fikes truck lines are closing the doors for good.

Rumors of Fikes Truck Line's demise prove true
By Clarissa Hawes, Land Line staff writer

Rumors have been swirling in the trucking industry for the past week that Fikes Truck Line of Hope, Ark., was experiencing cash flow problems and was selling out to a larger carrier.

On Tuesday, May 12, Fikes’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gary Salisbury set the record straight.

Salisbury confirmed to Land Line that Fikes will be closing its doors, but is not selling its assets to another company, Blair Logistics of Birmingham, Ala. He said recruiters for Blair have been contacting Fikes’ owner-operators and company drivers since last week about transitioning over to Blair.

Blair will operate out of the same terminal in Hope, Ark.,as Fikes did. Salisbury said some of the folks are staying on to work for Blair. “I felt it was very important to talk to the same people, same dispatcher, same safety people they have been talking to for the past 30 years.”

Owner-operators leased to Fikes starting calling the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s Business Services Department last week, claiming their paychecks bounced. Some have since been paid, but Salisbury said there is no set date as to when all drivers will be paid money they are owed.

Salisbury said he blames the recession, as well as his company losing sight of the true value of the business – its people – as the main causes of Fikes’ demise.
“I tried not to get pushed, to get pressured by the industry, but we made some mistakes in 2009 and 2010 when we were trying to recover from the recession,” Salisbury said. “I think what happened to Fikes is we got into the freight business and we got out of the people business.”

Some owner-operators leased to Fikes say they had an inkling the company was in financial trouble in early February when their checks didn’t clear.

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