No Strike , Protection under Federal Labor Laws.

That's what pilots od, they follow every laborious process (eg: radio communications) slowly and tediously to slow flights down to get the message to the carriers across. I'm sitting in a driver's lounge, been off home-time for 4 days.

Sitting at a table with two other drivers talking about how we are starving to death... debating on getting out of trucking...

 

funny I always thought the teamsters was a very strong and powerful union?
I was in the airline industry for 20years, and lately they unions did nothing for us ( but I still believe in them) our Union AFA, seemed to only care about the Airlines that had lot's of members, when our company got rid of us (ATA Airlines) the AFA put us out to dry. I really wish we did not need unions, as it is a middleman, but the reality is we do.
It's a proven fact that a well compensated, well thought of employee goes out of there way for their company and produceds more.
fyi, when the economy improves I planned to start driving, I had planned to try to go with Schnieder, until they closed the schools.
Dan

 

I've been with Prime now for a year and just left them last week because I was going in the hole as a #### company driver. Begged for miles. My last full week I bumped maybe 1500 if I'm lucky. They talked me out of quitting once because I didn't want to run everywhere at 55mph. They cut my truck back the next week to 58 and I said to hell with that. "Get a broom and sweep out your trailer if it's just some dirt." Are you gonna buy the broom? Are you gonna pay me for the work? "No." Then you can kiss it right on hollywood and vine. Tried to get me to unload 208 case's one time and they only pay $0.03 a case. Lumper wanted $200.00. I told them to go to hell because 208 case's at three cents a case is only $6.24. Yes, they ask us to do maintanance on them too. I called them up just as pissed off as could be because they wouldn't autharize to have my fuel filter changed. "Why can't you do it?" Because no where in my job description does it say jack about playing mechanic. I don't get paid for it. I told them straight up. I did not sign up to do all that s%$# and babysit the fuel milage the truck is getting even after the drop. I came here to drive this truck move loads and make money. I put them on the spot asking them what was the big deal about the fuel milage was and the refrained from my question avoiding having to answer and just said it just saves us money. How can a truck save you money when every time you keep cutting the #### thing back the fuel milage get's worse and you know it's not my driving habits because I have perfect driving habits so please explain why I went from 64, to 60 to 58 before I had enough because they say I wasn't getting what they want. Truck had been in the shop some 13-14 times and couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Asked for a new truck and they refused.

Now I wonder if i go somewhere else am I going to get treated the same and pretty much work for free.

 

Swift wasn't that bad, but I got no miles with them as a co driver. I'm coming back under an o/o who is leased to Swift. Hopefully I'll do better this time.

 

Oh I did but not because I did not like my job. Sh't I was makin over $36.00/hour going home every night, with benefits to boot! I WAS LAID OFF DUE TO LACK OF WORK! I have 2 types of employment, one is truck driving (the worst). The other I will only explain that it requires 2 years tech college and 4 years apprenticeship. The other has NO WORK IN THE ENTIRE USA! Now I reduced to driving long haul for paultry pay ($.42/mile). It is thanks to GWB that the economy is so f'd up!

 

Not too long ago I sold my business doing graphic designs on boats, RV’s, and automobiles… basically your average sign maker. I sold the business due to I wasn’t making that big of a profit to keep up with the guy down the street who just bought a $300,000 cad machine/printer to do what is known as vehicle wraps thus, it was in my better judgment to bow out early while I could still swim. So now I’m thinking that with the skills I have I could easily go work for another graphics business and be better off without having to purchase my own health insurance and have a reliable weekly paycheck… wrong! Just about every graphics shop’s starting pay ran around $8 per hour tops and in order to get to $12 per hour you would have to spend a few years with the same company before you even see that.

I also have machine programming skills but with all the jobs going East or West depending on what part of the country you live in - and many machines are now so automated that it takes a monkey to do the same job now days, that no longer carries any potential. So, if you don’t like your job here in America, why not quit and go somewhere else???

Due to the fact that many jobs here in America have not only diminished or has hired out to another ethnic group (generally the illegal category), our choices become less significant than they were 30 years ago. I opted to go over the road in an attempt to make a descent living but when I looked into all the companies that were out there, I quickly realized that not every company operates within the same protocol. Some trucking companies hold there drivers to a higher standard that others which means many drivers out there on the highway today drive as if they haven’t that much to lose so just about anything goes, while the better companies will help you achieve proficiency in doing your job meaning with the better company you have more to lose than the average container hauler from the East coast.

Again, if you don’t like your job than simply go somewhere else - go where? I believe that what this posting is about is that because there are so many people out there who are willing to sweep our country’s policies under the rug or look the other way when Mexican (illegal immigrants) companies threaten our economy, than without people speaking their voices and standing their ground than this country could be facing bigger problems than we already have. For those who think that it’s simply a matter of quitting and going somewhere else, than obviously you are not in touch with what is going on around you and perhaps you are able to live your lives in the comfort of sightless shadows and if that’s the case than so be it. Kind if reminds me of someone who has been in a coma for several years then wakes up and sees an I-phone for the first time…

For those who do speak up I do believe that you make a difference - the problem is, that some people (like why not just quit and get another job) along with our un-trust worthy government are so dense that it’s like preaching God to a bunch of atheists.

 

exactly. i get so sick of going into truck stops or company terminals hearing all the moaning and whining, and this coming from drivers who procalim they're 'vets' driving for 5+ years.

Dont like the company you're at....quit, and find a new one. Pretty sure there are 100 other drivers looking for a job. As much as i HATE making .33cpm - .45cpm, as much as i want to be an O/O....i'm not about to do it till i start getting 2500 miles average. i'm close to that now, but i want to be SURE i wont get screwed, sign a lease, then end up getting less miles. Those i've spoken to, seem to get MORE miles, but just too big a risk right now.

 

well first off, when i take home time, i always set my PTA like i normally would. I end up off a load on friday, ill set my PTA for saturday morning...even though i wont come off home time till sunday night or monday morning.

starving drivers? lol....highly doubt you are starving. besides, most truck drivers i've seen (myself included) look like we could go a day without food. =)

 

Actually being sold to other countries was and is George Bush's policy and is STILL affecting America! Get in touch with reality dude! GWB gave rewards to companies to move overseas! After all he is and was a mama's boy! And no less a cheerleader (hornblower) I wonder how many horns he has blown?

 

Ya know I started out driving long haul on the kamikaze trail way back in 1977. I was haulin supplies to those construction workers that were working in those construction camps. There came a few times when they needed some help and so I did help. Eventually I was induced (by more money$$$) and not being treated like a second class citizen to becoming a commercial & industrial electrician (class A electrician). Since then I have watched both industries rise and fall in employment as well I have worked as both a driver and electrician. Times are bad right now. Not because of the employers so much as the fact that we (USA) are spending a billion dollars a day on that #### war in Iraq! That war was started under the premisis that Iraq had "Weapons of Mass Destruction", no such weapons were ever found and now the Bush family is sucking the oil right out of Iraq! I am sorry to say that the USA has been suckered by another gold plated horn blower (GWB). I think GWB should blow all of America's horns on his knees!