Former Arrow Trucking Worker 'Momma Donna' Faces Difficult Road Ahead

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

DRUMRIGHT Oklahoma -- It's been nearly a year since Arrow Trucking folded, and many of its former employees are still struggling.

The company suddenly shut down a few days before Christmas, leaving hundreds of drivers stranded across the country. A woman known as Momma Donna helped get those stranded drivers home. While she said that was a difficult time, she now faces a longer and more difficult road ahead.

"I hate to sound like I'm begging, but we need help," said Donna Creekmore, a former Arrow Trucking employee.

Donna Creekmore has made a career of looking after truck drivers. After Arrow's sudden demise last December, she stayed up for four days securing rides home for displaced drivers. Now, she devotes her time caring for her husband, a former truck driver himself.

"I can't leave the house to find jobs. I have to have something I can work at home. I can't leave him alone for any length of time," Creekmore said.

Jim Creekmore's health began to deteriorate at the same time Arrow Trucking did. He suffers from dementia, is blind in both eyes, is diabetic, and is often confined to a wheel chair. The couple can no longer afford most of his medication.

"His blood pressure medication was $6, and I had to, I finally scrounged up enough change to go get it," she said.

The Creekmore's Drumright home was foreclosed on and they've moved into a small one-bedroom Tulsa apartment.

She said she maintains her sanity by blogging about her trials and tribulations. The woman who once relished her role as 'Momma Donna' still harbors a great deal of ill-will towards Arrow's owners, the Pielstiker family.

3/18/2010 Related Story: Tulsa's Bankrupt Arrow Trucking Goes On The Auction Block

"I firmly believe they're the ones that caused it. I don't think they're entitled to anything and I honestly believe they belong in jail," Creekmore said.

But she has nothing but affection for her drivers. Creekmore said some still keep in touch with her regularly. And as difficult as things get, she will always take their calls.

"I'm still there. They know I'm still there. No matter what, they'll always be my drivers," she said.

The Creekmores home will be sold at auction Monday.

Donna Creekmore is hoping to land a trucking industry job that will allow her to work from home. She said a night dispatch or recruiting position would be ideal.