Truckers Continue Protesting for Better Pay

[Slo-Ride]

They won't. It cannot happen, every country has its state owned postal service.

Never say never. It wasn't to long ago that the States maintained the roads and right of ways, They even use to build some.
Now the road commissions may roll snow but their biggest job it seems is to plant flowers and maybe cut some grass.

 

[Windsor]

Strikes are not always bad. Sometimes they are a last resort to cause change.

 

[Moot]

Strikes are not always bad. Sometimes they are a last resort to cause change.

I agree if it is a unified strike, with a few objectives by a union or other labor organization and/or endorsed, supported by other unions or labor organizations. Owner/Operators/Independents going on strike may start out with rates as a major point of contention. All too soon it escalates to include no logging, no speed limits, free coffee, no weight limits, abolishing the DOT, FMCSA, IRS, random drug testing, gay marriage and solid yellow lines. Eventually some whack job expediter will chime in with a ban the van demand.

A strike by this collection of misfits and their loose demands will only upset John Q. Public, Mrs. John Q. Public and all the little Publics. It will do nothing to garner their support. As a whack job expediter in the forefront of the Ban The Van movement I enjoy not belonging to a union or other labor organization, but that's just me.

 

[Ragman]

I agree if it is a unified strike, with a few objectives by a union or other labor organization and/or endorsed, supported by other unions or labor organizations. Owner/Operators/Independents going on strike may start out with rates as a major point of contention. All too soon it escalates to include no logging, no speed limits, free coffee, no weight limits, abolishing the DOT, FMCSA, IRS, random drug testing, gay marriage and solid yellow lines. Eventually some whack job expediter will chime in with a ban the van demand.

A strike by this collection of misfits and their loose demands will only upset John Q. Public, Mrs. John Q. Public and all the little Publics. It will do nothing to garner their support. As a whack job expediter in the forefront of the Ban The Van movement I enjoy not belonging to a union or other labor organization, but that's just me.

Wack the Cat!

 

[Moot]

Wack the mountain lion.

Fixed it for you.

 

[ttruck]

If you have issues with wages paid by brokers the don't run their freight. Pissing off the public won't help anything.

BINGO

 

[ttruck]

I agree if Truckers United change will come ... Just imagine if all trucks stop for 1 day!
I think that would be enough to bump rates.


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one day would cripple the flow of freight,3 days and the country would shut down.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

Ya well lets see Pay from late 70s till the last 1 1/2 years ya Id say has went down big time.
The suites want their long Island Ice-Tea. So to make them selves look Good (Grooming them Selves) for that Fat cat Job of one higher. Sucked the Blood outa Trucking.. As for the OOPS as was in the mid 80 with Farming where the small time farmer became all but extinct. Cooperate Farming came into play. Cooperate Trucking is blooming now. Companies now push for Lease Operators vice Employee drivers... The aurora of being an Lease Operator Vice a Company Driver. Making one think that the truck is theirs, in all actually its not. But that Aurora shines so to speak. So Companies Promoting that Benefit Considerable no truck overhead to pay for. Lower cost to the company and they of course low ball the freight so to speak. Coin the phrase (You pay to haul freight for Free) or ( Dirt Cheap). To be Politically correct. Its a win, win for the company. Trucking what was once a lucrative business in not no more. slicing and dicing the pie (loads) to many times makes the business not so savory. Broker Companies many have now got into we supply the trailers like in comparison to the big meat companies that said to the farmer we will build the confinement on your land and pay u to run it. Win Win maybe for a year or so till things start breaking down. When that happens the farmer looses as. Coin the phrase by the company what we paying your for. Did you read your contract. Hm.. The farmer got caught up in the moment when they signed the contract. Well same goes with Lease Operators at big Companies Schneider - Prime - Forward Air just a few. Don't get caught in that moment. Higher pay Listen back in the day in the late 70 and 80 freight then was 2 bucks a mile for a tractor trailer. Now Fuel is back where it was a year ago but fuel surcharge is now still low, oil expensive, tires, belts, even Anti Gel. Its all went up. Our food out here as well. Any one remember back in the day when you bought 50 gallons of fuel got free shower and free breakfast?
Ya well I can think of only couple places off the top, one is in Nevada at exit 75 off of 15 MOAPA PAIUTE TRAVEL PLAZA. But getting back to higher pay. Ya what Happened Rates now lower than back in the day.. Everything else doubled tripled. I'd Say that's upside down... A man should not be strapped or tethered to his labors. Low pay makes that a reality as that man wont go home as he is a slave to his labors. Yes for Higher Pay!!! Agreed!!!

