Underdog

"Incompetence mitigation devices" are becoming increasingly common on large trucks, as well.

Again, misinformed by the mainstream media... I would expect a former driver to know that 84 hour week is bs scare tactics... Walmart drivers I know work their legally allowed 70 and go home for the required 34 hours off. And again with the teamster wages! Unsustainable in today's market. I bet you like those low,low Walmart store prices! UPS has a built in market and little competition. I also see the quality of their drivers has suffered in recent years, some of those guys are as bad as FedEx contractors, and don't deserve their paycheck. Used to be UPS were the ultimate professionals on the road, IMO not so anymore.

the government employees/ unions as well were greedy and corrupt, didn't plan on the gravy train coming to an end, all the good jobs going away. Auto makers in Detroit, steel mills in PA, for examples, priced themselves out of competitiveness, and jobs went overseas or south to right-to-work states. City and county governments lost the big tax base, so now can't fund their pension commitment. I have a friend who is a retired teamster, started with North Penn, then CF until they went under, and he retired at Yellow Freight. He tells me CF was the best job he ever had, Yellow was the worst. CF's biggest mistake was they tried to take care of their employees AND be competitive. Not sustainable in the new marketplace.

You said it yourself... Your fund is well managed, good for you. Many were not, because the union bosses got greedy or did not change with market conditions. And many employees never saw it coming, because they were misled. You can avoid all this heartache, hatred and blame by being self employed. Nothing is guaranteed nowadays. At least if it goes wrong, I know who to be mad at.

This is my problem with unions. I don't begrudge any individual employee for taking the best deal being offered at the time, but most of it is unsustainable, especially as the markets have changed over the past 40 years, and the union bosses greed and corruption ruins it for everyone. MOST, not all, of the working stiffs are not smart enough to see how they are being taken advantage of.

I recently had this done for my MH tank. The internal baffle was broke out anyway, so I had the local welder split the tank for half hydraulic. Good advertising for our local parts house, too.

I know several Walmart drivers, all make over $80k. One friend working out of the North Platte, NE DC makes over 100k because of the mileage running Western states. Maybe California is special, but I thought truck drivers are exempt from minimum wage and overtime rules. Furthermore, inspections and layovers are part of the job, Buttercup. You get paid better than most company drivers, so put on your big-girl panties and suck it up.

I might be simple-minded, but I just don't see " income inequality" the way the media reports it. When the so-called 1% gets a tax break, usually the money gets reinvested, or businesses hire more people. It ends up to be a net gain for society. The bottom half of earners barely pay taxes anyway, and they are made out to be victims. Everybody needs to pay taxes, and a flat percentage or sales tax is the only way it will be fair for everyone.

Real Union... What are we down to now, 10% of the private work force? Seems like a whole lot of others make things happen every day in this country. We don't have time to be jealous. I must admit, after reading Yardo's post, I am slightly envious of Bethlehem Steel retirees. Man, they have the life.

Or work for yourself and plan accordingly and be beholden to no one... I'd like to do away with Social Security as well... I can get a better return by putting my money in a savings account.

I already made my statement. I won't be baited into an argument. I think you lose, you think I lose, so who really wins this pointless argument? Like I said nobody is changing their mind anyway.

I get all my "facts" from the NY Times and PMSNBC.

Oh, I do have an opinion, and I think you can come up with a few reasons too why jobs have been outsourced and wages in this country have gone stagnant, and why good companies as well as towns and cities can't meet their outrageous obligations. It's all been discussed here before on several threads. And just like politics, nobody is changing their mind at this point. So like I said there's no point in arguing. I'll just go on with my life making my own way and not asking or relying on anyone else for my livelihood.

No point arguing with ignorance.

Can't be any worse than the lies of the past 20 years. Even if Trump does well, you'll never hear about it on PMSNBC.

Part of the reason young people can't get good paying jobs is because the union pensions bankrupted the companies. They are stuck paying you for non-productivity.

I believe that's a Buick, not a Pontiac.

Whether you agree with Trump's politics or not, it is refreshing to see appointments being made according to the agenda, rather than paybacks. Trump owes no favors or apologies. Conservatives have won a mandate over the last 3 election cycles, so there is no need to capitulate to the left.

Most Mack and Volvo I have driven, turn on cruise control, then hold the accel button until the desired RPM.

Good idea, but too many moving parts, never hold up in the port environment. Bent, broken, missing parts unless the owner of the chassis is the operator.

Diamond Reo was long gone before the White/GMC buyout.

Interesting how the Electoral College allowed the "common rabble" (AKA deplorables) to select our next president, rather than the"ruling class" of the left coast and New York City. How ironic. I still chuckle every day that Trump actually pulled it off. I love America!

Interesting how "vertical integration" is the latest selling point for truck makers, mainly predetermined by the complexity of electronics and emissions technology. Mack had it down pat 60 years ago with the Maxidyne/Maxitorque drivetrain.

Been done before... Mack did it themselves with Brockway, and remember White/Autocar/Diamond Rio? Economy of scale.

A friend of mine has a level 4 red MH, a bit too gaudy for me! I like my level 3 blue, still a lot classier than anything available new today.