Another One Bites the Dust

Freight Manager
Fuel Surcharge Update for the week of 1/13/2010 to 1/19/2010
Dept of Energy reports national average fuel price is $2.879
The www.fr8manager.com estimated fuel surcharge is $0.29 per mile or 18% of the line haul charge.
The complete chart of the Weekly Retail On-Highway Diesel Prices can be found at http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/wohdp/diesel_detail_report_combined.asp

As previously stated in this blog, 2009 proved to be the death of many trucking fleets. Not to be out done by the countless others that have packed it in and closed their doors, but Arrow Trucking has also joined the ranks of the defunct trucking companies. Arrow Trucking abruptly stopped doing business on December 22nd. They shut off access to driver fuel cards and left some 1400 truck drivers stranded throughout the country. Fearing that trucks could and would be simply abandoned at truck stops, rest areas, or on the side of the road, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials stepped in two days later on December 24th ordering Arrow Trucking’s management team (or lack there of) to notify stranded drivers where to properly and safely turn over their trucks to truck dealerships where they would then be provided a bus ticket home.

If the you find this behavior on the part of a major truck to be appalling, then you are not alone. Arrow Trucking knew this day was coming much earlier than the morning of December 22nd. The management team proved to be irresponsible in placing the lives of their drivers in a dangerous situation knowing darn well many of these drivers would be short on money, low on fuel, and in frigid arctic weather conditions. Freight Manager is simply disgusted with the irresponsibility of some of these bankrupt trucking companies. The drivers that worked for them are not responsible for the carriers inability to properly price freight and remain competitive in a complex economy. These trucks should have been systematically taken off the road safely through and organized plan, and not left to fend for themselves. I wonder what Arrow Trucking would have done in the event any one of those stranded drivers were involved in a major traffic accident after the doors closed on December 22nd?

Freight Manager poses the question; are you currently or potentially working with the next bankrupt or defunct motor carrier? Sure there are more to come in the next few weeks and months, and on April 1st apportioned plate fees come due. Will this [tax] bankrupt even more carriers?

Freight Manager encourages shippers to take advantage of our unique web based approach to trucking, utilizing our vast resources of screened, scrutinized, and qualified motor carriers, and not having “all of your eggs” in one motor carriers basket. Do not get burned by bankrupt trucking companies, use Freight Manager www.fr8manager.com for all of your truck transportation needs.