Why a strike won't work for YOU

[thunderstruck]

I dont think anyone has to go on strike to get a point done at least not make the whole usa suffer but if we would boycot one state at a time like example new york, calif, and no driver make any runs there well we would still be working and only 1 place at a time will start seeing just how important we are to them. but that is just my opinion it may not sound good but think about it when they have no supplies food,water,ect then they would realize hey these drivers are what makes the world go round

[trucker_author]

I hate to tell you "Tip" but all those older cdl holders are just holding on to a way out of the house for when the old lady gets to them too much. Many of those who hold cdl's who are not driving have went back to a regular license, due to the state's greed. The states of this nation have over taxed the cdl license so no one wants to pay $100 to $160 dollars when it comes time to renew. And many who do hold on to them cannot pass the physical required by the FMCSA.
With those who have held on to them and those who can pass the physical you may have about 1 non truck driver who holds a cdl per 50 truck drivers who are driving now. Now add in those who can hold a haz-mat legally, that is very few. Or who can pass a background check and have the recent (1 year exp. in the last 3 years) and you limit it even more. And Mr. Tip, your uncle who hasnt driving in several years, well he would be considered to be a student driver as it stands now days with current/recent experience. So no, he would not get 60cpm instead maybe 17 to 28 cpm.
Would a trucker strike work, hell yes it would. If 45% of the reefer and tanker drivers stop for five days, the country would drop to her knees. In three days or less most towns will be without food from the people stockpiling and the gas stations will go dry. And that is at less than half of the trucks stopping for three days. NYC, ATL, STL, LA, Chicago, all have less than a three day supply of food. I drive for Wal-Mart Frozen Foods division, and if we did not have a supply daily our warehouse would go dry in two days. Think about it...
I have been a truck driver since March of 1991 and a trainer since 1997. The book that I am working on now will be out in late summer. This book will be about all of this and it will show how the FMCSA can make an hours of service that will work and drivers will enforce theirselves. It will also show why truckers are to the brink of a strike and the services we give to our companies that we are not paid for.
Yes, all of us should strike. All drivers should be paid as Wal-Mart and some of the elite trucking company drivers are paid, by the hour or higher per mile pay and paid while in the bunk, basically from the time they step into that truck til the time they exit to go home. UPS, FEDEX, Wal-Mart can do it, then why cant other companies? Simple, they know that people like "tip" will divide those who want to strike and end it before it begins.
Well, my book will show why trucks are wrecking, why it is more of the fault of the FMCSA and what can be done to stop it. Mr. Tip, I am going further than the strike step, I am taking it to the American public and what is revealed might scare the hell out of them, but it will be the truth and will make them write to their politicians to force them to take action. It will show what can be done to limit the accidents and enforce the hours of service with a way that truckers will love, companies will hate, and our wives will adore....... The title, "America's Sweatshop, what you dont know can Kill you"
D H Hamm

[Tip]

I agree with you, Mr. Hamm. I've been wanting a strike in trucking since like the second day I began solo driving in '95. I even consider myself presently 'on strike'. It's too bad so few people actually walk the walk. After reading your post, and other posts from guys such as TT, I can now say there is no excuse for putting up with ######## on the road. There's no excuse for not shutting 'em down for a few days. The OTR, truckload guys are DIRE need of improvements in working conditions, as you know.

For one thing, the OTR, truckload drivers are the lowest paid. Those who pull reefer wagons are the lowest paid of THOSE, plus reefer drivers get abused more than any other drivers. Companies 'steal the lives' of these drivers and the drivers aren't compensated one penny. It's no surprise it's 'easy' to get a reefer job and hard as hell to get a job at an LTL outfit. I don't see many help wanteds for Overnight or Yellow.

Knowing these truths, and the fact that OTR drivers spend weeks, if not months, on the road for no extra compensation, I'd say it's time your book hit the shelves. I think it's time to shut the OTR trucks down for three days as a 'warning shot'.

But hey, I'm just dreaming. Truck drivers overall aren't smart enough to strike. Maybe some of them even enjoy the abuse and subconsciously believe they deserve getting the #### end of the stick all the time. Meanwhile, guys like me have to pay for their apathy. No thank you.

[TurboTrucker]

After reading your post, and other posts from guys such as TT, I can now say there is no excuse for putting up with **BAD WORD** on the road. There's no excuse for not shutting 'em down for a few days. The OTR, truckload guys are DIRE need of improvements in working conditions, as you know.

Tip, try to think for just a minute. There is no excuse for putting up with #### out there, but a strike will get no driver any closer to what they seek. Strikes do nothing but create animosity between the workers and the employer. If anyone thinks for one second that unions are not a part as to why many good companies that did provide good jobs have pulled up and set up shop elsewhere, they are very delusional.

