On March 28, 2005, the court in the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association vs. Landstar System case pending in the United States District Court in Jacksonville, Florida, overruled Landstar’s objections to the plaintiffs’ motion to amend their complaint to add new claims regarding Landstar’s violations of the truth-in-leasing regulations.

The amendments allowed by the court were based upon evidence that came to light when Landstar informed its owner-operators in late 2004 that it was amending its leases as a result of the OOIDA action in Jacksonville. OOIDA and the individual drivers who are plaintiffs in the case allege that the amended lease reveals specific details about the numerous ways in which Landstar has been unlawfully charging its Owner-Operators for administrative fees and profits, and reducing adjusted gross revenue before calculating owner-operator compensation.

The ruling is extremely significant because it allows the plaintiffs to proceed to trial in establishing the full extent of Landstar’s illegal conduct - based on Landstar’s own admissions. The ruling also significantly expands the scope of damages and other relief plaintiffs may obtain from Landstar.