Tip:
That's an interesting question. If it were a jury of your peers, then the ultimate question probably woudl be: did these companies KNOW they were ripping off their drivers by giving them less pay than what was actually driven? If a person, or in this case, a large group of drivers, could prove that yes, any given particular company did, indeed, pay less than the miles that were actually driven, well, I would think a good lawyer could pull off a win in a class action suit.

I would be very interested to see if enough "ex-drivers" of any given company would come together, pool their money, hire a lawyer and see what happens. A win for drivers would change the face of trucking forever. Dozens of lawsuits would follow against every major trucking company in the U.S., they would lose a lot of money, and then - they would start paying drivers for the miles they actually drove.

Like you said, each driver would have to prove each load they drove by whatever - log books would work - and it would be a lengthy, time-consuming process, though the lawyer/s would be doing most of the work in court.

I guess I would have to say that one would have to find a lawyer that would be willing to take this project on for percentage of money that he/she intends to sue for, because I have serious doubts that enough drivers would come up with enough money to hire a lawyer for such a lengthy undertaking. And finding that kind of lawyer in such an endeavor would probably prove to be next-to-impossible.

My bigger concern as far as driver pay goes right now is this agreement to let all these Mexican truck drivers into America - wherever they want to go. Arizona already HAS plenty of illegal aliens that are here on falsified papers, driving trucks on our roadways. I watch them - they drive like they are in Mexico. I see their trucks - some of them look like these people went to a junkyard, dug up a truck and put it back on the road. They have hand spray-painted verbage on the doors of their trucks. Have you ever seen some of the junk they are driving down THERE? It's absolutely amazing. And let me throw this in since I'm already off-topic, I have driven the road to Hermosillo from the Arizona border on one of Mexico's versions of a super-highway numberous times. I was with a guy I have known for decades, and asked him what the empty building on the side of the road are.

Those were weigh stations, he replied. "WERE weigh stations?" The Mexican government had set them up in an effort to get all the unbelievably BADLY maintained - if you can even call it that - trucks to comply with whatever laws they might have. He told me that Mexican truckers would simply blow by them, wouldn't stop, and that so many of them did it, they couldn't catch all of them, to the point that it became futile. They just shut them down. Does THAT speak ANYTHING good for those kinds of people driving on OUR highways in America?
bb

I've been deep into Mexico twice, and I've seen those buildings you speak of. I've seen the long lines of trucks, four wide, sitting on the Lincoln Bridge across from Laredo. I've also seen the "topes" down south, and you know you don't want to run up on one of those at full speed. It seemed every town had at least three of those just begging to rip out a car's suspension system.

The big question really, Troop, is this:

What are you going to do when YOU have to take loads to Mexico? I keep saying the Mexican loads are coming for white-boy American drivers. And those who survive the coming rising-railroad purge will be glad to do that, despite their claims today they'll quit in a heartbeat when they have to take deliveries to ol' Meh-kee-koh. American companies can reap some good business by delivering to Mexico. Many won't be able to resist the urge to send their drivers there. And I'm talking Tepic and beyond...not Tijuana.

__________________
--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.

Well, I hate to sound like a person who is always saying they've done everything - but - I've driven trucks and buses all over Mexico. To be honest with you, I have been in many of their homes as a missionary in the past, those people literally would pull the best food out of their "refrigerator", cook it up and serve it. They would have literally given the shirts off their backs. I was invited into many, many of their homes and I never once experienced anything different than what I just said.

Having said that, I HATE driving on Mexican roads. They're small, most of them are 2 lane highways, and they have this unbelievable system for signalling drivers that want to pass that it's "safe" to do so. The topes are ridiculous, like you're driving through an apartment complex or something, their version of a major highway has speed bumps on them! Then you have those outrageously priced toll booths - for a road that deserves to be torn up and re-paved, at least by American standards.

Then there are the mountain grades down south. Freaking 1,000 plus foot drop without even so much as a guard rail, on a road so narrow, trucks have hit mirrors passing each other! They drive grossly overloaded trucks with engines and "braking" systems that are totally inadequate to handle some of those 13% and greater grades, yet they think nothing of it.

Then there is "Petro", the ONLY fueling stations in ALL of Mexico - governement owned, you have no choice.

I have had the Mexican Army coming at me from the other direction in a 10 wheel truck with several soldiers standing up in the back, aiming military assault rifles at my head while they are approaching. I've been stopped at their checkpoints and received excrutiating questioning of where I was, where I am going and what my business was "down there". I and several people I know have been pulled over by local "police" for bogus traffic violations - they demand money, and if you don't give it to them, they will throw you in jail, where you will wait for up to several days to see a judge, who will throw the book at you, fine you a ridiculous amount of money or just plain imprison you. I pay the coerced bribe, obviously, NO WAY do I want to spend a SECOND in one of those filthy jails.

