John M. Eischens Jr.
UPDATE 1/09/10 at 5:53 p.m. Central: He’s been found! Details here.
Former Arrow Trucking Company driver John M. Eischens Jr., 34, of Mabank, Texas, is missing and has not been heard from since Christmas Day. The story of his disappearance becomes even more disturbing when one examines the events that preceded it.
Eischens was last seen turning in the keys to his truck at a truck stop in Butte, Mont., on Christmas Day, according to a report today in the Tulsa World. If confirmed, he was likely just following orders issued by executives at the Broken Arrow, Okla.-based trucking company that became the subject of a Dec. 23 post, Trucking Firm Closes Three Days Before Christmas.
In that post, I shared what Dan Little, president of the independent truckers organization Owner-Operators United, had told me about the hardships that had been thrust upon drivers as a result of Arrow shutting down on short notice.
Employees of the firm with approximately 1,400 trucks and 2,600 trailers operating across the country found out the hard way; they had their fuel cards shut off and were told to take their trucks and trailers to the nearest terminal or dealership.
When a truck was turned into a dealership or truck stop by a driver, then the dealership would call Greyhound and purchase a bus ticket for that driver to go home, Little said. It became the driver’s responsibility to get to the bus terminal though.
That’s where the disappearance of Eischens seems to have occurred.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Eischens should call Det. Williams of the Anna, Texas, Police Department at (972) 924-2848 (days). After 5 p.m. Central, call (972) 547-5350. You can also report it to your local police department.
