Why a strike? The CSA 2010 will cripple trucking.

now jersey devil i have no doubt that you have good intentions but the trucking business has never been 9/5 and it never will be if we wanted that we would have a job and we don't want a job thats why we drive a truck.

now you newer drivers seem to be out to change this businees from what it has always been, did it ever occur to you that we don't want it changed to a 9/5 job were truckers and we want to stay that way, thats why we don't shut down everytime some new guy comes along with a better idea , it might be better BUT it's not what we want , were truckers and thats it and that is all we want to be .

i hear about all the problems that some of you have BUT i don't have all those problems and there are thousands like me that dont have those problems we just take care of busainess and none of us want a 9/5 job we are truckers , thats the way it is and the way it should be .

luck to you southernpride

 

MOST OF TRUCKING IS REGULATED UNDER AGRICULTURE LAWS which means they are exempt , that means they dont have to comply with what your talking about , exempt means they are exempt from transortation law. just a thought , southernpride

 

Southernpride,

I can't give enough kudos to your post. If you want a career or job that is subject to 40 hour work week, you still have the freedom to pursue that, for now. If you choose to get into trucking, do so with your eyes wide open. This is NOT a standard 9 to 5.

The vast majority of drivers I know, myself included, would hate to see the industry undergo the kind of change that is being discussed here, and resent people who get into it, don't like it, then decide they need to try and change it. We always say, don't go away mad, just go away. Everyone will acknowledge there are many pitfalls in trucking, but that's life in general. As Glenn Beck says, "Most of life stinks on ice..."

I'm a huge Glenn Beck fan and have been since he debuted on national radio. I fail to see the connection between the purpose of 8/28 and forming a coalition of drivers in support of government regulating trucking industry labor. I do, however, agree that laws should be enforced with regard to employing illegal aliens, which does amount to modern-day slavery. But that can be accomplished without adopting Fair Labor Standards.

 

Any Serious comers email truckerstrike@yahoo.com for info. I've said my peace, I'm going, & willing to meet with anyone else who is serious about attending.

Thank You
Jersey Devil

 

Hey :
While I understand most on here I also must agree with Southernpride and Andrew.
9/5 trucking has been around for years , they are and have been union drivers all along. Over the road is a totaly different thing , always was and should always be. I agree that I for one want NO more government regulations on hours, wages, rates, any of it... leave this to the private business and it will weed things out by it self. My rates are coming up not down and I have no issue with any of what I do. I own my truck and it is not a lease to own truck. Never will be. My last load paid me $1.80 per mile pulling light freight in their trailer.

This is close to my average. These lease to own drivers pulling at .80 to .90 cents per mile are killing themselves and their trucks just to make that company rich.
It is that way becasue they keep on doing it. I have yet to see any of them doing what I would call well at it.

The government is not your savior in this... There is not and won't be any shortage of drivers in any near future...

This has been in the making for a long time now. WHY would THEY change any of it now.

I my veiw you should be fighting for less rules and more running time so you can make more money.
The restrictions should be placed on your company as to what they need for safe equipment... My truck is required to pass 2 DOT inspections per year and it does.
Yet I see Swift trucks and others going down the road every day with fenders hanging on by a thread and many other issues that would NOT pass a real DOT inspection.

These drivers get out of those trucks looking like they just got in from the beach. Not like they are at work.
I have not taken the time to look it up but, If I remember right there was a law requiring proper foot ware while driving .

These and other drivers out here look the most unprofessional of all. yet want all this professional treatment.
It is true that not all of them are this way but if you are honest about it you would have to agree way too many are.

9/5 ????? The truck stops are full by 6 pm as it is.... Take a real look at who they are.... If you could take a survey and ask how many of them are under load that have 11 hours of driving in for that day you would also find that maybe 25% would .
This may have some to do with DOCK time , but not every day...

You will likely not agree with me on this and I am fine with that, but some day you will.... I already know that...

While I am at it... I know that some of the older truckers on here may be kind of hard headed at times {I am one} But, I will say it again,,,
Many here would do well to hear what they are really saying....

Southernpride may have trouble expsressing himself at times but , I know his ways and have to say I agree with him... NEW IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER....

Good luck at what you do..

 

This is what I'm trying to avoid, we argue....they win. STOP. :

1. I am not new to trucking. I have been around for 15 years & have seen good people driven like slaves into industrialized slavery. Yes, there are good jobs out there opposed to the bad ones but the "scam" keeps going. Arrow just took the scam & turned it on its billing company, took the money, ran & now is going to declare bankruptcy & get a slap on the wrist!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!

2. I NEVER said trucking should be 9-5. I dont mind giving half my life to my job (12 hrs) but I want proper compensation for it! 14 hrs is too long to try to live a healthy life, & stop w/ the "you chose this" answer. its a cop out & why do you argue in favor of the opposition??? see how truckers are beat down mentally??? A McDonalds employee is more apt to demand time & a half before a BIG BAD TRUCKER will. A pimple faced kid has more kahones than southernpride, CAT or andrew

3. Why say loosen the rules so we can work MORE hours. The GOAL is work LESS make MORE, not work MORE, r u dumb???

4 I have ideas as Im sure lots of drivers do, my goal is to get people to DC on 8/28 to come up with a plan so we can move FWD in the coming years with the best ideas.

