An Illinois-based trucking and logistics company, which contracted with the U.S. Postal Service to haul mail and had over 650 employees, including more than 480 drivers, abruptly ceased operations Thursday, according to sources familiar with the closure.

Former truck drivers for Midwest Transport Inc. (MTI), headquartered in Robinson, Illinois, told FreightWaves that they received telephone calls from their regional managers late Thursday notifying them the company was winding down operations.

As of publication on Friday, MTI has not issued a formal statement about what led to the closure. However, FreightWaves confirmed with some former senior managers and truck drivers who worked for the mail contractor that the company was ending operations. They did not want to be named in the article for fear of retaliation.

MTI, founded in 1980, operated key terminals in Greenup, Illinois; Harmony, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; and two terminals in Tampa and Jacksonville, Florida, according to its website.

MTI had over 480 drivers and 428 power units, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.

FMCSA data shows the company’s trucks had been inspected 244 times, and 65 had been placed out of service for a 27% out-of-service rate over the preceding 24-month period. That is significantly higher than the industry’s national average of around 22%.

MTI’s drivers had been inspected 564 times, and 16 were placed out of service over a two-year period, resulting in a nearly 3% out-of-service rate. That is less than half the industry’s national average of 7%, according to FMCSA.

The trucking company had 21 injuries and 42 tow-aways over the past 24 months.

According to the SAFER database, MTI was cited for acute/critical violations in two categories: controlled substances/alcohol and driver fitness.

A check on SAFER shows that MTI’s common, contract and broker authorities remain active. MTI had two compliance reviews on July 7 and July 25, according to FMCSA data.

As of publication Friday, MTI had not filed a notice of its impending closure in Illinois, Tennessee, Pennsylvania or Florida.

One longtime former MTI driver said he was surprised by the news the company was ceasing operations but said that drivers had started receiving notices over the past few months to ensure their log books were certified after each run and to watch their speed and improve their on-time performance.

“I don’t know what happened because we had a lot of postal contracts all over the U.S.,” a former MTI driver told FreightWaves. “I [don’t know if] the USPS is just finding out like us [that] the mail will be sitting on the docks on Monday.”

Story continues

A media spokesperson with the Postal Service did not immediately return FreightWaves’ request for comment.

This is a developing story.
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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football isn’t just playing Western Illinois on Friday night. 

“You are fighting human nature,” coach Curt Cignetti said during his weekly appearance on Inside Indiana Football. 

Cignetti was referencing the fact that Western Illinois comes to Memorial Stadium riding a 25-game losing streak that dates back to 2021. The program has changed coaches three times since its last winning season in 2017. 

Indiana football built up a bit of momentum with a 31-7 win over FIU in the opener, but Cignetti wants to make sure his team doesn’t get tripped up by overlooking a clearly inferior opponent. 

More: Will Indiana football WR Donaven McCulley be available against Western Illinois?

Jump into our weekly preview, The Runout, for what stood out during the week, players to watch, a prediction and more:

Indiana football vs. Western Illinois: Tale of the tape

• When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7:00 ET
• Where: Memorial Stadium (52,626), Bloomington, Indiana
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Line: N/A
• Series: This is the first meeting between the programs

More: What are the most important stats from Indiana football’s win over FIU? Consider these

Indiana football players to watch vs Western Illinois

Myles Price, WR

Price has been looking for his second career 100-yard receiving game since 2021. He first reached the milestone when he had nine catches for 175 yards for Texas Tech in a win over Iowa State. 

He might not be able to surpass that total on Friday night, but the speedster should be in line for a big day against a Western Illinois secondary that gave up 394 passing yards in its season opener against Northern Illinois.

Price, who had four catches for 29 yards, forced three missed tackles in the opener. 

He’s going to be hard for the Leathernecks to contain in the open field — their defense combined for 11 missed tackles — and gave up four receptions of 20 yards or more through the air for 173 yards and three scores. 

Trey Wedig, OT

Indiana’s offensive line had a strong showing in the run game. 

The group consistently won at the point of attack and played with a physicality that’s been lacking the last few seasons. Things weren’t as clean when IU dropped back to pass, and Wedig struggled more than the rest of his linemates.

The Hooisers gave up six quarterback pressures in the season-opener and Wedig gave up half of them, according to Pro Football Focus. He had the lowest pass-blocking rating among the starters at 48.2 on 35 snaps. 