When it comes to truckers striking, if it were to actually ever happen, it would absolutely alienate the public, and they will turn against any cause that might be on the table, when what trucker would be doing inconveniences them in any way.

Every last driver out here has choices. They are not assigned their jobs by the Government. If and when a driver finds that he is not content with his job, he can change it. The mistake that many drivers in this country make, and don't take this personal, is to sit around and complain, rather than to do what could be done to find what they want to find. It doesn't fall from the sky, and sure will not find them, if they don't make some effort to look for it.

If every driver would take the time to choose jobs based on research and an understanding of the company they are applying to, or seeking to work for, they would not find themselves in adverse situations. It really is that simple.

Another thing that would happen is that those companies that are known for their problems, would either fold because they will not be able to attract drivers, or they would be forced to clean up their acts in order to do so.

I'm not willing to get on board with any effort to strike, because I'm very happy with my job and my company, and maybe that's selfish, but why would I punish them or hurt their business, when they are treating their people well?

Now, you've expressed an interest in returning to the profession, and I think you ought to, because it sure sounds to me like you miss certain aspects of it. If that's what you want to do, then you sit down, write up a list of the things that you want in your next driving job, and get busy and find it. It's out there. Set your goals, and work towards them.

There is no perfect job, and every one comes with a certain amount of ####. Set your standards a little lower, come to grasp with the standards that exist in the profession, and find the best fit for your needs and desires.

If you cannot do that, then maybe you need to admit to yourself that trucking may not be the career that suits you best. It's not for everyone.

But hey, I'm just dreaming. Truck drivers overall aren't smart enough to strike. Maybe some of them even enjoy the abuse and subconsciously believe they deserve getting the **BAD WORD** end of the stick all the time. Meanwhile, guys like me have to pay for their apathy. No thank you.

It's not a question of being smart enough to strike. For some, it's a question as to whether or not they can afford to strike. For others, it's a question of whether or not they have reason to strike. And for some, it's a question as to whether they feel that a strike will solve the issues that are bothering some people.

I fall into the last two categories. There isn't one issue on the table that cannot be solved on an individual basis, by making a choice to seek employment or a contract that will address it.

An Owner/Operator, who is leased to a carrier, and is going broke because of high fuel prices, can seek a carrier that offers a fair and industry standard fuel surcharge. If a driver is not receiving a fair wage for his time, or is not being paid for accessorial work, he can seek an employer that has a clear cut policy to address those situation. If either are working for a company that treats it's people like dirt, then they can pull up stakes and go elsewhere, and I don't buy into this theory that all carriers are created alike.

I've worked for a couple of very good ones, and I've seen how bad it can get at a couple of others. But there is one thing I have done throughout the years, and it has paid off well. I kept my nose clean out here on the road, and I thoroughly research a company before I apply to work for them. In the past five years, I have not had to pick up a phone, or leave my office in order to do this. My computer has become my research assistant. It's all in knowing where to look, and what to look for.

It's not an exact science, and in fact I made a boo boo a couple of years ago, but I stuck it out for 13 months leased to that company, to try and make it work out. When it became apparent that it wouldn't, I spent time over several weeks, as time would allow me to do so, to seek a better deal.

To my credit, at the time I signed on with them, they were known to be a good company. Things went quickly downhill when they hired some key management personnel from JB Hunt, FFE, and Stevens Transport, shortly after I began there. Need I say more?

I think that most drivers would agree that there are motor carriers that don't belong in business, and the only way to put them in their place, is to avoid them at all costs.

This site is dedicated to providing drivers a source of information on the inner workings of the trucking industry, and a means in which to inform others of the specific companies that need either praise or condemnation, for their business practices, the working conditions that they offer to employees or contractors, and their ethics.

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I urge everyone that can take the time to do so, to please offer your reports on companies that you have intimate knowledge of and have had association with, in this forum section and in the "Trucking Company Report" section that can be linked to on the forum index page. If you cannot find the company that you would like to offer a report on, simply drop a line to WiseOne by going to the home page for the site, and clicking on the "Feedback" button. Be honest in your reports, and offer the details. Give the good and the bad.

Here's an example of what kind of report that I offered on a company:

[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

[Tip]

TT, thanks for post. I enjoy reading your stuff. You really put your heart and soul into your replies, not to mention lots of thought.