5. the coalition between the 8/28 Rally and what Im proposing is the Rally is to RESTORE HONOR, which Trucking needs badly. Thats it! I'm not talking about a big strike & shutting down, just a grassroots movement to change laws in the Drivers Favor rather than the employers favor. I am in no way pushing for govt regulation. see next post I'll explain.

 

Glenn Beck drew a graph on his infamous Chalkboard once that looked like this:
I----------I--O--------I
the circle represents us as a country being center right. The I's are the left edge is total govt control on the right is total ANARCHY & the one in the middle is the center. easy enough. When trucking was overregulated the same graph used for industry looked like this:
I---O-------I----------I
the circle is more toward govt control. After Deregulation it looks more like:
I----------I---------O-I
the circle is way more towards ANARCHY

all I'm asking is we move the circle to reflect us more as we really are, center right,
I----------I---O-------I
Thats all I want, not govt control, just less industry control & more individual control of OUR OWN labor.

truckerstrike@yahoo.com

 

Hi again:
Well , I guess you told us.
Fact is I am an independant contractor that owns my own truck and always have been . Slightly different than an O/O .. I do not have my own authority. I do not make a wage and never have.
I do not get over time. I net around $2500.00 to $3500.00 per week and make my payments out of that. This is after fuel cost.

SO. I have never asked for over time, less hours or more guide lines from anyone let alone Uncle Sam.....
In fact I have never asked for help from another trucker let alone a "Driver" that does not own his own truck.
I bought my truck through a bank and not a get rich quick lease company and always have. My truck is in a lot better shape than any of those company owned and or driven POS trucks out there.

I run for 2 weeks out and home for a week , 2 weeks out and home for a week. Between my net income and my wifes we make more money per year than your company grosses from the truck you drive.

My house is over 1/2 paid for and my bass boat is paid for so are all my other many toys.

And you are saying we lack WHAT???????

We {Southernpride, Andrew, and myself }are not the ones working for a cut rate outfit to start with.
You are dead on that WE do not want CHANGE.......

Nor do we have any intentions of asking Glen Beck for help.

Best I can see none of us had insulted you in any way. We did add our reasons for not wanting help and or any more government interferance in our line of work.
So, When it comes to {What you say we lack} maybe you should rethink things just a little. We have a choice and it appears as though you may not. That sir , is a position that we chose to stay away from in our line of work.
We chose where and when we will drive our trucks and for how much... It appears as though many of you do not.

So, In fact , If you want to go see Glen Beck , have a good time and tell him the rest of us said HI. I have many better things to do.

Good luck at it...

I have no doubt that you have very good ideas and intentions.
But, In the past We have done many things to get the governments attention. Some worked most did not.

We have Boycotted certain fuel stops or states with fuel purchaces etc.
We lined up and drove 35 MPH across Indiana once . Bumper to Bumper.
Try that now and they would have jet fighters attack you.

Kaho ???? What ?? Don't worry about striking at a gov, level. Shut down your company right at there gates. Get their attention. They are the ones that must change.
Block their gates. You need all of your drivers to help get this done.
Question ??? Will any of your drivers help you ??????
Maybe a few but never all.. That sir is where the LACK is....

I know you will be upset with this but I am sure WE {SP, Andrew and I CAT all agree}........

 

now i was going to reply to all of this , but i think ill just keep my mouth shut and let this young man do his thing i've seen to many like him go and come and it's all the same THEY ALL HAVE A BETTER WAY, but the results are the same, they cantt force anybody to change or agree with there agenda so everybody else is wrong and they get pissed off and start calling names but that is what little boys do sounds a lot like a cb radio but sooner or later they just go away.

none can understand we don't want to change and were not going to we chose this business because thats what we want to do drive a truck, if you don't like the business your free to do somthing else , please do and good luck with it .

it's easy to call names and spout insults o a radio or a forum such as this but when you get real, up close and personal its another thing all together and when the smoke clears nothing has changed it's still comes down to talk and we keep dong what we want to do anyway. enough said ill get my legs striped again.

good day to all the experts out there i just drive a truck. southernpride

 

AWSOME

Hey There SouthernPride,

I just started this a little over a year ago. Love it. I do my thing, learn from the guy's like you and other old time road warriors.

I retired and was sitting around the house to long. A friend of mine is also an O/O. When we came back from overseas in 72, he went right into a truck. I think the name of the company was either Yellow or White Freight lines. He worked for them for a couple of years before he bought his first truck.

He told me that it was a great way to make some change for the pocket, and see the country. I really love this work, and I really like what can be done with things the way they are. Glad to see that there are some guys from my age group out here still doing what they want and love to do.

Semper-Fi
Nick