well even that has changed in the past few months -

Illinois has started to fine biz owners who are utilizing these rogue drivers...


UCC (united container corp?) was fined and forced ot pay damages when one of their loads was involved in an accident on willow road.

the driver did not speak english and had no CDL.

if I get a chance I will post the newspaper clipping -

Hey Hey Hey.... You ain´t a racist.. you know why ?
Because Racists are Prejudiced.
You on the other hand ain´t prejudiced but experinced...
So you´re a REALIST... welcome to the Realists world.
And it´s being a Realist to see sometimes the world is Racist... and should be to some extent to keep the economy to a satisfactory level LEGALLY and taking care of all the expenses and NOT cutting corners.
Yes I am a Realist and my opinions may sound racist.
* I realize that but won´t change my opinion.

Hey..YOU picked that ethnic resataurant So YOU should figure out how to order in that place.
Or do you go to a French restaurant and order French fries...

It isn't just in trucking, it's pretty much everywhere. Who you know and what position they are in. Being in the right place at the right time. Forcing your foot through the right doors and making friends in the right places.

Even when everything is bad, there are still people out there making money, regardless of circumstances.

At the company I'm at, I started with the big boss - in making friends - and worked my way down. Call it kissing butt, call it what you want, but eventually people learn that to get anywhere, you're going to have to stop being so "independent" in not relying on anyone else and start building a network of business acquaintences and even friends who can and hopefully will help you move to where you want to be.

It would also help to envision what you're going to be doing in 5 - 10 -15 years. For me, I want OUT of trucking altogether within the next 5 years. My company knows it - the right people in my company know it, and I have built a very good reputation. Whether it actually happens or not, who knows, but at least I am doing something about getting there. But reputation isn't enough - you have to get your foot in the door with the right people. You have to make them WANT to move you to wherever you want to be moved to.

I dunno, I guess if I were looking at starting out in trucking right now, and reading this site and all the stuff that people are going through, I might consider managing a McDonald's or even going back to school to do anything BUT trucking. If the trucking industry keeps getting worse in terms of how drivers are paid and treated, it will eventually become the "outsider's" job - because "Americans don't want to do it". They say that about construction jobs - yet if more Americans knew how much they are paying loader/backhoe/excavator operators, more Americans might want to go to a training school, learn how to operate those things, and make some darn good money doing. That's the "Americans don't want to do construction jobs", which started in the 80's, I think, after illegals started coming over here and were willing to work for less than half the wages the good ole' boys were making. But a newbie to trucking making 25 cents per mile as opposed to a crane operator making $25 or more per hour? So construction is down right now, EVERYTHING is down. Might was well spend the time learning something that will actually make you some dough in the long run and not give you all the worries and headaches. You might live a longer life.

Ronno, I really like you. You are funnier than Jay Leno..........You must be into women's soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, or something like that, since you mention the sports fans. I AM a "University of Arkansas " sports fan and don't recall Wyoming ever playing here in any of the sports that matter (football, men's basketball, baseball....Does Wyoming have a track team? If they do it must suck, since I have never heard of it. U of A has 42 National Track Championships)....... Yeah, call me a sexist too. Would work for you.........

I could see ronno being into half completed "woman suits" and dancing in front of mirrors....



- as far as the economy tanking the doomsayers needed something more to grasp onto since that whole Y2K thing did not pan out for them....


now sure - we are in a slump and for many reasons (don't start blaming GWB for everything)... But I see that the slump is worldwide and across many industries.

As for trucking - lack of freight is a more critical issue that fuel

(cant hit a surcharge when there is nothing to carry, right?)

some of my old broker buddies have all but closed up shop - and my old contacts at Dole have seen a slump in produce as well

(you always hear - well reefer is safe - because we all have to eat)

problem is about 40% of our grocery bill is "discretionary" - and people are cutting back on extras as well as "goodies"

You will see even more cutting back as the prices increase with the costs associated with transportation being passed on.

Families will have no choice with the increased costs for their own transportation to and from work. It will lead to a reduction in entertainment as well. The trickle down will have an effect everywhere.

that brings up something we were talking about on the CB last night...


of the 5 of us that convoyed down to nashville and back (got in about 9am today) - anyway of all of us I live the closest to the terminal (6 miles) - and the furthest lives about 86 miles...

he was biotchin about the cost of the drive - and then it hit me... dude drives a ford dually with a V10 (gas) engine! well geeez - he gets like 10 mpg so I can see where it is more critical for him than for myself.

(I have a V6 f150 (amish edition) that gets low 20's mpg or better)

I do not know how some of the guys make it driving to and from every time they get a work call ...

granted when we show up we may be gone for up to 3 days - but more often than not we wind up at home in less than 36 hours. (that means commute).


dunno - might have to get a bicycle...

I can attest that MANY companies are using illegal aliens, and I do not call them immigrants because they have not legally migrated here - as most of my dealings is on construction sites of a large number of different contractors.
How do I know if they are illegals? I ask them! Do I know spanish? Si, senor, bastante a platicar en su lengua. Ellos dicen su propio mismos que son de Mexico.
How many companies are using them? Every contractor I have encoutenered save TWO. BUT, Arizona has enacted this law where the employer has to do a background check and ensure they are legal. When this law was implemented this year, a large number of illegals either high-tailed it back to Mexico or took off for other parts of the country.

I know THIS because their friends that stayed are telling me these things. Not to mention the local news media says the same things.

However, I'm not exactly sure about the pay scale being so low. Many of these illegals, especially equipment operators are making either okay money or very good money depending on what they're doing. I would think at least some Americans would consider 20 bucks an hour, or even more, to be decent wages?

That may work and it may not. It depends on where the drivers are coming from. Some, and I won't mention one group specifically, may come into the USA and then decide to jump off their rigs here, there, and everywhere. I don't know if companies will give these guys 18-wheeled tickets to the USA. If they do, they'd better expand their 'abandoned truck' fleets.

I don't think the regulations for any one group need to be relaxed. If anything, US immigration laws need to become more anal, just in case a certain immigrant bunch starts believing it can ride the trucking company wave to paradise. Any immgrant jumping off a truck, disappearing, then being discovered later would be subject to much more than simple deportation.

__________________
--Paved Dudley--

Yeah I drive a Swift truck
And that means one thing
It means she's slow
It's a typical company truck
It's just all show and no go

I'm gettin' passed by Yella
And even Overnite
I'm gettin' passed by ever' body in sight
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight

No, my hometown's nowhere in sight
And if you think I'm pissed off
You're right
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight


Love pissing off those trucking company insiders.