Pizza Hut delivery drivers say that the bankrupt company’s largest U.S. franchisee shortchanged them on payments for using their own vehicles, adding to the list of cases roiled by massive claims from former employees, Bloomberg News reported. Restaurant operator NPC International Inc. reimbursed the drivers for miles at such a low rate that they were underpaid by $4 to $12 per hour, according to a court filing on Monday. With the claims topping $4,000 each from 80,000 drivers, the total could exceed $320 million. A bankruptcy judge ruled yesterday that their claims must stay on hold for now while NPC’s reorganization proceeds. The dispute concerns the difference between the mileage reimbursement rate of 57.5 cents a mile set by the Internal Revenue Service and the 25 to 35 cents typically paid by NPC, according to the drivers. Shifts typically lasted seven hours, with five on the road and drivers bearing out-of-pocket costs such as gasoline, depreciation, insurance and maintenance, they said. On top of that, the drivers said, the number of miles they drove was undercounted. They claim top executives were aware of the alleged short-changing and have sought in legal filings to hold them personally liable.
