We are not in control and, basically have NO say in the matter!

Union, union, union......BULLCRAP!!!!!

I'm sick to death of hearing this garbage. Do you clowns really think this "idea" is somehow unique to you? Do you really think nobody's ever tried this route before you showed up?

Get the heck over yourself. We've been there and done that and learned the hard way that unions are BULL!!! The big unions (Teamsters, AFLCIO,etc) are just another #### political party; that's all they care about..... their power. If you think James Hoffa Jr gives one sweet crap about you or anyone who doesn't further his personal ambitions you are hopeless.

Unions were a good and necessary idea when they first started but it was no accident atall that they quickly became enmeshed with the mob. It is also no accident that in the past years unions are bleeding members. It ain't George Bush.... people just got fed up with their BS.

Give it a rest.

 

The idea of a strike across the nation is the right idea, HOWEVER, it will never happen, and everyone knows it. Too many are living from cheque to cheque, always in debt, never saving anything. As such, they can't afford to take 1 day off, let alone a month. So, a strike will never happen by drivers. There is no way to get everyone to shape up financially overnight to be able to do it.

 

oldnewannabe, how have you been? First of all I wanted to say good post. I have wished we could do something to help ourselves, but we are our own worse enemy. We are hauling freight for the same rates as when I started in 1974 thanks to big guvment deregulation. We tried a strike when fuel jumped from .38 to .44 cents, but there is just no cohesiveness to the way we as an industry react. Note I said react, not respond to the situations we are placed in. Unionize? Pure socialism. The root of the problem is that we are all really too independent as individuals, that is why we do what we do. And those drivers that are not that way do not give a rats furry behind about much of anything. Just listen to the CB for ten minutes as a litmus test. We have become pretty much islands unto ourselves just trying to eek out a living. I am afraid between deregulation, rules, more rules, taxes, blown out of perspective safety concerns, the economy, tree huggers, the morons that call themselves congress (both parties, I am an equal opportunity complainer) and our inability as an industry to just say no to some of this crap we will all go by the way of the cowboy. Trucking will be so regulated that it will become government controlled and subsidized, making the American trucker just another federal employee providing service with the efficiency of social security delivered with the attitude of the post office. My two cents worth.

 

Just follow the rules, mind your own business, and smile. The less you talk to other people the better off you will be. Accept the things you cannot change. It's been tried before and it will not work. We are our own worst enemy. They are coming after us, the lowly driver, oh my. The Mexicans are after our jobs, the carriers are after our souls,the guberment wants to rule instead of govern.

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One man can make a difference. Actions speak louder than words. There can be no progress without change. We can do anything we put our minds to,Lead follow or get out of the way. We can make it work one way or another. You are not alone Strength in numbers, united we stand divided we fall. I know I can, I know I can, I know I can. We will make it somehow. When the going gets tough the tough get going.


As to whether or not anything can be done depends on how many fall into one of the above groups. Which one do you think has the most likelihood of getting something done?

 

Oldnewbiegonnabe,
Glad to hear everything is going well and you are home a few days. Everything is pretty well here too, thanks for asking. I did work one week sick as a dog. When I got home the Dr wanted to hospitalize me, but thanks to being self employed and having high deductable insurance I declined. Ended up with pneumonia and spent the next two weeks just chillin out at home. I am so thankful my equipment is paid for. Other than that things are the same, too much deadhead, too much rate cutting and too much government. Some things never change.

 

No! Don't rest. Keep fighting. There are very good jobs with very good companies. Just stay away from the usual "bottom" feeders.

Drive safe

 

Not only that, but the deck is stacked against drivers organizing.
Did you know it's illegal to run in a convoy?

Deregulation was the real straw that broke the camel's back.
After that, every Tom, Dick, and Harry could buy a used truck+trailer and haul freight.

So you organize a bunch of drivers, which means rates go up.
Then Tom, Dick, and Harry (plus Pedro, Ishmael, Habib, Vladimir, etc) will haul that freight in their 2,000,000-mile used Dick Simon trucks + Schneider war wagons for pennies on the dollar.
Why do you think Cheap & Heavy Robinson is one of the best performing transport stocks?

Plus, half these drivers can't agree on anything.
You could ask for some simple directions on the CB and you'll here fifty different things...each contradicting the other.
Tell a trucker the sky is blue and he'll argue with you that it's green...and give you a dozen reasons why he thinks it is!

That's just the nature of the truckerman...

 

unfortunately americans don't have the same cajones as other nations..we used to stand up for our rights as citizens, remember studying abt. the Boston tea party?..our fore fathers came to this continent and stole it from the resident Indians because they were fed up with taxation w/o representation etc etc..what ever happened to those folks? truckers strike,ha ha..i've heard about that for over 50 yrs..and it aint happened yet and it isnt going to,NO CAJONES....bg