A small town outside of Louisville, KY is getting a lot of heat after a trucker posted about them on social media. While he was making a delivery in the town, an officer handed him a piece of paper which had “application for unloading license” on it. According to the officer, the driver was supposed to pay $125 for the right to unload his truck within the city limits.
West Buechel is a tiny suburb of Louisville which is only .6 square miles. It only covers a few blocks and has only a handful of homes. Its population is listed as 1,230 in the 2010 census. But what it does have is three huge stores – a Walmart, a Lowe’s, and a Target. It also has a few ordinances which make money off of visiting truckers.
First is the $125 annual fee to be allowed to deliver to the area. It’s supposedly to pay for “the privilege of using the public ways.” Paying that gets you a sticker which allows you to load and unload in the city. But it also lets you park within the city limits. Don’t have a sticker? The city will fine you $25 every time you park without one.
“It’s not that we don’t like truck drivers. We just can’t harbor them in our city. We’ve never been able to,” Assistant City Clerk Ariana King said according to Overdrive.
The rules aren’t always enforced however.
“No one’s ever approached me,” said one driver when he was being interviewed by WDRB. “No police officer or anybody has ever approached me about it.”
Others are familiar with the rule, but don’t pay it much mind.
“I get them almost every time I come over this way, and I tear them up and throw them in the garbage,” James Willinger of YRC Freight said. “West Buechel might need the money, I don’t know, but you’re not getting ours, I can tell you that.”
Check out the original Facebook post below.
Elton Clark says
Just another place to add to my list of “places to refuse to take or pkup freight” thanks for the tip. Will pass this on to my brokers and associates.
Cherokee says
If they need funding for their roads they better talk to the state. Our road use tax is what helps pay for the right to drive on those roads. Sounds like straight extortion to me.
Davieus Gray says
Of don’t want to pay. Stop taking loads there. Truckers kill me with the eld, fines, parking, etc. Of you don’t like the rules and they don’t want to change them then stop taking them items. You are driving the truck not the company or state. There is already a shortage in drivers so use that to your advantage. Don’t just talk about it, be about it. 2 days with no trucks on road would hurt a lot of people and show them truckers mean business!!!!
larry harlow aka devil dawg says
there’s not a shortage of drivers. there’s a shortage of decent pay. therefore, good truckers are in great demand as opposed to the typical idiot behind the wheel today. you get what you pay for.
Jc says
Been saying that for years but big money trucking companies like swift Schneider and others won’t park that’s why it does no good if all the truckers just said screw it and did it anyway we would get results
Big Booblyboo says
It only takes a few to block a highway then it doesn’t matter who you drive for,everybody stops.
Rob Wilson says
I completely agree with Mr. Gray. Its time for a Canadian/US driver shut down. Let Joe Public panic as the stores clear out. We have the control. All it takes is two days off agreed on a date. We need money and respect. Driving OTR sucks. We don’t get the respect but get the fines and tolls. We need to stop pulling our weight and let the public know and companies we drive these trucks in all weather and with little time off for families on all the crappy roads for them. I am sick of it. 15 years experience can take a hike. I quit.
Hayburner says
I agree with you Rob, but I think it would take more than two or three days. Take a week, and then let’s all go fishing. They will plan for a one week shutdown. So, after a week of no trucks, we need to tell them, “We enjoyed the last week so much, we’re going to take ANOTHER week off. That second week is when the memory of it will be forever engraved into their thick skulls.
Yvonne Crys Woods says
I feel it should be longer than two weeks. Let all retail/wholesale, vendors, and merchants have empty shelves. Then, that’s when a change will come.
Joseph M Phelps says
Amen tell me the date
Donald J says
If the fuel tankers just stop for a few days, everybody will have to stop.
Luis says
Right on, Donald. That would have a global impact in just a few days.
Walt says
Hell yea, I’d park if it would make a difference. Of course getting enough trucks to do it is the problem.
Luis says
That’s what we need to do. With technology and social media, we are more connected than ever.
We need to shut down right after thanksgiving. Screw up the holiday season and it’ll be absolute chaos. Call it #trucksgiving.
Yvonne Crys Woods says
Truth…
But before Thanksgiving.
Scott says
U guys need to look around and see whose driving a lot of these trucks.Foreign guys who can’t speak english.They are hauling cheap freight and definitely not going on strike
Big Booblyboo says
If a few block the interstate nobody moves.
