YES!!!! Let's STRIKE!!!!!!!!

I'm thinking even 30% of Trucks sitting would make a significant difference. But how?? To show how difficult this would be- I suggest to the members here preaching strike to set a date and get a petition going...See how many sigs you can get.

 

Followed by further government crackdowns, citizens mobbing truck drivers, a sudden influx of foreigners showing up to take your truck and do your job for half the pay, and truckers on trial for terrorist acts. Yeah, a strike would be so muc fun! Where do I sign up?

 

Consider this. If company drivers and o/o's are hurt by the excessive and often unnecessary regs and EOBR's and such, than doesn't it stand to reason that the carriers are [hurt] too? (made less profitable). Because when a driver is making less money and dealing with more down-time, so is the carrier.

If the carriers don't stand up against the measures (but in many cases actually support the measures), how much influence can a few drivers have? If the carriers are simply going to release the striking drivers (because they can considering they have much more active capacity than demand), then what's the point? Who gains? Who really loses?

You're not just dealing with bureaucrats in DC. You're dealing with bean counters and safety supervisors at every carrier who are seeking out any "tool" they can to make their job easier and their insurance and settlement costs less. EOBR means no paper, fewer office people, reduced archiving costs, increased compliance, reduced insurance costs. You can argue about some of the continued changes in the hours rules, but the core of what you guys are complaining about are praised by the top brass and investors.

They said 10 years ago that EOBR's would increase freight costs to shippers and grocery stores, if it did, it must not have been much (or enough to warrant widespread outrage)

 

A strike is not going to happen. Many people to step in and pick up the freight while you're on strike. I once worked for a company & the drivers started that stuff about going on strike & unions, so one day the company fired 50 drivers out of the 135 they employed. No problem, within a couple of days they hired 50 new drivers. Yes, it was all legal. The armchair/truckstop lawyers had it all wrong.

If your work life is so bad & you're not making good money; that's your fault. Get your endorsements and change jobs.

 

I'm not disagreeing with anything you have said in the above post..All I am asking for is a solution;or am I destined to be annoyed (and somewhat amused) by these threads and yes on the C.B. and yes at the T.S. for the rest of my working life? It would be so cool to have the complainers (some is warranted) to 'walk the talk' and DO something about it..

I mean really..When I was a kid at home with my 4 older brothers,I had two YOUNGER sisters;and ALL their complaining never did them any good. Neither will complaining help with any of this..

 

At some point, the bureaucrats will go too far and implement a bunch of crap (in an effort to justify their existence) that makes absolutely no sense to anyone working and making a living in the industry. At that point, enough of the larger carriers will get together and say enough is enough, and while they're at it, they may work to undo some other poorly written laws as well. But until then? Nope, nothing anybody can do other than accept it and deal with it, or do something else.

Once the future historical accident statistics don't jive with the laws implemented today, and may in fact see an increase in accident costs that far exceeds the increase in volume, then maybe some may be open to going back to what worked better.

 

a few years containers in cali stopped but nothing really changed

 

Hope not as I am planning to buy a house state side soon.
Only been there once on vacasion but I really liked it.
Living where I am is good and lots of business opportunities but I don't know what the future holds with a government hell bent on destroying everything.
I need a plan for the family if it goes completely pear shaped here.

As for strikes my company has never been directly affected as we pay way more than average.
We also charge more than average.
We will always be small and could never become a mega company because we do everything the mega companies cant or won't do.
This is a limited market but you can charge more for it.

I have never been in favor of strikes relating to salary's because you have a choice (Take it or leave it).
I am probably not seeing this from the perspective of a driver and I can appreciate that it is not that simple when you have bills and may not have many choices.
You can then be exploited , but not everyone is in that dire position so many can still refuse.
When I am in favor of strikes is when authorities implement ill conceived laws that are forced on you.
Laws that can cripple your ability to make a living for no practical reason.

As for strikes being effective all you need if for the fuel distribution fleets to strike.
When the truck stops , gas stations , ports and air ports run dry then nothing moves.
If you tried that coupled to physically stopping any non striking drivers from making pick ups it would work a charm.
Of course even if you got all the regular fuel guys to do this the police of if necessary the military would sort you out.
It could be viewed at terrorism I suspect.
How else could holding a country to ransom be viewed.

 

It is legal for everyone to stay at home and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. Yes it is against the law to interfer with commerce it can lead to a lawsuite to the tune of about 4 million bucks it happened to the drivers in Canada, Look every other group can come together Hell even gay folks and or kids can do it! I'm sure we can take off pur bedroom slippers long enough to act like real men for a few days.
Yes we can and yes we should!!!

 

Union!!!!!!!