Poll: Truckers Strike - When Will Truckers Stand Together? IF Ever?

WE??? Certainly not me! I NEVER "feel the need to absorb" any costs for someone else's business. I am not in this to be a charity.

 

I absolutely agree. I'm not running a charity organization.

 

I would stand behind a strike. I have been emailing family and friends and trying to get them to send the emails to other family and friends. I have been asking people to stop traveling, except in emergency situations, like a death in the family, a sickness, or a college graduation.

If people stop traveling every weekend and give up that beach trip for a couple of weeks, or where ever they go every Friday. I think it would help. The less people travel the less demand we have for fuel and we should end up with a supply that should help to reduce the prices.

My husband is a company truck driver and has to run when they say we have a load or he has no job.

But we stand behind a strike even if he has to call in sick or say he has to go out of town for a couple of days. Just let us know when.

SweetPea

 

Guys, Ladies,
I've been out here since 77. I've seen several strikes, some not so peaceful. Some were. The one thing I never seem to see is an agreement on what we are striking for. Fuel, ok, that is a good start. What about the fact that the government thinks you are all unskilled labor? That is why we are paid so low, and the fact that we can work 70 hours a week and not get overtime. Any other company you work for would pay you 30 hours overtime for 70 a week.
How about all the rules that are put on us at a whim. Some womans kid gets stupid in front of a truck, gets killed, and we get a new rule. Granted some of the rules we need, but they can't even get there own rules and regs straight, and seem to change em whenever they want.
What we need is organization guys. We need a loobist in Washington, just like the railroad, or phone company, or any of the other big corparations.
But first and foremost we need to start agreeing on things. I say yes, we strike, we show the country that we are united. Even if we only stop for an hour, if we all do it at the same time, we would be united.
Think of that guys, if every truck in this nation stopped at the same time, no truck traffic at all anywhere. What do you think would go through the minds of Washington and the powers that be???? If they knew that we were united in our effort, what would they think.
We can have the most powerful union ever formed, IF WE STICK TOGETHER. We haul every product this country, (and several others) has. We could bring this nation to a stand still. No gas, no food, no work.
Now a few things you have to know. When the traffic controllers went on strike. Reagan passed laws against this sort of thing. Whoever oraganizes a strike like this will go to jail.
But you can use there regulations against them. Hint, 34 hours re-start, truck won't pass a pre-trip insp, just plain ole sick and can't drive.
If we're going to strike, I say start small, one hour hurts no one, and it shows we are united. But lets get our demands straight, lets ask for more than fuel. Also we need a spokesman.


Hard to Handle

 

One other thing for you company drivers to think about. Companies are started to slow your trucks down. For example, Conway figures the best way to save fuel is slow the truck to 62 mph. Now how much does that figure out of your pocket???
You now have to drive slower, you don't get as many miles in a day. Your pay just went down. Did they give you a raise when they dropped your speed????? Also, your ins either has gone up, or will. How much more out of your pocket is that going to be???? If the rates on your ins doesn't go up, your deductable will.
Now the price of fuel has went up, your grocery bill has went up because of the higher fuel, your ins will or has gone up, and your pay has gone down so that your company can stay in business to pay for that fuel.
Get it all together guys.


Hard to Handle

 

Very true very true, Milt
I do remember seeing but admittedly do not know how true, their is a company that someone posted on here within the last week or so, that the co. was giving drivers $.01 raise for lowering truck speed. If someone can add -----I just don't remember who or where I saw it..............................J

 

So many questions and so, so, many possible replies. I'll try to keep it simple and stay away from "what if."

My thoughts on a stike: Since we have not had a "pay raise" since 1980 and truckers are not covered under federal employment law I would stand up for a strike.
The best way is to simply shut down where ever we are. At a dock, in a store parking lot, at a truck stop.

The best way to do it: Safety and public support is at the top of my list. While blocking off Washington D.C. sounds good, shutting down the federal government would have an impact far beyond truckers and we lose public support. No federal paychecks mailed out, dockets go unfinished, legislation is halted. We lose even though we got peoples attention. Not to mention the citations we get could bankrupt some drivers.
We shut down at shippers and receivers, nothing goes in and nothing goes out. The ones that need a wake up call are the one's that see first hand what we can do. They after all dictate our pay by what they are willing to pay to ship and receive from afar.
Truck stops would not care much as we will of course shop and eat there. They make out like bandits.
Shut down in parking lots. The public first hand see and hear our stories and we gain their support through sympathy. Hey it works for "feed the children" why not us?
The most we can get cited for is trespassing which is a misdomenor in most states and a small fine. Unlike impeding traffic and possibly causing an accident by shutting down on the D.C. by pass.

