Trucker Strike April 1st...

[Barry]

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/03/19...8845.txt?sPos=3

What do you guys think about this strike scheduled for April 1st?

[MACKS]

It's the only way to get anyone to listen mainly the goverment,these guys need some help they need some tax breaks or some kind of fuel refunds from uncle sam.Those big rigs are the backbone of this country if they go down were gonna have some real problems,and how the heck can the big trucking companys make it if the owner operator can't.Tthe problem is not just the high cost of fuel it's all the taxes that are dumped on the trucking industry.I hope they do go on strike and I hope someone in the goverment wakes up and gives them some help.

[Terry T]

For every one O/O who does park his truck, there will probably be 10 who will keep on truckin'. Most of these guys are upside-down or close to it and cannot afford to let the truck sit. It's a "catch 22" can't afford to run it, can't afford to park it.

The truckers strike of the mid-'70's worked somewhat, but the only reason it worked at all was because there were a hellavu lot less trucks on the road then and no carriers the size of Schneider National (back then it was Schneider Transport), JB Hunt, Swift, etc who are just waiting on the opportunity to pounce on any freight left setting by an O/O strike. And everyone knows that if they loose freight, it is very hard to get it back without cutting the rate, and cutting a rate that barely makes you money is not a smart business move.

Just an opinion of a 42 year old with 29 years in the industry and the 3rd generation in the industry as well.

T.

[MACKS]

I don't know much about long haul trucking,but don't the big trucking companys hire owner operators because they have more loads to haul than they have trucks.I always see adds in the paper from big companys looking for owner operators to haul there loads.

[Packer]

I had just bought a brand new 1974 KW in april of '74. (Paid $28,000.000

Fuel was 20 cents a gallon at the time.

In October of '74 fuel went to $1.00 a gallon and you couldn't get all the fuel you wanted.

The "Roadrunner" truck stop in Phoenix, AZ would give only 20 gals at a time.

Swift Transportation had a bunch (6-8) of fender flappin' Pete's and a small yard in Southeast Phoenix.

"Overdrive" Magizine called a national O/O strike and it did do some good. This is when the first 'fuel sur-charge' came about.

But - - - Amtrac ran into a money issue and the Feds bailed the whole rail road industry out.

We might want to think of getting rid of trucks and buying RR stock!!!! NOT!!

Packer

[Bollweevil]

To clear the air, the OOIDA, is not my advocate, now or ever. They do not represent me or my business in any way. To say that fuel costs are eating people alive, is a gross understatement. If you asked a 100 drivers why fuel prices were so high you would get a 100 different answers. In the 30 plus years I have been associated with the trucking industry, the price of fuel has gone up every winter. There is plenty of diesel, but speculation in heating oil futures has ran the price up every year. It happens every winter. Everyone is upset over something, either real or imagined. From east coast to west coast I have listened to conservations on the CB and truck stops, and most of the people doing the talking didn't have a clue as to what's going on. Personally I would defy anyone to find 10 owner operators who would agree about anything. A major strike might not be a bad idea, IF YOU COULD GET EVERYONE INVOLVED ON THE SAME PAGE. Fat chance. The timing for a strike is not now, The trucking industry, just like any business, large or small is market driven. While there is always freight or product of some kind moving, this is a slow time of the year. If you are setting at home on your butt anyway, calling yourself on strike doesn't mean much. Typically, the 4th of July weekend is the busiest time of the year. That's usually when soft fruit starts coming out of California, and you can't find enough trucks on the east or west coast. You would have farmers, truckers, and the state of California demanding relief. In the meantime, if we are going to hold the country hostage, someone needs to come up with a list of demands. Because, again if you ask 100 operators what they would want, you would get a 100 different answers. As far as having a govt. program to help, look out, they are the ones that caused this mess. How anyone could continually reelect an ass of a congressman ignorant enough to propose an additional fifty cent tax on gas, to encourage people not to drive is beyond me. Now

[Flying Pig]

I just got back to work with my seasonal freight. I cant afford to stop. If I did Id be out of work.

