Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2008 16:53:13 GMT -5
Any validity to the rumor that I just heard that truckers are parking their trucks for 5 days & going on strike?
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78KW
Regional OTR Driver
Hard Time don't last...Trucker's do!
Posts: 2,467
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Post by 78KW on Mar 31, 2008 18:52:25 GMT -5
This is the first I've heard of it, but these come up every so often. Usually, maybe a dozen guys follow along. If there were real passion behind it, like in the old days(b4 my time) we might get somewhere.
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78KW
Regional OTR Driver
Hard Time don't last...Trucker's do!
Posts: 2,467
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Post by 78KW on Mar 31, 2008 19:10:28 GMT -5
About 10 min after I answered, AM 770 WABC in NYC reported that there may be a trucker's protest this week. We'll see.
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mountaindewd
Local Delivery Truck Driver
IIIII GOTTA GET ME SOME!!!!
Posts: 276
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Post by mountaindewd on Mar 31, 2008 19:48:00 GMT -5
I have heard the same for 4/3/08.
Les
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Post by super580k on Mar 31, 2008 20:39:04 GMT -5
OK..I am going to chime in on this one....
IT has to be done for this "COUNTRY" to wake up. I am surprised it hasn't happened as of yet..at 4+ dollars/gallon for diesel here in PA...
Maybe if Clinton and Obama can't get their election bumper stickers...Just maybe!! Yeh..right...
It is very, very sad...especially for the owner operator....I do believe the worst is yet to come.
All of you guys..that truck..have my deepest respect...God bless all of you...
Kurt McLucas
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locoengr
Local Delivery Truck Driver
Gluebombs Inc.
Posts: 276
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Post by locoengr on Mar 31, 2008 20:53:27 GMT -5
OK..I am going to chime in on this one.... IT has to be done for this "COUNTRY" to wake up. I am surprised it hasn't happened as of yet..at 4+ dollars/gallon for diesel here in PA... Maybe if Clinton and Obama can't get their election bumper stickers...Just maybe!! Yeh..right... It is very, very sad...especially for the owner operator....I do believe the worst is yet to come. All of you guys..that truck..have my deepest respect...God bless all of you... Kurt McLucas HERE! HERE! and X's ten!! Bruce in Fargo
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78KW
Regional OTR Driver
Hard Time don't last...Trucker's do!
Posts: 2,467
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Post by 78KW on Apr 1, 2008 0:20:42 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. I think these are the times when the industry weeds out the weak ones. Natural Selection and Survival of the fittest, I guess. Unfortunately, some of the good, respectable guys will be casualties of this tough time as well. That's the sad part. The ones we need as a good influenece out here will be gone. I heard on one of the radio broadcasts Hillary talked about a driver who couldn't afford to go to work and that "something" must be done. If you breakdown the price of a gallon of fuel, I know a large chunk is fed/state taxes. Taking Uncle Sam's hand out of our pockets would be a big something.
That fuel tax money is supposed to be for highway maintenence and construction. If it were actually used for that, the other looming problem wouldn't be such a threat. Of course, I'm referring to states putting a for sale or lease sign(figuratively speaking) on our toll roads. I know PA was considering it, as well as tolling I 80. As hard as it was fought, I believe Indiana got away with it. Now that's what we don't need. With the toll increase on the PA pike 3 or 4 years ago, I won't take it unless I'm empty, since you are weighed as you pull up to the booth, which determines the price. Fully loaded, the busiest 150 miles of the PA pike(New Stanton-Carlisle) was just $33.30. Now it's $49. Going all the way across PA is like $100 now. I know costs go up over time, but not like that. Then again, same with the fuel. 5 years ago, when I bought my blue Pete, the national average 4 diesel was like $1.50-$1.65 roughly. To be at $4 a gallon 5 years later is a bit ridiculous. I would've lived with $2 just fine. As I said, we all know costs go up, but nearly triple in 5 years is suspicious to me. Another thing about fuel taxes, and this affects everyone. Remember what happened last August in Minneapolis? I 35W collapsed, because the money was being used for things having nothing to do with highways, as it is all across the country. Instead of maintaining that which everyone, not just truckers, use, they let the bridge go. Of course, after a few innocent people fell to their deaths on that bridge, suddenly maintaining our highways became important again. After all, they're from the gov't and they're here to help(Yeah right). I just hope no more people perish that way.
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Post by spotlight on Apr 1, 2008 8:40:54 GMT -5
Well put Ray. I was caught up in the shut down in Ohio in '73 and Michigan in '74 even though I was driving company out of Ontario, Oregon. It was no fun but it got some attention and action. The sad thing is that back then, drivers were hurt or killed by someone not even in the trucking industry. One instance, In New Jersey an unemployed butcher threw something off an overpass, it went through the drivers windshield, and killed the guy. Win
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mikey
Local Delivery Truck Driver
Posts: 14
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Post by mikey on Apr 1, 2008 10:34:56 GMT -5
Well guys this is why as yesterday i no longer will be driving trucks unless its a fire truck,between the increasing regulation and enforcement being placed on trucks it isnt worth it anymore,the fuel prices are extremely terrible i agree but until this country will pull its head out of the environmetal crap and the nimby approach nothings going to change and by the way those super great environmentally friendly engines getting shoved down our throats use more fuel imagine that. Ill stop for now.Mikey
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Post by towguy76 on Apr 1, 2008 19:09:11 GMT -5
The highways and bridges will be important to the government for a little while. But once public interest wades and focuses on something else, they will be back to their old ways of using the money to fund projects of their own interests. And those of their corporate buddies.