As for what I would demand: I can't argue very well for a pay increase as most of us make well above minimum wage. Based upon 60 miles per hour 7 cents per mile is federal minimum wage. 0.32 at 60 miles in 60 minutes is $19.20.
What I want to see changed is speed limiters taken off trucks and better training (standardized) for new people. No more CDL Mills. I believe training is set to become better in near future. However, no truck lane restrictions, no split speeds where we have to travel slower, and no parking restrictions (can't use) in rest areas.
Truth in advertising for companies. "Earn up to .41 per mile" is misleading to drivers (who don't know). Only to get there and find out they have to have 13 years experience to get that 41 cents. Use of the phrase "Best in the industry" needs to be held to the one actually voted best in the industry, by truckers.
I also want to see the scam of drivers having to pay to have freight loaded and off loaded because we don't have that states health card. Along with the scam of us having to pay for pallets to transport a load that was bought ad paid for by the receiver. ---think I'll charge my mailman 20 cents for delivering my mail tomorrow.---
I want to see idling laws relaxed or (wishful thinking) removed or mandated alternatives passed to companies. Mandated alternatives would be funded by states (not the fed) who have strict no idling laws. At the least I want the citation passed to the company and not the driver and the driver has to be protected from reprisal by the company. The company sent us there. The company did not provide alternative to idling. It's not the driver fault.

I will sacrifice if there is support for this. Yet we need to band together and have real internal support. The last strike we got peoples attention with about 50,000 trucks shutting down. Many others slowing to 20 miles per hour.

Here is how I see we all know this thing is going to happen in a serious manner.
Everyone who wants change needs to write their congressman in a particular agreed upon month. Letters need to be standardized with identical demands. We write to every person on capitol hill not just our own representatives. A few hundred thousand letters flowing in, all in a month with the threat of no action taken will result in a shutdown on a particular day two months from now until legislative action is taken.
If we get a million (approximately half of all active CDL holders) congress will have to take notice. An actual shutdown may never have to take place if the letter gives a notice. HOWEVER, we cannot raise the battle colors and not follow through. Next time it happens they will not take us seriously and we as an industry get nothing once again.

In my opinion now is the time to make this happen. We have congressional elections coming up along with a presidential election. Truckers have some favorable press happening right now, we would be foolish to miss this opportunity.

 

I like what you said. I think that truckers that are worried about the public getting mad at them when there is no food on the shelves, should think about their own families and people that are making minimum wage. It upsets mothers more when you go to the store and can't afford what is on the shelf. I have watched prices go up, some items just a few cents, but other items have gone from 99 cents to now $1.66.

My husband drives for a company, but he makes very little money. After paying house payment, car insurance, lights, phone, just the basic bills, we have very little for groceries.

Just let me know when you start sending letters. I am sure we can get the public in on it too.

 

The public doesn't care until something affects them...........

Right now the public is pissed off with the oil companies, they don't have time to worry about our pay or conditions..........

 

They know why the prices of everything is going up. I talk to a lot of people in my area. We have discussed truckers going on strike, we have even talked about them not going on vacations and stuff like that.

But in the long run, it doesn't matter that they are mad at the oil companies. It is affecting them in more ways than just the cost of gas to get back to work. The food is going up and they can't afford to feed the family. So at this time I really do think they will agree with a truckers strike.

Some food hasn't gone up that much, but others have jumped alot. But people are having to pick between gas and groceries and paying the other bills. A bag of wise chips was 99 cents and a large bag was $1.66 now the regular bag is $1.66 and the large bag is $2.49. Cans of vegetables were 42 cents at Walmart and now they are 60 cents.

The public is getting scared and worried. If you don't think they will stand behind you, than don't strike, but make sure you vote democrat in the election.

But I think they will stand behind you. Businesses are closing because of the fuel prices. So look at it this way. People are not buying as much because they can't afford to, they are window shopping but no money is changing hands. We have had stores go out of business, saw mills go out of business and we have production companies close the doors because of fuel prices. That no only affects the the people that worked there, it also affects the truck driver that no longer gets loads from these places or has deliviered to these places.

Tell the public, people do think think that truckers make a fortune. So get it out there. Let people know that you are not making all the money. Tell them how bad it is and how the trucker is struggling. Get it in the news, even if it is a letter that you send to the local newspaper. So don't just write to your congress person, write letters or send the same letter to the newspaper, news stations and let people know.

My husband is a company driver. I know what he brings home and I know how much fuel he puts in the truck. But I don't know what the company gets for the loads, so I can't help in that situation. The only thing I could tell them is how much he makes a week or a month and what our bills are and what we have left for food. We miss the food stamps by about $3.00. But if they could some how consider what he spends on the road to eat and get something to drink, we would qualify.

Sorry this is so long.
Swetpea