Two-Hundred dollars is that a Joke Daimler, Kenworth, and International?
December 24, 2009 by Truckdrivernews · 9 Comments
Dec. 22nd, 2009 Tulsa, Oklahoma based Trucking Company Arrow Trucking closed up shop.
They did so abruptly they forgot to mention it to their fourteen hundred drivers, some of which were still on the road.
These drivers out on the road found out the hard way, when they tried to purchase fuel with their TCH fuel cards, and the cards had been shut off.
Then the drivers started calling their dispatchers to see why the fuel cards were turned off, and received a message “Drivers, if you’re in Freightliner KW, please take your truck to the nearest Freightliner shop, call this hot line number to Daimler, 877-294-9679, they will arrange for you a bus ticket home. If you are in an International, please call back and as we will update it as we find out more information.”
On Wed. the 23rd drivers of the Internationals finally found out what to do with their trucks, thanks to OOIDA blasting phone calls too International. They basically are to do the same thing, go to International and they would get a bus ticket, or Two-hundred dollars in cash. It is NOT Arrow that’s giving these drivers the incentive to bring the trucks to the dealerships, but it is the manufacturer’s giving the incentives.
Well, that is a very nice gesture, but is it a joke? These drivers, some of which have not been paid, and sadly enough probably will never see their money from the “Low Life Bastards” at Arrow. The drivers basically have just been told, by a recorded message, you are no longer a driver at this company and “please” take your truck’s back to the dealers so we be the chicken shit low lives we are, here in management don’t have to pay BIG BUCKS to return the trucks.
Then Daimler, KW and International are “helping” these drivers out by offering them a “bus ticket” home, or Two-Hundred dollars in cash (for Transportation). What will two-hundred buy you nowadays? Its twenty bucks to eat, every day. Yea, two-hundred dollars will rent you a car as long as you have a two-hundred dollar deposit, and then that leaves no money for gas. Hell they can’t even rent a car, so why offer it?
Are these drivers that are turning in their trucks and getting the bus tickets, are you shipping their stuff to them? Traveling by bus is hard enough with just a suitcase to keep up with. A two or three year veteran driver will have tons of stuff in his/her truck. What are they suppose to do with that?
It’s bad enough these drivers just got shit on by the bastards at Arrow. Then, to offer them a bus ticket or two-hundred dollars to return their truck to you, is a slap in the face. Oh I get it, you catch these drivers down and out and you all figure you can pay a bus ticket for them to get home because it’s Christmas time, or you give them a measly two-hundred dollars, you have just gotten off really cheap on recovering that truck.
In my honest opinion Daimler, Kenworth, and International that drops you in the same category as Arrow Trucking at this point.
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Paul,
I have to disagree with you on this one. It was Arrow trucking that did this to these drivers. The truck mfgs. didn’t really owe the drivers anything. 1,500 drivers is $300,000.00 that was given to the drivers that didn’t have to be at a time when the mfgs. have seen huge loses themselves. I would have like to see the drivers at least given a ride to the bus or train or car rental or motel. I would have liked to have seen the drivers given $2,000.00 but that didn’t happen. Arrow is the bad person here not the truck mfgs. so far. Some of the trucks were being bought from Arrow buy the drivers. My hope is that the mfgs. will understand how hard the drivers have worked to make the payments they have and will let find a way to get those people back in there trucks by making payments to the mfg. For that to happen the mfgs. will have to lower there credit requirements for some of these drivers and sell the trucks to those drivers for near what the driver still owed on them. This is what I would expect the mfgs. to do and hope that they will.
For Arrow trucking I think that we should do our best to keep track of the management of arrow. We should let it be known that any company that hires any of Arrows management will have a hard time keeping drivers or finding new drivers.
The one bright spot in this is the way that the truck drivers have banded together to help the Arrow drivers in a way that I haven’t seen in many years. There have been a number of companies that have announced that there drivers could give rides to Arrow drivers. For me these are the companies that would move to the top of my list if I was looking for a new job.
