of the trailers.
Sese Logistics U.S. also agreed to pay the debtors of Celadon Group $608,617 that Celadon was owed for open invoices issued to Sese on account of goods and supplies transported, according to filings.
