Freight Brokerage Collapse Deepens: Vantage Carrier Files $1.3M Lawsuit as Industry Grapples with Fallout
The financial collapse of a once-major freight brokerage is triggering a cascade of lawsuits and raising urgent questions about risk management in the trucking sector. In the latest legal action, Florida-based Vantage Carrier LLC has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that subsidiaries of the R&R Family of Companies failed to pay for more than 600 completed freight shipments, leaving over $1.34 million in unpaid invoices.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, claims Vantage hauled freight throughout 2025 under a contract with RFX, LLC and R&R Express, Inc., but payments ceased despite proof of delivery. The lawsuit accuses the entities of breach of contract and unjust enrichment, and goes further to allege they operated as a single, undercapitalized enterprise while internally siphoning funds.
This case is not an isolated incident. It marks at least the third recent lawsuit against R&R-affiliated entities, following actions by Jimenez Logistics and lender Huntington National Bank. Court documents in a separate Florida case suggest the total scale of unpaid trade payables linked to R&R could be as high as $65 million, a staggering sum that industry analysts say represents tens of thousands of unpaid loads.
The fallout extends beyond balance sheets. At its peak, R&R directly employed over 500 workers and relied on an estimated 500 independent contractors and agents, many of whom have seen their income vanish overnight. The contagion is also spreading to other companies; last week, AGX Freight Group abruptly shut down after its lender, Huntington National Bank, restricted its credit line—a move its former CEO directly linked to litigation involving R&R Express.
For small carriers and owner-operators, the situation is particularly dire. An anonymous Texas-based carrier told FreightWaves that RFX stopped paying his five-figure invoices last fall. "For a small carrier, even a few thousand dollars can hurt," he said, questioning the adequacy of the $75,000 bond held by a company of R&R's former size. "The system failed us. We did the work, and now we're left holding the bag."
Industry Voices React:
"This is a systemic failure," says Marcus Chen, a logistics consultant with two decades of experience. "It underscores the critical need for carriers to conduct deeper due diligence on brokers' financial health, not just their credit scores. The $65 million exposure figure, if accurate, will take years to untangle in courts."
"Where was the oversight?" asks Diana Ruiz, an owner-operator from Arizona, her tone sharp with frustration. "Brokers get to play with house money while hard-working truckers risk everything. A $75,000 bond is a joke for a company moving that much freight. It's legalized theft, and regulators have been asleep at the wheel."
"The domino effect is what worries me most," observes Ben Carter, a former sales manager at a mid-sized brokerage. "One major collapse can tighten credit for everyone. Lenders get nervous, legitimate brokers face higher costs, and the whole market becomes more risk-averse, which ultimately hurts efficiency."
As of now, no bankruptcy filing by R&R or its subsidiaries has been confirmed, leaving creditors and former employees in a state of limbo. The mounting litigation paints a picture of a company that may have continued operations while insolvent, a claim alleged in Huntington Bank's lawsuit which R&R has not publicly addressed. The industry is now left to reckon with the damage and brace for further repercussions.