Some growing pains were to be expected considering Wedig hadn’t played tackle in a game since 2022, but a bounceback performance would help give him some confidence with a UCLA team with a much more imposing defensive front on deck. 

The Bruins had five sacks and 11 tackles for loss in their opener against Hawaii. 

Andrew Turvy, DE

Turvy played more snaps in the season-opener than his first two seasons at Indiana. 

He played the fourth most snaps of IU’s defense ends ahead of scholarship players like Jacob Mangum-Farrar (11) and Venson Sneed Jr. (11). He was plenty productive as well with three quarterback pressures including a sack.

Will Turvey be a one-hit wonder or land a permanent spot on the two-deep? The role is there for the taking since the Hooisers don’t have a ton of depth at defensive end behind Mikail Kamara and Lanell Carr. 

More: Curt Cignetti said not to expect too many freshmen to play. He meant it.

Indiana football: Week 2 Odds and Ends

▶ Tip of the cap: Indiana football tackled pretty well for a team that only went full contact in practice one time during the offseason. Cignetti was pleased with how IU’s defense swarmed to the ball — he said they consistently had  “multiple hats at the point of contact” — and it was a key factor in limiting FIU to just three explosive plays. 

▶ Heavy plate: Indiana’s starting safeties Shawn Asbury II and Josh Sanguinetti were basically interchangeable on Saturday. The Hoosiers also had multiple guys on the defensive front (Mikail Kamara and Marcus Burris) rotating between defensive end and tackle. Those roles could change week-to-week based on defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ game plan, but he clearly values versatile players that allow him to throw different looks at the competition.  

▶ “Inexcusable”: Indiana was called for nine penalties for 80 yards in the opener and seven of those were called on the offense. Cignetti addressed the topic after the game, during his press conference on Monday and again on his weekly coach’s show. He said the team had some issues with penalties during a pair of scrimmages during fall camp as well. It’s clear the offense isn’t getting a mulligan on those miscues and have to clean things up in a hurry to tamp down Cignetti’s frustration. 

Indiana football stat of the week

▶ 25: Here’s a bit more on Western Illinois’ lengthy losing streak — the Leathernecks haven’t won a game since beating Illinois State 38-31 on Oct. 30, 2021, their average margin of defeat during the streak is 29.8 points and they have only played four one-possession games.

More: Mind Your Banners: Defense shines IU’s season-opening win against Florida International

Indiana football quote of the week

 “We’re up 21-0, as a coach that’s where you really got to do the job. Not being satisfied, keeping the hammer down, really being on the kids trying to detect any relaxation or warm fuzzies,” — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti on Inside Indiana Football

Herald-Times prediction: Indiana 58, Western Illinois 10

Western Illinois has given up 50-plus points in its last four matchups against FBS opponents going back to the 2022 season. The Hoosiers should be able to hit that number for the first time since 2021 against Idaho without having to keep their starters in the game for much more than a half. The first-team defense shouldn’t have to strain too hard to get a shutout either. The focus will be on staying healthy and getting some youngsters reps. 

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Friday night lights take on a different meaning as Indiana football hosts Western Illinois at 7 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium.

College football Fridays are relatively new and still controversial for some, but this is the third straight season the Hoosiers have hosted a Friday night game. Friday’s game will be the seventh Friday night game in Indiana’s history.

Indiana (1-0) got off to a positive start in Curt Cignetti’s debut as coach with a 31-7 victory over Florida International Saturday. The Hoosiers were in control from the time they took a 21-0 lead and came out of the opener relatively injury-free. Running back Kaelon Black and wide receiver Donaven McCulley suffered the only injuries Cignetti has revealed. They are both day-to-day entering Friday’s contest.

On the other sideline, Western Illinois (0-1) will try to end a 25-game losing streak, one extended with a 54-15 loss at Northern Illinois Saturday. The Leathernecks last won on Oct, 30, 2021 – a 38-31 victory over Illinois State. Western Illinois has not played within a touchdown of an opponent in nine games, a stretch dating to a 43-40 loss to Lindenwood on Sept. 16, 2023.

The last time Western Illinois played a Big Ten team, Minnesota prevailed 62-10 in 2022. Western Illinois last defeated a FBS team in 2016 when it defeated Northern Illinois 28-23.

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