J.B. Hunt Sues MercuryGate in IT System Dispute
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. has sued transportation management systems provider MercuryGate International for $3.1 million, claiming that the vendor's information technology system didn鈥檛 work properly.
Hunt filed the suit last month in U.S. District Court in Arkansas, claiming that 鈥渢he software is virtually useless for all excepting approximately 1%鈥 of the business it was supposed to support at the carrier鈥檚 brokerage unit.
Hunt also said MercuryGate 鈥渇ailed to timely provide the numerous essential features and functionality鈥 as stipulated in the agreement that was terminated by Hunt in June.
MercuryGate CEO Monica Wooden told Transport Topics听that she believes her company鈥檚 system was used to facilitate a rewrite of J.B. Hunt鈥檚 IT system.
She noted that Hunt used the system for nearly two years before deciding to sue.
鈥淥ur track record speaks for itself,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e have been delivering transportation software to the logistics market for many years. We have never had a claim like this.鈥
In the second quarter, the carrier, which ranks No. 3 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers, took a $4.4 million charge in its brokerage unit, known as Integrated Capacity Solutions, for 鈥渢echnology redevelopment鈥 and personnel-related costs.
鈥淚f business users want something different, so be it,鈥 she added. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a business decision on their part. Over the years, the software has been impeccable.鈥
Wooden said she plans to sit down with Hunt officials to discuss the case, though no date has been set.