Chris, sorry to hear about your bad experience. FH are pretty hardy, I can't imagine why they died during transportation.
When you put them in the pond, can you describe how you stocked them in the pond, taking us on a timeline from them leaving the truck, to them swimming away?
Usually, fish "piping" at the surface means low dissolved oxygen, but your pond should be O.K. for the fish. I'm puzzled.
Can you describe what your pond water looks like, color, temp, etc.?