CoveringBases says
I want to laugh. How quickly they would change their tune if all truck deliveries stopped in their small borough…
PS – “It’s not that we don’t like truck drivers. We just can’t harbor them in our city. We’ve never been able to,” Well, which is it? You can’t, or you can for $125? If you can’t, then don’t. And don’t have any store that needs truck deliveries.
Brian J Cavallero says
That’s hitting the nail on the head I’m with you
Its all about the money
Steven says
You morons get paid a lot for your driving jobs. Stop crying about how bad you get treated. I’m not shutting down for one minute. If you do then you should get fired immediately!
Jack says
How is 1000 a week considered good pay when your gone from home and family 3/4 or more of the time?
Maybe your the idiot
Ron says
Trucking does not pay what it should. Pay rates haven’t changed much since the 70’s. So while you say we make good money you arent wrong but it could be better for sure. But everyone thinks that we are paid good. And no I don’t work for a big company so I make decent money but is it really great. I got friends at Chrysler that make more then most drivers do just saying. I love my job and that’s why I do it.
Peter Kouba says
So Ron, your still making $0.17 com because that’s what driver pay was in the 70’s. Driver pay has doubled in the last 20 years. Yeah, the cost of living has also gone up, but there are companies out there today that start up to $0.60 com for a company driver. You would have been lucky to find that for a o/o in the 70’s. Get your facts straight before you go complaining about a job you hate in the first place. Just do us all a favor and quit so we can get some real progress in the industry by posting real complaints.
Barney says
There’s a gutless wonder in every crowd
John holt says
Guarantee you one thing, if this was 1979 and you didn’t shut down you would have been found dead or badly injured because in 1979 truckers strike you didn’t wanna break and run I guarantee you that
RedVonBaron says
Troll
Zombrii says
They also pay hundreds in tolls, fuel, parking, truck maintenance, food and that may be on top of their costs for family and home. And all of that is now no longer deductible on the taxes. So…no it’s not much actually. STFU.
Walt says
No clue what your into, but dealing with everything we deal with we don’t get paid enough. You go ahead and keep on when everyone else stops. Their will always be a 10% that screws it up for everyone.
R.J. says
Government, Local, State and Federal are becoming PREDATORY in their quest for ever increasing amounts of money.
And truckers are seldom home to vote….anywhere.
Jon says
I always vote absentee !
Scott says
So do I.
Laurie says
In some states they don’t even count absentee votes unless the count otherwise is close.
Juan says
So do I.
Rodger Ward says
Amen completely just quit delivering to these towns and let’s see what happens next. This is extortion and we don’t get the respect we deserve.
Scott says
I’ve heard shut the country down since the 80s. Back then it was over the CDL and having to unload everywhere (or hire a lumper out of your pocket). Didn’t happen back then. Won’t happen now, either. Can’t get three drivers to agree on where to have dinner, let alone shut the country down. This particular case is easy. Do what the YRC driver does – wad it up and throw it out the window. This town was all excited to get these businesses and let them build there. Whining about truck traffic now is disingenuous.
Frank says
Guess,they are not going to get their goods.. Extortion, passed a law to steal from the trucker….you’ll never see this truck
Perry Keener says
Can’t harbor trucks in our citys, but for 125.00 we can.
If I just hadn’t seen that app for unloading licence with my own eyes, I would swear that you were joking.
Crazy has gone to a new level.
JAX says
A shutdown for two days hell make it a week, now that shows that we mean business but yes like Scott said we’ve been hearing about it since the 80’s. There is no driver shortage, if anything there are too many. A shutdown will never happen, so I’ll be saying farewell to the trucking industry, I’m tired of it all.
John White says
Trucking has been the same since ’81, don’t know about before that, I still like it.
Richard says
Well I’m retired now. But I still need goods. As a retired driver talk is cheap. Action is what it takes. I’d bet you couldn’t get 5 drivers who would stand together. Besides the feds would step in. As mentioned earlier don’t take the loads going there or ignore the damn paper.
Ron Wood says
I think it’s called “Blackmail” ? It’s suppose to be illegal to “FORCE ” or threaten harm to people to get them to cooperate with your agenda. But it’s ok for the Police, and government to “Force” you into cooperating. What had happened to having a “Free Country with Equal Rights for all “? I think “Greed” has taken over in our legal, and government systems.
