Have you contacted your local and state officials yet?

the main thing you can do is let people know whats going on and why. write your congressman and tell them how you feel. tell all your friends and family and have them to do the same. post on boards like this one and get the word out!

 

I agree and try to get the public involved as much as possible

 

I called my Senator's and Congressmen Monday and spoke at length about the problems we Independents face. I would recommend that we all call them and tell them whats going on! Here is the contact Info:


http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://www.house.gov/Welcome.shtml

 

I know many of you are wishing you knew what to do to help so here is my suggestion.

1. Spread the word about the trucker issues. Such as:
(a) the need to eliminate IFTA
(b) remove the Heavy Use Tax
(c) remove commerical fuel taxes
(d) cap fuel prices to act as a subsidy
(e) FULL DISCLOSURE from brokers about rates
(f) stricter qualifications for new drivers - like English only test
(g) completely remove HOS - no need to hold my hand

...if we are going to regulate the industry - all should suffer, not just carriers!

2. Contact you representatives. There are petitions out there to sign. So sign them - it doesn't hurt. However, the greatest thing we can all do is sit down and take 15 minutes to collect our thoughts and type out what you think the issues are and how they directly impact you. Take as mush time as you need to figure this out.

Next, take that letter and email it to your reps and even the President. Personal letters will carry more weight than all the petitions. Petitions just show that there are is a large group which is dissatisfied. Think of it this way - you have a Congressman who is supposed to work for you. If you sent him a letter from YOU, he is going to respond. If you mass emailed the entire Senate, who would respond?

Take the time to think out your needs! Write them down (or type them in) and organize them into what affects you the most. Explain WHY your needs must be addressed by the government.

How do I contact my reps? http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml This link will take you to page where you will get not only your Senators and the Prez, but also state officials. Make sure you email them your letter too.

3. Keep the faith! Don't get discouraged by the negativity you hear from other drivers or the media. Already some have mentioned a "NON-EVENT." The mere FACT they mention EVENT as part of that statement shows that SOMETHING did and IS happening.

It takes time. Circling the capital in PA or getting tickets in IL or shutting down ports isn't going to drop the price of fuel. What it does, is shows that WE WILL STAND TOGETHER! We all want the same thing and #### it, we will stand together for it! Some have said we are unorganized! HA! This is just the start. We are organized enough to have hundreds of news stories about us. Just Google truckers strike and see the progress we are making.

4. Be patient. Be kind. Be sensitive. Other drivers need to hear progress to stay positive. Give it to them instead of getting into a pissing contest because some Rambo wants to hear his talkback. We need more drivers to want to help. We don't want them to get pissed at us because we aren't mature enough to keep the big picture in view.

5. Take care of business. You customers still rely on you. We are protesting but we still have responsibilities. Take care of your customers. Explain, if necessary, that you deeply care about them and you are protesting on their behalf. Let them know with lower fuel costs and FULL DISCLOSURE from brokers could lead to lower shipping rates. Tell them that supporting our protest is a win-win for both.

We don't want to keep 4-wheelers from getting home to their families. Tying up the Interstate may be harmful to the cause. Get down the road, be safe, courteous, and wave! I hardly ever see drivers wave to one another anymore.

6. Let's set a date for a national "Get Together" in D.C. I would like to suggest we aim for Friday, July 4, 2008. We can call it "Independents" Day!

Well, I won't keep on. If you read this far - that's great! Makes me feel like I wrote something worth reading.

 

I think we have to be reasonable. For example, there's no way they're gonna remove IFTA, and they're not gonna do away with the HOS.

Here's why.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/282583/

 

On top of all this New York City is going to start charging to get admitted into Manhatten, $21 a day for a truck.

 

How does that have anything to do with IFTA or HOS?