Social media is coming to the rescue of the hundred of truck drivers who were left stranded by the sudden closure of Tulsa, OK-based Arrow Trucking, on Tuesday.
According to The Christian Science Monitor, many drivers were unaware of the closure until they went to fill up their diesel tanks and found out the company had stopped payment on gas cards. Attempts by Fleet Owner to reach the company were unsuccessful. A message on the main phone number simply said, “If you’re in a Freightliner or KW, please take the truck to the nearest Freightliner shop. Call this hotline number to Daimler: 877-294-9679. They’ll arrange for a bus ticket for you home. If you’re in an International, please call back and check with this message later as we find out more information.”
According to 2News in Tulsa, tow trucks were at the company’s headquarters on Tuesday removing trucks from the lots. The station’s web site also had a statement from Arrow’s CEO, Doug Pielsticker. “The Company has been in negotiations with its principal lender. Those negotiations are continuing, but the lender has elected to proceed with securing its collateral. The Company is communicating with several interested parties and continues to seek a prompt resolution.”
The company’s web site was also taken down on Tuesday. But, where a disaster strikes, help is never far behind and a grassroots effort to help Arrow drivers return home in time for Christmas has begun. Arrow reportedly had more than 1,200 tractors and 2,200 trailers. It is unclear how many drivers have been left stranded.
Within hours of the company’s closure, a group on Facebook started up. The Support for Stranded Arrow Truck Drivers page had nearly 1,000 fans by mid-morning and was filling up quickly with messages of support, prayers and offers for rides.
A dispatcher for another carrier offered her help, writing “Will be glad to assist with shipping items, rides, storing, animals etc if needed-Please contact me here with phone number-Located near Greensboro, NC - I am a dispatcher that can not imagine what you truck drivers are having to deal with right now- As bad as the freight is out there right now, your struggling to make ...ends meet, having to be away from family & friends then you have this added stress-AND during this time of year-Hang in there-there are alot of good people out there that is on your side!!! Prayers, Thoughts & Blessings are sent to you-Be safe~.”
One woman expressed her thanks for the help of others in getting her husband home. “My husband got home last night at the grace of other drivers personal money for fuel thank you to all,” she wrote.
The page includes numerous phone numbers, contact information, bus company information, and perhaps more significantly, help from other carriers. “If you have been affected by the shutdown at Arrow and are in the Shreveport area or need to come to the Shreveport area, give us a call and we will do what we can to assist you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families,” wrote a representative of Tango Transport, listing an 800-number for drivers to call.
