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March 2, 2000 9:40 AM, EST

A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by AmeriServe Food Distribution is raising concern about the Dallas-based food service distributor’s willingness to pay claims by trucking suppliers.

AmeriServe said it has adequate liquidity to finance its business and is in the process of securing long-term financing that will enable it to reorganize successfully.

Stan Szlauderbach, chief accounting officer for AmeriServe, said the company is asking carriers to continue providing transportation service on terms similar to those in place before Jan. 31, when the company filed a Chapter 11 petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. Those terms call for payment in 30 days.

The chief financial officer of one carrier, however, is demanding payment up front and questions what he calls AmeriServe’s strong-arm tactics with carriers.

For the full story, see the Feb. 28 print edition of Transport Topics. .