I think this quote of yours sums up what I've been trying to do in trucking since like '95:

"Another thing that would happen is that those companies that are known for their problems, would either fold because they will not be able to attract drivers, or they would be forced to clean up their acts in order to do so. "

That's where it's at. Let people know which companies are the bad apples, and we could make a big dent in the current 'racket' we call trucking. Of course, success here depends on another quote of yours that also tells it like it is:

"If every driver would take the time to choose jobs based on research and an understanding of the company they are applying to, or seeking to work for, they would not find themselves in adverse situations. It really is that simple."

Amen. Success in our endeavor here would depend on drivers actually TRYING to better their situations for a change instead of just talking about it.

I've been thinking about getting my CDL back, yeah. But I've also been askin' myself 'Are you sure?' I can't answer that question yet, so I'll be waiting on the sidelines a bit longer. I may never get back in. I may decide to get my license back next week. Who knows. If I could get on with a company that ran mostly the west and paid more than 32-33 a mile, I'd probably jump on it. But this good company would have to want me after my being off the road for 3 years and having three jobs since, all of which may be hard to contact. It's this or nothing, though. No way will I get my CDL back to end up at Swift, C.R. England, or J.B. Hunt's morass.

[TurboTrucker]

I really like the way you look at things, and I am glad that you never take offense to the way I kinda challenge you on things. I worry that I will make you mad. Thanks for the nice words.

If I could get on with a company that ran mostly the west and paid more than 32-33 a mile, I'd probably jump on it. But this good company would have to want me after my being off the road for 3 years and having three jobs since, all of which may be hard to contact. It's this or nothing, though. No way will I get my CDL back to end up at Swift, C.R. England, or J.B. Hunt's morass.

I can't say that I blame you for that. I too have always set my standards a bit high, even when I was weathering a terrible DAC report. There's just some things I will not do or put up with. And thankfully, I've done well, for the most part anyway.

I wouldn't want anyone on the planet to have to find their way into any of those three companies, no matter what the circumstances are that makes them trhink about it. They just don't offer long term prospects for anyone.

Tip, where do you live? Maybe if you post your location, someone may know of a company in your area that may meet your needs. Finding a company that goes west shouldn't be a problem, and for my part, you can have the west coast running, especially when it comes to California. I have opportunity where I am now to run out west, and may take one of the Washington or Oregon runs some day, because I like the northwest just fine.

If you're in a position to take the time you need to make a sound decision, you'll arrive at the right one, and if that involves coming back into the industry, you'll find a great way to do it, because you've learned all about the bad that exists out there, so finding the good will be the next step, if that's the way you want to go.

[Tip]

Hey, Double T. If I know you're right in your posts, you won't make me mad. And I don't see that changing anytime soon. Your posts are right on the money every time.

I'm not in the USA at the moment. I'm living overseas. My 'home address' is Salt Lake City, but when I return to the US, I'll probably try to find a new home in one of the two upper corners--Washington or Maine. I'm leaning toward Washington, but I've been to Maine as well (thanks to trucking I've been to all the lower 48 states), and I like that place, too.

If I DO decide to get back in, that is just the first step. I have to be able to get my CDL back for next to nothing. I won't spend big money again on getting a mere CDL. Trucking is okay at times, but it's not THAT great. I'll spend a maximum $500.00 on getting it back.

But I won't even try to get my CDL back if I don't have a GOOD company already lined up who will hire me given my present circumstances. This company has to be solely dry box or tanker, has to pay well, has to have a lot completely devoid of 'cleaned-outs' (the empty, cleaned-out trucks filling up company lots that have become empty, cleaned-out trucks because of high turnover), and absolutely, positively must not have help- wanted ads in the local paper beggin' for drivers to fill its empty, cleaned-out trucks. I'll be lookin, after all.

If I can get all this, I'll try to get my CDL back. It should be pretty easy.

[rex]

Just one simple question, fellas. Just where in the world is everyone going to park during this big "strike"? Especially after 'bout 10pm? There's no room in the truckstops and rest areas as it is!
rx

[notarps4me]

Originally Posted by rexbevans

Just one simple question, fellas. Just where in the world is everyone going to park during this big "strike"? Especially after 'bout 10pm? There's no room in the truckstops and rest areas as it is!
rx

Well thats the point. Shut em down and block traffic. That will get their attention!

[rex]

Oh, okay...shut 'em down, block traffic and then what, friend? My expensive equipment gets towed and impounded? Shut 'em down where? In front of my house? I can just hear my HOA now! H***, the city would have me towed pretty much immediately! Please talk sense, bud, and if you have no conception of how the the real world works you you keep your dumb ideas under wraps. Apologies to the public reading this thread but such a totally asinine idea coming from someone probably not even involved with our industry really chaps my hide. BTW, anyone remember the great "strike" of '74 ? Right after fuel prices went to 45 cents a gallon?
rx