[Lmackattack]

I think it would send a strong message if a strike lasted 3-4 days and then a threat of another strike to follow if things dont improve. but as some have already said.. there are more wheel holders today then O/O on the road. That right there would just give the big companys more freight to haul and force there employees to work. this is the issue that needs to be addressed before a strike. Teamster or not we would have to all just force the trucks to stop loading or hauling for a few days just to get the message out. I worked at UPS 10 years back when they went on a strike for 2 weeks. it made an negative impact for shure but it also woke people up at the top and nation wide. We can all see that in todays world everyone only cares about themselves. many people complain about gas prices only to get too and from work or play. they dont even consider that trucks,trains and planes that bring them goods and to warm places use fuel. When airlines pay for high fuel cost they only pass a little on to the consumer then take planes out of service layoffs to save money. When american driving jobs are lost to low wage immagrant workers it does not give the avg American the full effect as the companys cost savings mainly just target the higher dollar employees. Now if we could shut down 50-60% of the freight and pass on the full effect to the avg American it may open there eyes to what can happen when freight stops. maybee then they will start to think about the big picture and how a economy works. I am glad to say that I have not had to look for food or wait for simple things at a store. but at the same time I think this country needs a lesson in how things work.

Just my .02

Trent

[other dog]

For every one O/O who does park his truck, there will probably be 10 who will keep on truckin'. Most of these guys are upside-down or close to it and cannot afford to let the truck sit. It's a "catch 22" can't afford to run it, can't afford to park it.

The truckers strike of the mid-'70's worked somewhat, but the only reason it worked at all was because there were a hellavu lot less trucks on the road then and no carriers the size of Schneider National (back then it was Schneider Transport), JB Hunt, Swift, etc who are just waiting on the opportunity to pounce on any freight left setting by an O/O strike. And everyone knows that if they loose freight, it is very hard to get it back without cutting the rate, and cutting a rate that barely makes you money is not a smart business move.

Just an opinion of a 42 year old with 29 years in the industry and the 3rd generation in the industry as well.

T.

well said

[other dog]

All good points. It's hard to find 2 drivers who agree on anything,much less 10.I hear drivers blaming George Bush for the high price of fuel all the time,but he has nothing to do with it. Things might have started going downhill when the Democrats took control of congress 2 years ago.OPEC controls the price of oil and if the U.S. bought no oil from them China,India,or somebody else would get that much more from them,so i'm pretty sure they couldn't care less if we buy oil from them or not.

I don't think most people realize that the trucking industry is the backbone of our economy,and farmers need a lot of fuel to raise crops too,and we need some kind of help with fuel prices because if the trucks stop-everything stops. And if farmers don't have fuel for their tractors and equipment to plow,till,fertilize,harvest-what then?

That's my opinion,but I don't have any answers...and like James and Mackdog said I don't think a strike will do any good now. I just don't know...don't know.

[vanscottbuilders]

It's definitely pretty interesting stuff.

And as said earlier, the chances of getting the industry to act as a unified group are really slim to none.

Moreover - the Owner/Operator industry is made up largely of guys who are driving because they love it,

not necessarily because they are good businessmen. Many O/O's are running brand new shiny trucks that they can ill afford

with huge truck loan payments, plus the normal growing family bills, plus the increasing taxation from an

over bloated government, and of course, the mortgage, utilities, truck maintenance, insurance, license fees etc., etc.

Those guys cannot miss one trip, much less several days or weeks out of work. Truck repo's would skyrocket.

And, to make things a little tougher on them, the freight brokers aren't normally overly generous with the rates.

They know they have you by the proverbial short hairs.

People in this position are much more desperate than most of us can imagine. And fuel costs will drive some of them

out of business before they know what happened.

But - American Owner/Operators, like American farmers, are really independent. And you have to respect that.

They don't want you or me telling them what to do.

So the long and the short of it is - Rates can't possibly change, and fuel will continue to rise, and guys will keep losing their trucks, homes and families

as long as a lot of operators are willing to work too cheap.

I don't know how you manage that.

But I do know that if you buy a reasonably priced, well cared for used truck that you can afford to run and comfortably

pay for, and shop very carefully for all of the peripherals that go with it and build a cash reserve for the surprises,

and if you work both smart and hard - the trucking business is not a bad way to make a good living.

