Why a strike? The CSA 2010 will cripple trucking.

No it won't. They will be laid off/fired with their bad records. The remaining drivers will continue to drive at increased wages.

We're seeing the effects of CSA now.

A strike...will never happen.

 

No they wont providing their MVR is clean. All the points they accumulate stays with the carrier, if they change jobs they start all over again, nothing different than its ever been,

 

Better look again. Points stay with the carrier for 2 years, with the driver for 3.

 

This isn't going to be as much benefit to individual drivers as people may think.

Eventually this will boil down to a numbers game and companies will work the system the same way they always have.

The reason is because there is no differentiation between a 20yr veteran with a perfect record - or someone on the road 20 weeks.

If you think about it, every trainee they bring in will have a "spotless record" since they are starting from zero - as they accumulate points, they will be discarded much as they are now - with fresh "records" brought in. - not to mention another "legal" reason to break those abusive lease and training contracts while raking in the profits.

If anything - an otherwise good driver who may have been the victim of bad equipment violations (like containers) will be cut - while unproven drivers will continue to fill the highways.

Many new drivers may just "luck out" in the first 3 - 6 months avoiding any inspections - but that don't necessarily make them "good drivers" - just too new to have accumulated points.

The veteran pool ( while generally safer as a whole) will suffer since their points as a whole will be higher just because of miles driven - while giving companies another excuse to cut higher paid and "knowledgeable" drivers.

The best companies will consider experience - but they always have ... and this will not effect the "volume" of unsafe or poor skilled drivers on the road.

 

I think there will be some. We're already hearing pay raise here. That's not "gossip". That came directly from the horses mouth, during a BS session between myself and said administrator.

I'll also admit, I never saw an upper level admin so caught off guard by the question, when I hit him with it.

This is very true, for training companies. But then again, it's always been about the numbers to them. We require 18 months minimum, 24 in some cases.

This may be the tipping point for "fleece" operators. Rumor in the industry (per industry rags) is they may require lease operators to obtain their own authority, and utilize the company as a brokerage.

I'm sure contracts will be re-worded to insure "the" company, is their exclusive brokerage.

We're seeing an increased action on the part of my company. They become increasingly pro-active when a driver reports an issue with any equipment.

I come to this with zero points, myself. As does another of our drivers I have spoken with. We're both being activly recruited by other companies, for much higher pay than we currently receive.

What keeps us here? The simple fact we're home every weekend, and left alone throughout the week.

That and $20 an hour detention

I think you'll see a huge increase of inexperienced drivers coming into the industry, as pay increases with the shortage.

In the short term, CSA will make our highways more dangerous. In the long term, it should make our lives much easier.

 

I hope so, but unfortunately more companies may end up going to the training company model just to keep trucks filled.

I'm sure it will be a boon to the tractor/trailer manufacturers, as they look to update their fleets in a hurry.

Requiring lessors to run their own authority is something new to me, should be interesting the attrition rates on those deals. Though I think owning your own authority is the only real way to run "independent" - doubtful under one of these "deals" though ...

 

Kewl, let's Get"R"Done then.

 

I'll expand on this a bit more.

The reason for the "forced" own authority. To get the "fleece" operator out of their (company) CSA data base.

If they're leased to the company. Any infraction goes on the company CSA score. Where as, if they simply use the company as their broker....zero points on the company score.

As for "independent", will never happen. They will most likely require the operator to utilize their services exclusively, while leasing a truck. Which opens up a whole other can of worms for the IRS and OOIDA,

 

I was checking out different companies ratings on SafeStat and noticed Prime is not listed. Has anybody seen their ratings?

 

Points dont leave the company just because they fire someone. Both parties keep the points.
How in the world this would lead you to believe that more companies would become newbie training companies is far beyond me.
Fact is that newbie training companies will be going by the wayside. All their rookie mistakes and small dings will add up very fast especially with 10000 trucks on the road.
I feel just the opposite will occur and people with great records are about to become very highly sought after with a proven track record of keeping your #### together. Hmm who do I want filling my thousands of tractors? a bunch of rookies or people who are proven professionals?
The only people worried that the sky is falling are #### ups who cant live and work within the rules.
I look forward to having my skill and prfessionalism finally be worth something more than a 2 week tech school grad.
Of course if you cant hang you need be very worried.