For the seasoned Veterans out there

Thats the way I see it. But what do I know, I'm just a stupid truck driver, now retired. Some people will say its better for everyone because with lower freight rates everyone gets cheaper stuff. And what amazes me is that so many drivers out there have bought into that idea. I always took the more selfish outlook. Would I rather pay .10 more for a gallon of milk or have my pension and health insurance covered? Would I rather pay $10 more for a washing machine or have another $100 in my paycheck each week? Would I rather be sitting in a truckstop over the weekend not getting paid for it? Would I rather sit at a shipper or consignee for hours with no compensation while the owners of these trucking companies cry poor mouth just before they go out to buy a new Mercedes. If they are going broke today its their own fault. For years they have had the "no hill to steep, no load to cheap" mindset, and thats what has got them to where we are today. They can all go broke and ride to the poorhouse in the same cab as far as I'm concerned. They all wanted deregulation and they got it. All I can say is be carefull what you wish for.

 

Well.
We have recently had an over capacity issue. More trucks than freight.
We still have this to a point with the down turn in the economy. Though some rates are going up, due to loosing 6% of our excess capacity.
In the next year to year and a half, this stuff will start to turn around. At that point we will no longer have over capacity. When this happens, rates will go up quite a bit.
Some of the garbage, that could not effectively run there company's will be gone. The remaining ones will be running better than before.
Company's with the super undercutting will hopefully be gone for good.
When this occurs, we will have a driver shortage. (it has been a myth for years at this point), in the next few years it will be become a reality. For these company's to get and keep drivers in a drivers market, they will have to adjust pay.

 

I hope your right, but I won't beleive it untill I see it. They have been saying it for over 20 years now. First with deregulation they said its going to be better for drivers. More competetion will create more and better paying jobs. Then when they started with the CDL in the early 90's, it was this will weed out the underqualified drivers. You will be able to demand more money once you have a CDL. You will be treated with more repect. It aint happened yet. They keep singing the same old song over and over yet nothing changes that much. Driver turnover today is as bad as it was twenty years ago. They tell you they want to fix the problem, but they don't want to spend any money fixing it. If a driver sits waiting for a load he should be paid for it. If a driver sits waiting to load or unload he should be paid for it. If a driver spends 30 minutes pumping fuel into their truck he should be paid for it. If a driver spends 30 minutes sliding his tandems to get their load legal, he should be paid for it. Untill they adress the issues of driver compensation for all the freebies they get, and the hometime issue, and the issue of having some geek of a dispatcher who is barely literate controlling the majority of a driver's life, the revolving door in the hiring office is going to keep revolving.

 

When the trucking industry was economically regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission, shippers were required by law to pay their freight bills within seven business days. After deregulation, carriers often have had trouble collecting their money. The Interstate Commerce Commission was "sun-setted" and the DOT took over safety regulations.

I was working for a beer distributor. One day, a trucker showed up at the warehouse and we thought he was delivering a load. The driver said, "No. My employer sent me here to try and get a check for the load we delivered two months ago."

 

During regulation, published freight rates were enforced. I just discovered that my former employer had some legal trouble concerning a Kentucky Derby ticket given to a customer.

http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F2/570/97/4133/

 

Well I started driving in the 60's and it's changed for the worst.. I use to love this biz.. now I can't hardly wait to retire..

 

I know all about the delays and I know how to haandle my log book to.you can still do what I said as long as you ar not getting paid by the hr