Because there truly is more freight than there is trucks.

[theakerstwo]

here is a quote frome some one else that realy is a common and tiring thing that driver see happen out there. glenn

tired of the high fuel cost, low freight rates, greedy brokers, cream skimming companies, bad hair day DOT's, sour faced scale folks, ripoff repair shops, overpriced parts, no idling laws, right lane restriction laws, split speed limits, over priced lumpers, household mileage pay, toll road and bridge rates, Mexico's border crossing trucks, Canada brokers not loading US trucks back, powered eggs & potatoes, selling toll roads, tolling paid for interstate highways, lease purchasing trucks to people too sorry to save a down payment, thereby driving down industry standards and rates, Trans Texas corridor .... And I can go on and on.

[Bollweevil]

Now Glen, You can always tell when a truck broker is telling a lie, you can see his lips moving. And congress has already promised that Mexican trucks moving products into the USA will be good for consumers due to reduced transportation costs. Why any day now I expect to see the price of Cummins engine parts, Levi's clothing, as well as food prices begin to go down. Surely. our government wouldn't allow a foreign company to build a trans corridor highway across the USA, with no congressional oversite. and then charge us to drive on it. Whats even more ridiculous is the fact that the American public has been conditioned to put up with such nonsense. The Federal dept of Transportation couldn't possibly be staffed and administered by political appointees, instead of experienced well qualified individuals from the transportation sector. On a personal note. Glen, it is not good for someone to keep their anxieties all bottled up. you need to enumerate them and talk them out. I will be happy to provide council for you or anyone concerning anything that affects our industry. The Doctor is in. Bollweevil

[Barry]

http://kdka.com/local/Truckers.diesel.fuel.2.689272.html

[MACKS]

You have to least give these guys some credit for standing up for themselves,but they need a lot more support from all truckers and even people who drive cars these fuel and gas prices are hurting everyone not just the truckers.

[Mack 3P]

I think there were less trucks on the road, but it was hard to tell. I saw the NBC Nightly News opened with the story about the trucker strike / oil issue but not much else on it in the news.

[DAVEJ]

I like the part in chicago were police were issuing tickets to truckers for impedeing traffic. Some help that was ?

[vanscottbuilders]

Interesting article on national news about the big oil company execs telling Congress how their record profits are completely justified, and how they should continue to get tax abatements and tax relief for their investments!

It is supposed to be a free country, and I don't think Congress should limit the profit potential of any industry. (Think back to truck regulations, railroad regulations and airline regulations, which were all huge failures. The government has no place in private business. Think Amtrak!!)

What would be a great idea, however, is to encourage competition in the oil industry, and to offer the tax incentives, that big oil currently gets, to fledgling businesses, who in turn, might drive the retail prices back to a reasonable level through competitive bidding for market share.

And - I believe that we can make that happen by constant bombardment with e-mail, letters and phone calls to our individual Congressmen. Just let them know what you want, and remind them that you do vote, and remind them, tirelessly, that they really do work for you, and you will not hestitate to find someone who can better represent you, if they don't want to.

This effort would be far more effective, and lots easier to get done than a trucker's strike that asks for guys to shut down the equipment that they already can't afford to operate. I know people who are doing exactly this right now on a daily basis. If we all did - it should make a huge difference. remember the "Squeaky Wheel" theory.

The truck strike did not have a real effect. It was doomed from the start - poorly organized, poorly communicated and, most of all, not supported by a large number of truckers for a variety of reasons.

Let's try an easier approach.

Paul Van Scott

[Bollweevil]

Interesting article on national news about the big oil company execs telling Congress how their record profits are completely justified, and how they should continue to get tax abatements and tax relief for their investments!

It is supposed to be a free country, and I don't think Congress should limit the profit potential of any industry. (Think back to truck regulations, railroad regulations and airline regulations, which were all huge failures. The government has no place in private business. Think Amtrak!!)

What would be a great idea, however, is to encourage competition in the oil industry, and to offer the tax incentives, that big oil currently gets, to fledgling businesses, who in turn, might drive the retail prices back to a reasonable level through competitive bidding for market share.

