Legal Question in Employment Law in Iowa

Transportation/Contract Law Question:

Regarding Bills of Ladings (BOLs) for LTL Shipments. Is it illegal to split 1 BOL into 2 shipments in order to benefit from a lower shipping rate? For example: Same origin, same destination, same PU date, same delivery date > 1000 lb costs $500 with ABC Carrier. Yet the same shipment at 500 lb costs $200. So in order to take advantage of that rate, they split into 2 BOLs, each at $200 for a $400 total cost. I was fired recently and this practice was commonplace at my place of work - I fought against it frequently, as I found it to be unethical. My feeling is that I was terminated for putting up a fuss about this procedure.


Asked on 6/26/13, 10:08 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Luedeman solo practitioner

I don't see anything unethical about it. If that's the rate the trucking company charges, then that's the rate they charge and if your former employer was intelligent enough to figure this out and save some money good on them. That's called saving money.

As to your second point Iowa is a right to work state and thaty means you can be fired for any reason, good reason or no reason at all unless you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement or have a contraqct of employment.

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Answered on 6/26/13, 8:31 pm


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