The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an emergency order to Arrow Trucking to make sure that all the trucks, and trailers, and the loads were secured.
Arrow Trucking suspended operations Dec. 22nd, 2009 and told the drivers to basically go to the nearest dealership for whichever type of truck they were driving, and to find their own way home.
How they went about doing it has to be the worst I have ever heard about. Just days before they shut their operations down, they continued to dispatch these trucks as if nothing were wrong. Then, out of the blue, they shut the fuel cards off, and allowed the drivers to find out on their own. Actually, the company that owned the fuel cards shut them off, but since Arrow didn’t pay the fuel bill then, they were considered the ones shutting them off.
The “pisser” of this entire mess is that Arrow executives HAD TO KNOW what was going on because they left a message on the telephone that drivers heard when they called in because they could not get any fuel. The message said, Drivers if you are in a Freightliner or Kenworth truck please take them to the nearest dealership if you have fuel. If not take the keys into a truck stop and give them to the manager of the truck stops, so they can secure the vehicle. If you are in an International Truck please call back later as we will update what to do with those trucks.
William Quade FMCSA’s acting Associate Administrator for field operations spoke with Arrow’s vice president of operations on Dec. 24th, 2009. Mr. Quade advised the Arrow vice president of FMCSA’s grave concerns regarding Arrow’s failure to take the necessary precautions for the protection of the public by arranging for the orderly shutdown of the companys operations. Arrow’s vice president said that few if any of Arrow’s CMVs were transporting Hazardous materials. FMCSA lacks information necessary to confirm the vice presidents statement. Arrow has failed to demonstrate that it has taken the necessary steps to secure the CMV fleet.
Failure to comply with the provisions of this order will subject you to an action in the United States District Courts.
The emergency order was based on Arrow suddenly closing and not making sure that these trucks and trailers were parked in a secure order at their Tulsa, Oklahoma facility or to pull the trucks out-of-service. Arrow continued just days before it’s closing to dispatch these drivers. Arrow summarily deactivated the fuel cards of its drivers, some of which were hundreds and even thousands of miles from home.
Doug Pielsticker, CEO of Arrow Trucking made a statement the day they closed the doors that they were working with their lenders. That is the last day anyone has heard from him, and just a couple of days after the company closing his five bedroom home in Tulsa went on the market to be sold. It kind of sounded planned out.
I am glad to see the FMCSA get involved and make this chicken shit do the proper thing with his equipment and the millions in dollars in freight floating around all over the US. If the company does not comply with the emergency order then, they are subject to being in front of a district court hearing.
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