And - I believe that we can make that happen by constant bombardment with e-mail, letters and phone calls to our individual Congressmen. Just let them know what you want, and remind them that you do vote, and remind them, tirelessly, that they really do work for you, and you will not hestitate to find someone who can better represent you, if they don't want to.

This effort would be far more effective, and lots easier to get done than a trucker's strike that asks for guys to shut down the equipment that they already can't afford to operate. I know people who are doing exactly this right now on a daily basis. If we all did - it should make a huge difference. remember the "Squeaky Wheel" theory.

The truck strike did not have a real effect. It was doomed from the start - poorly organized, poorly communicated and, most of all, not supported by a large number of truckers for a variety of reasons.

Let's try an easier approach.

Paul Van Scott

[Bollweevil]

Shucks, I didn't mean to do that. I just wanted to add a few cents worth. It was interesting to me to learn that over the last 5 years that these oil company's taxes had exceeded their profits by 19 billion dollars. No one in their right mind would invest ANYTHING in a start up company with only a 5% profit margin. The term oil company is pretty definitive. Why should they invest in alternate energy of any kind? It is only by the sheer volume of business that they generate a profit at all. From east coast to west coast we,re looking at roughly 90 different blends of gasoline, to comply with state and local emission standards. Auto makers are faced with increasingly difficult fuel millage standards. While at the same time the addition of ethanol has lowered actual fuel mileage by 20 to 30%. This is all brought to you by our congress, not by the oil company's. The best thing to do would be to fire every last member of congress tar and feather them and ride them down Pennsylvania Ave. on a rail. There is no excuse not to vote. By law, absentee ballots are required to be made available 60 days before elections

[storkmack]

Bollweevil...You sum it up best! The way I see it, I hope this squeezes out all the guys that work to cheap. In the long run ,if you survive, you will have better rates and more work. thanks, Brad

[ciw65]

OK, it's after April 1st, but I can remember here in Aus the last "blockade" as they get called in the media was actually across the gates of an oil company storage/distribution facility. Got the news media out on scene and didn't disrupt Mr. and Mrs. Joe Citizen in their everyday life, except fuel supplies started to dwindle at this companies bowsers after a couple of days. Best thing is that the general population got right behind them because the fuel prices were hurting everyone. Another famous "blockade" at razorback mountain back in the late '70s just got up the nose of John & Jane Citizen because it blocked a part of the national highway and stopped freight for a couple of weeks, and in doing so, truckies were portrayed in the media as nothing but redneck cowboys. The reason for the blockade was out the window. Lesson learned here, hit the news for the right reasons where John Q. Public will sympathise with you, not hate you.

[Barry]

Someone called the dealership yesterday and said that the next big protest would be April 9th...they said that something big was going to happen?? I don't know who it was or any other info, but I wonder what thats all about? Anyone else hear anything about April 9th?

[DADDYSLILGURL]

OK I KNOW IM A LIL LATE ONT HIS BUT I WORK IN A HEAVY DUTY PARTS STORE AND EVEN IM HURTIN!! THESE GUYZ CAN BARELY PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND ALL MY PRICES ARE GOIN UP TOO. BECAUSE NOT ONLY HAVE FUEL PRICES GONE UP BUT STEEL HAS TOO. FOR THE FIRST TIME IM HAPPY MY DAD SOLD HIS TRUCKS OFF. WHAT WE NEED IS ANOTHER CONVOY!!! BUT TRYING TO GET RUCKERS TO AGREE ON ANYTHING TODAY IS PRETTY IMPOSSIBLE. ALL I KNOW IS THAT IF SOMETHING DOESNT HAPPEN SOON WERE ALL GONNA BE SCREWED!!

[johnmcglu@aol.com]

Someone called the dealership yesterday and said that the next big protest would be April 9th...they said that something big was going to happen?? I don't know who it was or any other info, but I wonder what thats all about? Anyone else hear anything about April 9th?

There has been another protest. On Monday, April 28th, a huge convoy headed into Washing-

ton to make their voices heard about the outrageously high fuel prices. So far, these politicians aren't

listening. The only solution is to vote ALL of them out of office come Nonember.