 

[Steady Eddie]

Strikes are not always bad. Sometimes they are a last resort to cause change.

For the next two weeks I'm on strike. Well, until my son leaves for miramar.

 

[Windsor]

For the next two weeks I'm on strike. Well, until my son leaves for miramar.

That's a good reason to be on strike.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

The 70s truck strike it didn't work in the US. A Couple Year's ago in Columbia the Truckers strike it worked. 3 Days and the country was brought to its Knees. Wont work here the Companies will just higher Foreigners to run the freight just like IBP did in the late 79 to 81 during that 24 month strike. My Uncle John worked at IBP. That was Hell. The strikers were violent and the IBP brought in Mexicans and Philippines people to work the jobs. Yup!! The companies out here now are doing it. More and more I see more foreigners Checks, Hungarians, Russians, ring a bell not to mention the influx of Mexicans, as well as the spurt of Columbians as well and more Spanish drivers, As well More drivers from India and Muslims.. No a strike here in the United States it wont work as no one will Unite to do it. To afraid to stand up. What was once a Lucrative way to make a living has all but gone by the way side. The reason is Simple we let the Brokers get away with it. To much slicing and dicing of the pie is going on. Unless we unite as one and make stand,.. Sad as it is we will be tethered and slaves to our Labors.
Less money makes one run harder to make the same as you were making when the rates were good.

 

[brokcanadian]

Geez lately the tone is bordering on socialism. I know, I'm stuck up here in Canada. It would be nice to send a message by bringing the country to its knees but we're simply not on the radar of the average Joe.

It would be equally nice to have a real capitalist system to work under, but we get a hybrid because people still believe the "government" can help.

Lowest price bidder gets to provide the service. Cut costs or get out. The real change will come when NO ONE will work for the rate, then they will stabilize there. At least that part of capitalism still works

 

[BigStickJr]

Don't blame it all on the brokers.
I blame it on deregulation.
Prior to deregulation, truckers had it good and the freight got hauled.
I guess now we should move to Columbia ?

 

[brokcanadian]

I'd like to move to Mars and pay no taxes and choose what I want my money to pay for.

Sorry, I get this way whenever I do taxes

 

[Moot]

Don't blame it all on the brokers.
I blame it on deregulation.
Prior to deregulation, truckers had it good and the freight got hauled.
I guess now we should move to Columbia ?

But it was truckers and small carriers that fought for deregulation in the 1970's so they could compete on a somewhat level playing field with the big boys.

 

[Turtle]

Prior to 1980, independent truckers were pretty much limited to hauling farm commodities.

 

[Moot]

Prior to 1980, independent truckers were pretty much limited to hauling farm commodities.

They weren't really limited to hauling farm commodities. Produce, meat, grain, etc. were not regulated. An independent trucker could haul these commodities and also haul just about anything else through trip leasing to a carrier with specific or general commodities authority. I drove for a small company that had authority to haul paper products like corrugated cartons, roll stock, scrap and pulp logs. If they couldn't find a backhaul under their authority I would return empty or trip lease with another carrier for a load to get back.

Trip leasing was a pain. Most agents were located near or adjacent to truck stops but some worked from their homes. The old 76 in East St. Louis had a long, two story, tenement-like building full of agents working for various carriers. A driver had to sign a lease for 1 specific load, offer proof of insurance, driver's license etc. and would operate under that carrier's authority for that particular load. The driver received copies of the carrier's authority, bingo cards and signage with the carrier's name, MC, ICC numbers etc. The signs were usually card board and taped to the doors, sleeper or fuel tanks. Cardboard and tape didn't hold up well in snow and rain. All of this had to be returned via mail to the carrier within a certain amount of time after delivering. Soggy signs included. Of course the trip leasing carrier took a nice cut from the load which in part lead to trucker's demands for deregulation.

 

[brokcanadian]

Regulation is not the answer. Used car dealers are regulated here...to buy votes, politicians have changed the laws so much, to become a dealer, you have to apply...can be a 2 year process, you have to take schooling, and there's no guarantee they think you will be ok to sell cars. All this results in consumers paying 7000 for a car that is bought at auction for a few hundred. And people like me that could provide a valuable service like fixing cars and putting them on the market more cheaply are cut out.

So in trucking, if there's enough noise to make change, I see the regulation coming in to the point that no one can afford to do it but the huge companies. Higher prices for shippers, us independents squeezed out, and happy corporations with a monopoly. And happy government taxing at each step of the process.

People should just start taking more responsibility for themselves in general. Why anybody thinks government can do anything about anything I'll never understand. Cut taxes to zero and see if business and individuals, and the economy, grow more or less than now...thats what government should do for the economy