I have spent considerable time in Mexico, and in many instances, thought my life or health and safety was at risk. I could go on, but I doubt many people will believe some of my stories, so I'll just stop here, and say that really, I have no inclination of wanting to drive anything down south of the border at this point.

bb

Nothing you'd say in your stories would surprise me. I remember the speed bumps ripping at the underside of my car if I took them at more than a few miles per hour. When they want you to slow down in Mexico, you'd better, lest you want to replace your suspension. And I've run into an earthquake fault or two on those big roads, such as the highway from Mexico City to Acapulco...the 200-mile road that costs 40 bucks. Thank you, Japan for financing that ribbon on short terms.

Now...the prospect of US drivers actually taking deliveries to Mexico rises. I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't even go a mile beyond the border in a rig full of freight.

__________________
--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.

Agreement, I won't do it anymore. There was a time when there wasn't so much hostility and angst against Americans, those days are gone. Really, I don't even want to drive my car down there at this point. In an accident down there with a Mexican national, you are automatically guilty unless you can prove yourself innocent. They take your vehicle away from you - it's just gone. For me, not worth it.
bb

The status of 'guns in trucks' seems to be less a firm policy and more of a don't ask/don't tell stance in the US. In Mexico, it's firm. I know handguns are illegal, as is ammo itself. As far as long guns go, someone will have to fill me in on that one. They may be illegal as well, but maybe not. Maybe you can carry a rifle or shotgun if you have a special permit.

Matters not what the Mexican law is regarding long guns. An American whitey with an itchy trigger finger will inevitably shoot a Mexican within the first few days of being allowed to cross the border in rigs. Long guns will then be banned as well, if they aren't already when the big day comes.

__________________
--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.

The ONLY way you can legally transport ANY gun into Mexico is if you have a special permit that you get from the Mexican Army, of all things. You can't even take ammo in there without that permit - as one unbelievably unfortunate guy found out the hard way. He was pulled over at the entrance into Mexico, they found a box of ammo for his shotgun, they arrested him and threw away the key. He sat in jail for over SIX MONTHS until - I think it was the governor of Arizona actually stepped in and pulled whatever political favors she had to pull to get his ##### out of there.

I can see it coming already. It'll go something like this: American truck driver pulls into his favorite Mexican bar on his way south and has a drink or three. He can do this in Mexico, understand. There are no drunk-driving laws in Mexico, after all. Said driver then gets into a brawl and shoots, stabs, takes a chain to, or throws spitballs at, a Mexican. From then on, ALL trucks going south will be searched, an extra activity that will mean even MORE time will be spent in ol' Mek-ee-koh. Anyone with any kind of weapon at all--gun, knife, crowbar, hammer, whatever, will be taken to the cage. Yes, large pieces of paper will be banned, too. Those can be made into spitballs. Pillows will be banned for sure, as those can be used in pillowfights. This will happen by about the third day whiteys are allowed to go south on deliveries.

__________________
--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.

I was harassed by my male fleet manager from the minute I told him I was a retired cop. Apparently, some of those managers have that "Truckers are Stupid and I'm Smart" attitude. He had to prove his "manhood" by putting me in my place. I couldn't keep my engine running when I slept for heat or air or face write-ups. I couldn't add any miles to the end of my trip to find a truck stop...I was suppose to just park somewhere close to where I delivered, or write-ups. And you guys know we can't just pee out the windows. This guy was relentless. When I was at the Dallas yard following an unload, I told him (on the qualcomm) that I would file sexual harassment charges if he didn't stop the ####. An hour later, safety guys came out to my truck, threw me off with all my gear and told me I was suspended. I sent a letter the next day to JB Hunt advising their HR Dept about the sexual harassment. I get a phone call a couple days later, where I'm told that my manager "made a mistake" and I was not suspended. Well, to make a long story short, they fired me 2 weeks later after I scraped the bumper of an illegally parked untitled vehicle, less than $150.00 damage and no ticket from the cop. Same manager - couldn't wait to get me.
I am sure you guys out there are treated like #### too....their management is a bunch of guys on power trips, getting their kicks by making you feel inadequate and small. They haven't the balls to do the job you do out there on the road. They will always be little boys, never men.
I salute you guys out there on the road. God bless.

I've had to sign so many write-ups I'm past the point of giving a damn. Some people just have to find some way or another to justify the space they take up in the world.

__________________
Z-Lady's devoted hubby.