ARKANSAS, USA — The life of a long haul trucker can be lonely, but many in the community are working together to help those who lost their jobs this week when Celadon Trucking went belly-up in bankruptcy.
That includes some former competitors in Arkansas.
"If you spend any time around drivers, there's certainly a camaraderie and mutual respect among drivers," said Shannon Newton, the president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. "Celadon was a truckload carrier, so obviously the corridors running through Arkansas, I-30 and 40, significant portions of their freight moved through our state."
Celadon ranked 38 among the top 100 biggest carriers in the industry with nearly 4,000 employees.
The company veered into trouble in recent years. Two former executives face charges over a fraud scheme and the federal investigation ended up dragging the company into Chapter 11. Other industry-wide problems, like the slower economy this year, didn't help.
"Everyone grew in 2018 to try and take advantage of that market," Newton said. "The market just hasn't sustained where it was at the peak of 2018."
But while freight numbers are down, drivers are still in demand. Companies like Van Buren, Ark.-based USA Truck are jockeying to find them new rigs to ride. They joined many carriers, big and small, in offering free trips home and referral bonuses.
"They've also offered some transition pay in order to pay to get them if they like to go to work at USA Truck, in order to get them to their orientation," Newton said.
Nationwide, 640 trucking companies filed bankruptcy this year, but nothing as big as what happened at Celadon and no members of the Arkansas association, according to Newton.
"There are opportunities out there for those drivers that have been displaced to find employment," she said.