Real truckers say no to rail

I used top run that a lot from hennepin IL to winchester KY. I can move pretty fast if I get the notion, but before I could get my chains put up one would load and go...

 

Decent or not, they are surviving in this economy. They also employ scores of drivers to support the rails on both ends. Giving these fellows a more "normal" home life than an OTR driver that spends weeks away at a time before going home for a couple of days off.

I have 18 years under my belt so far and have traveled all over the US and parts of Canada. You know what I love? Making money and enjoying my time at home with the money I made. In short; "been there, seen it, done that, got the t-shirt." Local and regional drivers can make a couple hundred per day AND be home much more often than an OTR driver.

Just call me a HI Tech redneck then. I enjoy the new fangled contraptions I get to play with today compared to the junk I had to use 18 years ago. I like my air ride suspension, air ride cab, heated air ride seat (with half a dozen different controls and positions available), More powerful engine, larger bunk, etc. I also like my cell phone, laptop, inverter, refrigerator, microwave, satellite radio, etc. The best part? My dedicated route that lets me go home and spend several night per week in my own bed and still make over a grand a week Plus some pretty nice benefits to boot.

We have a glut of drivers already. We have had Canadian drivers traveling our roads for years as well and we have survived. Nothing wrong with competition provided it is fair competition, meaning the same rules on their equipment as on ours. They must abide by the same rules and laws as we do. Bring on the EOBR's. GPS and On board computers for ALL! Lets get EVERYONE running legal. No more solos turning and burning a thousand miles per day chasing that dollar. Want the big miles? Team up! Otherwise go regional and have a regular home life for a change.

Oh yeah it isn't ALL freight that is being put on the rail. JIT freight and shipments less than 500 miles will normally be shipped via truck.

Actually I spent several years pulling JB Hunt trailers in and out of rail yards in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Chicago IL, California, etc. Was a solo regional driver out of the Harrisburg Pa rail yard for a year, pulled several loads in and out per day AND made some decent money while doing it. Nobody tried to stab me in the back. I did a job and collected my pay each week. Toilet paper, soap, paper towels, insulation, etc were common items shipped on the rail.

You may want to look up the meaning of Communism my friend. The fact is we are living in a Capitalistic society where it is business first and foremost. It is all about making a profit and undercutting the competition. From your previous post it actually SOUNDS like you want a more "protectionist" type government. Keep the foreigners out! Keep the choo-choo from taking my freight! Its not fair! I can't compete!

Sorry. No pay raises in the foreseeable future due to the economy. More than likely a pay cut is coming your way though. Better get your financial house in order.

HMMMM..... Teamsters WERE making .55 cpm + bennnies. Now they have to take some pay cuts or their carrier will fold up. Wages must be reasonable or they will eventually drag down the company. This includes CEO compensation not just the guys in the trenches.

 

First off, when you reply...try to quote and reply to that thought...because the way you are writing is one big jumbled mess and due to the fact that your keyboard lacks a return key to seperate the thoughts...Im having a heckuva time trying to decipher your thoughts.

Wait a...talk about a double standard here. So its ok to be competitive...unless you are rail?

Or ...are you saying that its ok to be competitive as long as nobody out-competes you? If I can haul the freight for less than you...why is that a problem?
Lets say you bought a brand new peterbilt...shiney with chrome...and you need to make 2 bucks a mile in order to break even.
I on the other hand...lets say I bought a 10 year old truck with cash and after crunching the numbers, I know I can run AND make a profit at lets say...60 cents a mile. Why should I sit with you next to me and wait for high priced freight...when I can be making money NOW by hauling cheap freight?
Oh...and don't tell me there is cheap freight...because there is no such thing. Just because a driver OR company can make money at a very low price per mile...that doesnt make it cheap.

You toss in fancy words like communist...etc. But at the end of the day, you are ripping on the Free Market system of economics...letting people and companies choose how they want to do business. Rail is a business, its another alternative that trucking companies have to haul freight. And don't start ripping on rail. Why don't you rip on the shipping via boat methods as well. Start complaining about why there isn't a truck highway between the US and mainland China. After all, boats are taking away our 'precious' truck freight.
And yeah..speaking of those communist boating companies taking our truck freight...what about the Flippin Space shuttle? If we only had a highway going up into outer space...I could have hauled a ISS piece up there this weekend!

 

Uh...the trucking industry IS competitive.

So......you are saying that we should charge a surcharge to rail for picking up our own freight? That's rather stupid. Thats like delivering freight to Proctor and Gamble...and having them charge you because you showed up.

 

I make a decent living myself. Nearly all of what I do comes off of a railcar. Each car on our siding is worth about a day's work for me. So I can't complain about rail. Maybe it is time for a change. If they put more freight on rail there would be more opportunities for drivers to get a job where they could be home every day or nearly every day.

 

Not all of us want that...I want more money to spend when I do get home.

I've heard enough about "change"...it always turns out for the worse.