Nancy says
This is outrageous. I am not a trucker but I have family members who are. IMO, truckers should stop going there. When the shelves become empty perhaps the town leaders will change their arrogant minds.
Daniel says
The town leaders are just too stupid to have the ones with the money actually pay for it instead of hammer the stone. Why is it the truck driver that has to apply and pay the $125? Why isn’t Walmart, Target and Lowe’s paying the annual fees in taxes? They’re the ones with the money!
DSB says
FYI: I just got off the phone with City Hall in West Buechel, KY. I asked them about paying the $125 annual fee and they said they can’t really discuss it in depth, but that it is now in revision and that we do not need to worry about paying that fee anymore. Ha! Ha! I guess truckers do have a voice.
Brett says
All the rules laws policies and such are the fault of us drivers. We will not do anything in protest except argue and bicker among ourselves. They use safety for raising revenue and we all like sheep play along. I started driving in 1985 and have not drove since October 2017. I am one of the drivers they are short. It was a nice career until they figured safety is the key to revenue.
phillip says
A this is not legal. If they ever try to enforce it on you, get a lawyer.
Randy S says
Let this town get away with this and many other towns will do the same. Politicians love finding new ways of raising revenues.
Supreme says
Yes. You said it best Scott. Thanks
Daniel says
Township council is apparently the reason why this town hasn’t grown. haha.
racer x says
hope nobody delivers there n they have to travel 40 minutes round trip to Walmart, etc have a nice day
moral1423 says
And I thought Louisville was a nice place to hang out.
Gregory Bethune says
Let’s have a California week. No loads to CA for a week to protest 55mph and low $/mile. No impact on our income just deliver to the other states. Let’s start 7/16/18. And the next Friday pick another state. I am refusing all loads to CA for that week. If you deliver there then u are a scab.
RedVonBaron says
I’ve avoided CA for two years and counting. Just as long as CARB is in business!
John L says
Is there a list of places to avoid like these stupid little town?
Peter says
He should hand them his piece of paper with his fee for having to deliver to that cruddy little town!! Right back at them!! Most of those loads are not by driver’s choice, trucking companies & dispatchers force them on their drivers so…. make sure you hand them in to your company so they can reimburse you!!
Charli says
Why is this NOT on National News? This is incredible!
Jason Lyons says
Unions fail, sadly. No company that is big enough to effect real change in the industry is interested. If OOIDA wasnt a joke they would write up a contract for all their members to give to the company they drive for. There’s no reason driver’s should sign away everything while getting nothing in return, but they do.
If gov wanted to fix things they could regulate detention, leasing scams, load changes, and the myriad of other crap that truckers put up with, but gov won’t do anything its not forced to.
I do have an idea
An app. Truckers would report bad customers, brokers, cities, eventually states. Every week the worst rated of those would get blacklisted and put on “starveout”. It would work across companies and without union crap. We all know that one week of a town not getting deliveries would put an end to trucks being targeted for tickets. A shipper not being abale to move freight for a week would have to re-consider 4 hour load times.
Its not something that would be an instant fix industry wide. Not many can afford to shut down all together, this woildnt require that. Simply not working with that particular customer or town. There are simply to many problem areas throughout the country and no way to organize on a nationside scale. Over time it could cause a ripple effect once the effects were seen by a few though.
Thoughts? I do have more details on how the app would work and am open to ideas, its better than whining or ignoring the problem at least
Yes its a copy/paste of what I said elsewhere, the point is to get people together to solve a very large problem
Rhoda Thompson says
Bunch of thieving bas&$@ds..let that dam town go to hell..don’t deleiver or pickup there..boycott it…
Rhoda Thompson says
Trk drivers today…what a joke..self centered piece of crap..only thing they worry about is how they can cut you off on the road..no coursity nothing to others..run wide open act like billy big riger..drivers today don’t have no balls..they suck!!!!!
Donna Bishop says
Rhoda, 9 out of 10 drivers that complain about truckers cutting them off in traffic are probably at fault themselves. Most truckers would take a ditch and risk their own life before hitting a car that might have kids inside. It sounds like you have no respect for the people that deliver the fuel and goods that you couldn’t live without. Always remember: IF TOU BOUGHT IT A TRUCKER BROUGHT IT.
Roger Stewart says
Because the only time anything in trucking hits national news is when it’s salacious. This is just another shrug of the shoulders from the general public because they “think” something like this DOESN’T affect them. Guess what? It does, in higher prices on the shelves.