It's time for a strike!

Exactly what I was thinking! No wonder they think truckers are morons.

 

Drivers should have seen this coming years ago with fuel prices on the rise and at the same time introducing low sulfur fuel into the trucking industry, it cost more to produce low sulfur fuels. didn't hear mush opposition back then, but then again freight rates have not risen either (who thought they would). Since deregulation has opened the door for any driver or interested party to get into the trucking industry. the owner operator has made it to where freight rates are stagnate, one owner operator operates with a lower overhead and makes a profit vs a company that has a staff and overhead to compete with, thus you have competition for freight , one person moving freight cheaper than the other and the operator not making money wanting to strike.
What are your thoughts?

 

Everyone has a different base in which they can operate. One O/O who has only fuel, permits, registration, maintenance, and insurance can definitely run at a lower base then a O/O who just bought a new rig with a mortgage. The problem is, quite a few don't know what their base really is and just run at x amount here and y amount there. I mean everyone should know this but you have to know your operating costs right down to the Penney these days. I see that some drivers say that $1.75 pm is good and others wouldn't fire up unless it was at least $2 pm. Everyone is different. What I see that all of us can sound off where someone would run at $.90 pm. I don't see how anyone could make it on that rate unless they are not legal. Permits and Regs aside, at rates like that, you're paying the shipper, but I suppose there are those who run the gutter or are just plain stupid

 

The last strike or so called one did not get the effect we had hoped for, but did get some recognition. First off it is difficult for an O/O to be competitive with a freight company that has government subsidies on payroll, fuel and insurance. You now see where we the O/O stand with our government. The government can send these subsidized companies in and fulfill the mandatory transportation of items like food and medicine and so on to hold off a catastrophic moral decline of our country, but for only a short time. The Sherman law protects the government and big business from people like us who will strike and cause an interruption in commerce which is against the law under a technicality. The word strike is the wrong word. The truth of we can no longer afford to operate with government interference and taxation without representation is the bottom line. We cannot interfere with commerce without governmental punishment. If we park our vehicles out of the way, we cannot be punished for interference since we are not interfering, but merely out of service due to financial burdens due to fuel increases. Plates, heavy highway use tax and road taxes and other taxes. If we stop, so do the taxes. This causes a burden on government. No income results in no income taxes owed. No income will result in home repossession, or in our case truck repossession and other personal losses and further bank failure and more bailouts from our government, which will require more taxes that cannot be collected due to our lack of income to support the taxes. The national guard and military could get involved, I feel at this time if blood were shed by American citizens under a marshal law act, this may trigger a nationwide revolt or revolution that even our own military could not control. I think we are getting prepared for socialism by our government. Iraq is a religious war that has been in effect for hundreds of years and we have not been able to do anything as far as fixing it, Iraq is not our problem and we never will be able to fix their problems since they don't want us to. We are there against their wishes trying to help them and they thank us with outrageous oil prices, they are greedy savages with no morals, and I personally feel Our government needs to be made accountable for what it has done to our own citizens, by following in some of our foreign countries foot steps. History repeats it self and due to our declining morals and inappropriate government actions, we now suffer.

1) The government must stop subsidizing trucking companies and any other companies with our tax dollars. This is unfair to individuals who don't qualify. Why should the American citizen be taxed to keep a failing company afloat.

2) We need to change the amount we get paid to offset the cost of fuel, taxes and insurance. A national average cost of fuel, and average fuel mileage of 5 miles per gallon loaded be the starting point and be a minimum one third of the price per mile for transportation. So at $4 a gallon national average = a minimum of $2.40 per mile.

3) Since we have to many dead beat brokers, shippers and receivers, just like our politicians - we need to go back to the old way of doing business. When the job is done we get paid on delivery. In our case no money no fuel, in their case no money no product and put it on ebay to the highest bidder. Cut the - its a civil matter - cash and carry, this will keep the trucker trucking, and not waiting for the money owed that never shows up.
4) We need less police to harass truckers who are in compliance. This crap they have to earn their salary is just that, crap. Government hit men we don't need. We need a few good honest cops to stop illegal activity and keep the honest trucker working.

5) Will this work ( that is a good question) either way. Keep hauling cheap freight and you are doing nothing but postponing the inevitable of going broke and losing it all. Take a stand and we may get what we are entitled to and that is a standard of living we all so deserve.

6) Parking my trucks in the garage, I am for letting our government know how I will be on April Fools Day - week

 

I belevie if there is more EDUCATION on cost vs freight rates any person operating a truck should know these numbers from the new driver to the most experienced owner operator and company driver. if the driver does not know where the base line is (cost of running a single truck) this situation will not get any better, I think Education first then look at a strike. Drivers need to know unexpected cost, like fender benders or a minor repair at a 3 cent per mile profit margin at times he has to run a week or more in to break even = no profit.

 

I belevie if there is more EDUCATION on cost vs freight rates any person operating a truck should know these numbers from the new driver to the most experienced owner operator and company driver. if the driver does not know where the base line is (cost of running a single truck) this situation will not get any better, I think Education first then look at a strike. Drivers need to know unexpected cost, like fender benders or a minor repair at a 3 cent per mile profit margin at times he has to run a week or more in to break even = no profit.

 

It was something I posted. I took care of it. I believe that whole post was meant for ME not you. We have different views.

 

Well if the lines are cut it won´t go anywhere....or how is it with american trucks...

 

You can't build air to release your brakes.