MN89 Inc, a large lease-purchase trucking carrier headquartered in Oak Lawn, Illinois, is facing at least two active federal lawsuits and a wider pattern of driver complaints. One case, filed in Texas, alleges personal injury from a motor vehicle crash. Another, filed in Arkansas, alleges racial discrimination, wrongful termination, and contract fraud tied to the company’s lease-purchase program. Alongside the litigation, drivers have publicly accused the company of pay practices that leave them with little to nothing after deductions, and the Better Business Bureau has issued MN89 an F rating for failing to respond to complaints.1Better Business Bureau. MN89 Inc BBB Business Profile
The Texas Personal Injury Case
The most visible suit against MN89 began in state court in Travis County, Texas, and was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in January 2025 as case number 1:25-cv-00093. Originally styled Gallegos v. MN89, Inc. et al, the case is a motor vehicle personal injury tort naming MN89 Inc and an individual, Dorian Lemarus Hodge, as defendants. It is assigned to Judge Robert Pitman.2PACER Monitor. Gallegos v MN89, Inc et al
By spring 2026 the plaintiff on record was Lena Thorne, and the docket had grown past 50 entries. In early June 2026 the court granted an unopposed motion allowing MN89’s attorney to withdraw, and Judge Pitman ordered the plaintiff to file a status report addressing deficiencies the court had identified in her complaint. The report was filed on June 8, 2026. The case remains open, with no trial date, settlement, or dispositive ruling reported.2PACER Monitor. Gallegos v MN89, Inc et al
The Arkansas Discrimination and Wrongful Termination Case
Franklin v. MN89 Inc, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas as case number 4:25-cv-853-DPM, is broader in scope. The plaintiff, who identified himself as a Black man of Serbian descent, alleged workplace discrimination based on race and national origin, wrongful termination, breach of contract, and theft of funds. Court records reference EEOC documentation, indicating an administrative complaint was filed before the lawsuit.3CaseMine. Franklin v MN89 Inc
The complaint made specific accusations about how MN89 runs its fleet. It alleged the company failed to safely maintain its trucks, forced drivers to pay for vehicle maintenance in violation of their contracts, assigned discriminatory or impossible loads to Black drivers, and coerced drivers into producing falsified driving logs. The plaintiff described these practices as an “overarching scam.” Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. screened the complaint in September 2025 under the federal statute governing cases filed without prepayment of fees. The available record does not show a final outcome.3CaseMine. Franklin v MN89 Inc
Driver Complaints and the BBB Record
Outside the courtroom, drivers have posted their own accounts of working for MN89. On the Truckers Report forum, one driver described grossing $17,350 in a single month but taking home only $968.67 after deductions for fuel, tolls, and other costs. Another alleged the company applied for an Employer Identification Number using the driver’s home-state information without the driver’s knowledge or signed consent. A third claimed MN89 provided a rate confirmation document that the driver verified was falsified by contacting the actual freight broker. At least one driver reported filing a formal complaint with an attorney general’s office over nonpayment.4The Truckers Report. MN89 Desperately Looking for Input
The Better Business Bureau opened its file on MN89 in June 2024. The company holds an F rating, the lowest possible, because it has not responded to any of the three complaints filed against it. Public reviews on the BBB page include warnings about unpaid final paychecks for drivers who leave.1Better Business Bureau. MN89 Inc BBB Business Profile
How the Lease-Purchase Program Works
Most of the allegations against MN89 trace back to the structure of its “Truck Ownership Program,” a walk-away lease running 1.5 to 4 years. According to the company, drivers can access model-year 2022 through 2026 trucks with no money down, weekly truck payments start at $700, and drivers keep 80% of gross revenue. MN89 advertises average weekly take-home pay of $2,000 to $3,000 or more. Drivers also pay 13 cents per mile into a maintenance account, and repairs run through the company’s in-house shop.5MN89 Inc. Lease to Purchase 2022–2024 Trucks
Sample settlement statements the company itself published from early 2026 show weekly deductions ranging from $1,420 to $1,900, without a breakdown of what each deduction covers. Drivers must hold a valid CDL, a clean driving record, and at least two years of experience. The program runs nationwide but excludes California.6MN89 Inc. Truck Ownership Program – Lease Program The gap between the advertised earnings and the $968 monthly take-home reported by one driver on $17,350 in gross revenue works out to roughly 5.6% of what was hauled.
Safety and FMCSA Record
MN89 is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and, as of June 2026, is listed as active and authorized to carry general freight interstate, excluding household goods. The fleet consists of 1,262 power units, all term-leased truck tractors, operated by 1,127 drivers.7FMCSA. MN89 Inc Carrier Registration
Over the 24 months ending June 2026, federal inspectors conducted 1,135 inspections. The vehicle out-of-service rate was 27.9%, above the 22.26% national average. The driver out-of-service rate was 3%, well below the 6.67% national average. The company reported 44 crashes during that period: 11 with injuries and 33 requiring a tow, none fatal. The FMCSA reviewed MN89 in April 2025 but classified the company as “non-ratable,” meaning no formal safety rating was assigned.8FMCSA. MN89 Inc Carrier Snapshot
The Federal Crackdown on Predatory Truck Leasing
The MN89 allegations arrive during a broader federal reckoning over lease-purchase trucking. In January 2025, the Truck Leasing Task Force, created by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, delivered its final report to Congress and the Departments of Transportation and Labor. The task force concluded that lease-purchase arrangements in which a motor carrier controls a driver’s work, compensation, and debts “should be prohibited.”9FMCSA. Truck Leasing Task Force Report to Congress
The report found that roughly 90% of truck lease-purchase agreements end in default and fewer than 1 in 100 drivers who enter these programs successfully complete them and take ownership.10Land Line Media. Bill Would Protect Truckers From Predatory Lease-Purchase Agreements It documented “negative compensation” cases where deductions exceeded earnings, and turnover rates at some carriers between 245% and 328%. The task force also flagged safety risks tied to financially struggling drivers delaying repairs or driving fatigued.9FMCSA. Truck Leasing Task Force Report to Congress
In September 2025, Congresswoman Julia Brownley introduced the Predatory Truck Leasing Prevention Act (H.R. 5423), which would direct the Department of Transportation to issue regulations prohibiting predatory lease-purchase programs within a year of enactment. The bill has been endorsed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Teamsters. As of mid-2026, it has not been enacted.11Office of Congresswoman Julia Brownley. Brownley Introduces Legislation to Prevent Predatory Truck Leasing Schemes
A separate large lawsuit against Super Ego Holding and affiliated companies in the Northern District of Illinois has raised similar allegations of falsified rate confirmations, fraudulent load documents, and driver misclassification. Attorney James Stark, who leads that case, reported approximately 1,400 drivers had opted in, with projections of 10,000 to 20,000.12FreightWaves. Truck Lease-Purchase Deals Come Under Heavy Fire at MATS and in Court MN89 is not a defendant in the Super Ego litigation, but several of the practices at issue there parallel what MN89 drivers have described in their own complaints and in the Arkansas suit.