Drivers Redirected as Bankruptcy News Spread
News of the filing rippled quickly through industry circles. In a Facebook post circulating among trucking groups, an individual identifying as a company driver said employees were informed that Robert Bearden Inc. had gone bankrupt.
According to the post, drivers were instructed to route their trucks to Mobile, Alabama, and Valdosta, Georgia, to return equipment — a logistical unwind that underscores the abruptness of the situation.
From Single Truck to Employee-Owned Carrier
Founded in 1997, Robert Bearden Trucking began as a one-truck operation and expanded over the years into a sizable regional carrier serving the Southeast. In 2012, the company transitioned into a 100% employee-owned business, a structure often seen as a badge of stability and shared success in the transportation industry.
Now, nearly three decades after its launch, the company’s Chapter 11 filing places its future in the hands of the bankruptcy court.
Officials for Robert Bearden Trucking did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FreightWaves.
As the trucking industry continues to navigate freight market volatility, rising costs and tightening margins, the fall of a once-growing regional carrier illustrates how quickly fortunes can shift on America’s highways.
