Pharr, TX (KRGV) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued a Pharr-based trucking company for refusing to hire older drivers based on their age, according to a news release.

The EEOC filed a lawsuit against Trancasa USA, Inc., a trucking and logistics company with locations in south and west Texas, alleging the company violated federal law since at least June 2023.

According to the lawsuit, Trancasa refused to hire a class of older applicants for driver positions because the company's liability insurance policy did not cover drivers older than 65. The suit also states that under its insurance policy, Trancasa agreed to impose more demanding driving record standards for applicants older than 60.

The lawsuit says one applicant was 64 years old when he applied and had a clean driving record for 20 years. Trancasa's standards required all drivers to be between 23 and 65 years old and have a clean record.

Drivers between 63 and 65 were also required to provide a long medical form. Drivers younger than 63 were not required to provide a medical examination report. The EEOC also alleges federal law does not require trucking employers to obtain this long-form medical report.

Trancasa claims it was not discriminating but following requirements set by its insurance company. Channel 5 News reached out to Trancasa for a response and is waiting to hear back.

"Federal law prohibits employers from refusing to hire workers who are age 40 or older because of their ages,” EEOC San Antonio Field Office Director Norma Guzman said in a statement. “This prohibition applies regardless of whether the employer makes those hiring decisions based on its own views or the views, preferences or demands of a third party such as an insurance company."

The EEOC says it filed the lawsuit after first trying to reach a pre-litigation settlement through a conciliation process.

A court hearing was set in federal court for Dec. 8.

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