UNTILL DRIVERS HAVE SOMEONE TO SPEAK FOR THEM TRUCKING CO'S WILL ALWAYS WIN. TAKE ME I WAS FIRED WHEN I WAS ON FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE. THAT FEDERAL LAW WAS MADE TO KEEP YOUR JOB SAFE WHEN YOU NEEDED TIME OFF FOR MEDICAL REASONS SO THAT EMPLOYERS COULD NOT FIRE OR REPLACE YOU. WILL I WAS FIRED DO TO THE FACT I HAD A WORKER'S COMP CLAIM. THEY KNOW BETTER THAN FIRE YOU FOR THAT. KNOW MATTER WHY YOU QUIT OR GET FIRED THEY KNOW YOU WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BUT GRUMP A FEW DAYS AND GO ON TO THE NEXT JOB. IF YOU FIGHT THEM OR MAKE THEM MAD YOU KNOW THEY WILL REPORT TO DAC THAT YOU WERE A REAL BAD DUDE AND MAKE IT HARD FOR YOU TO GET A DRIVING JOB. WELL THE PEOPLE WHO FIRED ME ARE IN FOR A RIDE. I CAN'T DRIVE ANYMORE AND HAVE TONS OF TIME ON MY HANDS TO FIGHT THEM. AFTER DRIVING OVER 30 YEARS THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR KILLING MYSELF TO GET THAT LOAD DOWN THE ROAD. 6 YRS WITH TRANSCOLINES RUSSELLVILLE,AR ALL THE ATABOYS THEY THROW ME AWAY. WELL I WILL FIGHT TO CHANGE WORKER'S COMP LAWS IN ALL 50 STATES TO DEAL WITH TRUCKERS AS THEY NOW DON'T. CAN'T PASS DOT PHY DUE TO AN ON THE JOB INJURY THE STATES DON'T HAVE LAWS TO DEAL WITH THAT. I WANT DOT LAWS TO COME FIRST WHEN JOB INJURY KEEPS YOU FROM HAVING TO FIND DOCTOR WHO WILL PASS YOU EVAN IF YOUR UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I WILL NOT DRIVE IF I CAN'T DRIVE SAFE. I NEVER WANT TO HAVE A ROOM MATE NAME BUBBA AS MY HUSBAND AFTER I RUN OVER SOMEONE'S WIFE,KID,MOTHER JUST SO I CAN PAY MY BILLS. THIS IS NOT THE LAST YOU WILL HEAR FROM ME. I NOW FIGHT FOR TRUCKERS RIGHTS AND SAFE ROADS DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES. GOD BLESS TRUCKERS. THX BEADSPREAD

Your work will be appreciated
There does seem to me a nasty "loop hole" that needs to be fixed

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Until drivers have someone to speak for them, trucking companies will always win. Take me, I was fired when I was on family medical leave. That federal law was made to keep your job safe when you need time off for medical reasons, so that employers can not fire or replace you. Well, I was fired due to the fact that I had a worker's comp claim. They know better than to fire you for that. No matter why you quit or get fired.
They know you won't do anything but grumble a few days and go on to the next job. If you fight them or make them mad, you know they will report it to DAC that you were a real bad dude, and make it hard for you to get a driving job. Well the people who fired me are in for a ride.

I can't drive anymore, and have tons of time on my hands to fight them. After 30 years this is what I get for killing myself to get that load down the road.

Wait your how old? I have never seen so many grammatical errors from a person older than me!!! HOLY CRAP I'll let you fix the rest.




6 YRS WITH TRANSCOLINES RUSSELLVILLE,AR ALL THE ATABOYS THEY THROW ME AWAY. WELL I WILL FIGHT TO CHANGE WORKER'S COMP LAWS IN ALL 50 STATESTO DEAL WITH TRUCKERS AS THEY NOW DON'T. CAN'T PASS DOT PHY DUE TO AN ON THE JOB INJURY THE STATES DON'T HAVE LAWS TO DEAL WITH THAT. I WANT DOT LAWS TO COME FIRST WHEN JOB INJURY KEEPS YOU FROM HAVING TO FIND DOCTOR WHO WILL PASS YOU EVAN IF YOUR UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I WILL NOT DRIVE IF I CAN'T DRIVE SAFE. I NEVER WANT TO HAVE A ROOM MATE NAME BUBBA AS MY HUSBAND AFTER I RUN OVER SOMEONE'S WIFE,KID,MOTHER JUST SO I CAN PAY MY BILLS. THIS IS NOT THE LAST YOU WILL HEAR FROM ME. I NOW FIGHT FOR TRUCKERS RIGHTS AND SAFE ROADS DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES. GOD BLESS TRUCKERS. THX BEADSPREAD[/quote]

Mr McClain,

I wish you the best of luck, and an not going to complain about grammatical issues as trivial as yours, I do have to ask...