Paul, thanks for everything you do,
Ray Lawson
Thanks Ray for the comment, that’s why I put this blog here is to get everyone’s opinion on these post. That is your opinion and I respect it, but don’t completely agree..
These manufacture’s are getting off cheap, by offering a cheap amount of money either by bus tickets or the money…COMPARED to what it would cost them to retrieve the trucks..and they are catching the drivers in a rough way..three days before the most popular holiday, and the most widely requested to be home holiday. Also, some of these drivers had/have no money…IMO they are getting off entirely too cheap..
BTW you can’t figure 1400 drivers times 200.00 as all the drivers were not on the road..but I get your point, but still $300,000.00 dollars to recover 1400 trucks is cheap..considering what it could have cost them.
OK, I think we both have valid points. I will wait to see how they treat the drivers that were buying there trucks before I pass final judgment. As you know I am no supporter of any large corporation and do not support the truck mfgs. so let’s see what they do to get the drivers that have cash invested get back in there trucks.
Ray Lawson
Yea, I like your idea about the lowering of the credit to allow those that were buying their trucks get them back or get a truck period to lease on somewhere else..I hope it happens..
Not sure how their leases were setup but I imagine it was a lease purchase just like the rest of the company’s do..Daimler, KW or International probably was not involved..Thanks again for the comments!
I have to completely disagree with you on this one.
I know this in no way compensates for their loses, but the support being offered to these displaced truckers is absolutely amazing. It is a wonderful testament to the world that the Trucking Industry is a family with many members who take care of their own.
But to attack the Dealers, especially when they are offering an incentive to these drivers , and then to say that they are in the same category as Arrow, is just wrong. They did not have to offer a dime. Sure, it helps them save recovery costs, but they did not have to offer a dime to these drivers, and did you stop to think that maybe, this was the only known option available to some of these drivers, who were probably very grateful knowing someone was willing to help. Not all people are accessible to the Internet, so they may not have known that OOIDA and thousands of individuals were offering help. Maybe, just maybe, this was a good thing.
I personally called 3 dealerships to offer help to any stranded drivers. I was told that none had come to these locations. I was also told, in confidence, that a driver had called into one of them and was encouraged to get home if he had the fuel, then turn the truck into a more local dealership, the driver was worried about keeping the truck too long. Not everyone knew about all the offers being given, so before you go on the attack, stop to think that this incentive might have been the only blessing these guys could see at the moment. And try to remember, they did not have to offer ANYTHING. But they did….
I think it is sad that we have to hurry straight to the negative aspects of this story, it is already negative enough.
Thanks Little Trucker for your comment. You are exactly right they didn’t have to offer a dime. But, with how all this went down IMO they figured they could get some returned trucks “the cheap” way.
I am also amazed at the generosity that has been shown it is overwhelming to see just how many offers of goodness have been made. But, in the same sense I am unhappy that the manufacturers are taking advantage of the situation, RE: getting their trucks delivered to them cheaper. Even if some do not see it that way.
How is one bus ticket going to do a driver any good when he/or she has three years worth of stuff in a truck? Or he or she has a pet? Or a spouse with them?
I also called the dealerships close to me (If you want to call them close) to see if any drivers were at their place. But, none had come in at any of them.
Towing trucks and trailers are not cheap as you probably know. So, IMO these manufacturers used this to their advantage.
Daimler , Kenworth and International CORPS knew this would be the cheapest way for them to get back the trucks . Corps. Have not HEART and SOUL they are about MONEY and POWER ! Major trucking companies that got involved in this did not do it for the HEART AND SOUL either. They needed to save face this was a MAJOR testament to the NEGATIVE reports going around about this industry and the inhuman treatment that occurs out here everyday by these big CORPS and the CEO”S that run them. The good that came from this was that some many of the REGULAR folks that work so hard out here everyday came together with the help of OOIDA staff and RMR Consultants who set up a fourm so that PEOPLE could post on and help the ones who need the help ! These are just my thoughts not intended to offend ..
Thanks GPTurtle for the comment, I completely agree with your opinion. I mean really can you blame them for doing this? Its just good business on the manufacturers part, that really was all I was pointing out. I still think they could have and should have done more. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!