Rather than continue your original thread, why start another only two days later? It just confuses people.

Eye was jus kidin luch....

CoachMark - I was hoping, but it wasn't clear to me, so, I <sigh> assumed the worst.

No need to SHOUT! All caps is considered SHOUTING, and in poor taste.....

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Go, and beat your crazy head against the sky.....

"Drivers" It has always been said "If you don't know your history, You're doomed to Repeat It. Trust me folks there's truth to it. I'm going to mention something most drivers don't want to hear "Unions" Give me a chance before you dismiss what I'm saying as rhetoric. Mr. Hoffa relized this long long ago. Companies don't care for our welfare. They want to work the hell out of us (which is exploitation) and when we as individuals can perform, they cast us aside and get someone else who can perform. Drivers "Ladies and Gentlemen" History is repeating itself. If you can't see it coming, please remove the blinders. It's a consorted effort to demolish unions. The best jobs I ever held was a union job. I was a member of the United Steel Workers, as a weldor for 13 years. I was a teamster member for 14 years at driving for Big R. As a steel worker I built Allis-Chalmers (Gleaner) Combines, built aluminum and steel tank trailers for Trailmobile and Fruehauf and river boats and barges that move goods along the river. They were all solid jobs with good pay and excellent benefits,why? The unions. When we are individuals, there is no bargaining power. We have to unite as a group, and the transportation industry needs it now more than any industry in the United States needs a collective bargaining unit. I've been a professional driving trucks for twenty-three years. I'm seeing some negative changes taking place against us the Labor moving that freight. It all began when Regan was president, dismanteling the Air Traffic Controllers. That's where it began, where will it end for American Drivers?
Look at the organizations that still have union representation, The Writers who write the shows we look at on television. Postal workers have unions every city and state in the United States, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler Motors still have unions to represent their needs, and family needs. Folks we need Unions in our back pockets again. If we organized our check could be written for much more than whats coming across the board to us presently, (as I mentioned it's getting worse. With the influx of immigrants from neighboring countries (Mexico) they will be doing our jobs soon for less money, we have to educate our hispanic brethren and get them to realize, they're being used as pawns against us who are indiginous to tis country. We've have got to wake up as a whole and stop this calamity that's taking place in the transportation industry before it continues to a point where it will be difficult to reverse. If those trucking companies decide to close up shop for fear of being organized then so be it. That's one less company we have to deal with who ethics were probably less than honorable anyway. Freight has to move and it will move. Another company will move into that spot and respect and allow unions to prevale and restore some rights for it's workers. We have an obligation too I may add. Give that employer some good labor within the confines of service and safety. Not expecting a free ride because you have union representation. Everybody in the trucking industry should organize, Owner-Operators as well, especially the O-O's working in the Intermodal Industry, which is the worse industry. I was an Owner-Operator for two years pulling those rail containers being ripped off by my leasee for that Bull-#### Cargo Liability insurance they charged me every week regardless what I made that week. $85.00 to $100.00 per week. Having to scale loads and not being reimbursed fo the cost. Acting as if the freight is mine. All I owned is the truck, not the load, I had enough expenses with truck payment fuel, maintainance, taxes, bobtail insurance not including expenses at home that has to be taken care of and those thieves stealing from me additionally. Owner-operators are unionized in California so I understand, They need to be organized country wide. Look at the movie F.I.S.T. Starring Sylvester Stallone, it recaps on what had to be done when James Hoffa was trying to get drivers to understand what was at stake with their lives and families. The end result was prosperity after the sacrafices, unfortunately lives were lostn not on the battle fields but on the hiways when drivers were getting killed from going to sleep behind the wheels making that precious pickup or delivery.
I imagine there will be many rebuttals to my opinion

Many of the unions are as corrupt as the companies they are trying to protect the workers from. I've been a member of 3 different ones, and had run ins with a fourth. The one's I've been with, including Teamsters, all want you to pay the dues on time, but "don't rock the boat" when it comes to grievances, etc.

Union? No thanks.

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Go, and beat your crazy head against the sky.....

While there are a few of your statements I take issue with, I will only comment on one. Although the air traffic contolers were union members, it was (and still is) illegal for them or any federal worker to stike. They knew this going in and chose to strike anyway. They got exactly what they deserved for disobaying the law.