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Post by towguy76 on Apr 1, 2008 19:11:24 GMT -5
By the way, i didnt see a change in the number of trucks on the highways today. Same with the number of trucks in the rest areas and truckstops. Not surprisenly there was little if any talk on the c.b. about the strike today.
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41chevy
CDL Student Driver
MY B-61
Posts: 743
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Post by 41chevy on Apr 1, 2008 19:53:06 GMT -5
I heard a little about a 1 day slow down,also heard a White House spokes person say that if you cannot afford the cost of driving....make a new career choice. I'm over 50,been doing this a good part of my life, have 3 trucks...none are new.I now haul and recover antique trucks and equipment.(Now I'm also doing salvage)I pay $4.60 for fuel, I cannot leave or return to L.I. with out paying at least 3 tolls (which just went up again)and for those who run through Suffolk county we now deal with daily "inspection stops by NY State police, NY DOT, Suffok County P.D. and Suffolk Sheriffs dept. Every body has their hand out. A strike or slow down ? probbly wouldn't help and I for one could NOT afford it. Sorry for the rant butI'm just worn down . Paul
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locoengr
Local Delivery Truck Driver
Gluebombs Inc.
Posts: 276
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Post by locoengr on Apr 1, 2008 21:20:32 GMT -5
I feel so sorry for you owner/operator's. I wish that there was something that I could do for you. I am making a pledge to buy one of your fellow drivers their meal when I get the chance. I will make sure to drive over to Petro or Flying J on Saturday, find an independent and buy their meal. I will do this every weekend I get the chance to. Unless one of you says this is a bad idea. I do not want to make anyone feel like I am "patronizing" them. I am doing it to show my appreciation, not for a pat on the back for myself.
Paul....were you related to Robert Chesire, a Federal Agent here in Fargo, that lost his life in the Gordon Kahl shootout in Medina, ND? 25 years ago Feb already......
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41chevy
CDL Student Driver
MY B-61
Posts: 743
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Post by 41chevy on Apr 2, 2008 10:12:16 GMT -5
Paul....were you related to Robert Chesire, a Federal Agent here in Fargo, that lost his life in the Gordon Kahl shootout in Medina, ND? 25 years ago Feb already...... Robert Cheshire jr. Deputy U.S. Marshall, was a second cousin..... Paul
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longhaul
Local Delivery Truck Driver
Posts: 129
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Post by longhaul on Apr 2, 2008 10:42:21 GMT -5
I dont think you are ever going to see a full shutdown and or truckers strike, no matter how bad things get out on the road.
Haveing driven out there for over 40 years, I have heard all of this bs about strikes and shutdowns a bunch of times before. Have even been involved in some of the trys and failers of shutdowns.
Every time there is a spike in fuel prices there is talk about a shutdown in protest. These never happen for the simple reason that most o/os can not afford to shutdown or go on strike. An o/o depends on that truck running, as he has truck payments, insurance payments, and other payouts that dont stop when his truck does. The average monthly truck payment is about 3500.00 a month or more. Its pretty damn hard sometimes to make that payment when the truck is running much less sitting idel in a protest.
Another reason, no shutdown would be, some of these small o/o's have 3 or 4 trucks and have contracts with some of these different companies to haul there freight exclusively. If they shut there trucks down in protest, some one else will move right in and take that freight contract away. When the protest is over what happens to that company that shut down in protest, there not going to get that contract back and will probley go out of business.
What about the big companies, Schneider, Crete, and Werner you know there not going to shut down there trucks will not give any backing to a protest or shutdown, there trucks will keep running and running and running. The reason being that they have customers that they have to service,or pay big detension fines to (i.e the auto industry) and also they dont have the same expenses that the o/o's do. They have deals with the big oil companies and dont pay pump price.
Also your LTL companies, (UPS, Yellow, Roadway,and Estes ect ect) most of them are union carriers and the union is not going to call a strike to back the o/o's. As the union has tried for years to get the o/o's to join and it hasnt happened.
What it comes down to is a lot of talk out on the road about strikes and shutdowns. But most of your O/Os can not afford to have a work stoppage of anykind. Even a 1 day O/O shutdown would put quite a few of them out of business.
I guess I am lucky, as I have been retired for the last 5 years and dont have to go thru that bs anymore. Just dont get me wrong, I know something has to be done to help these guys out wheather they be O/Os, Union drivers, or whatever. But sporatic stikes and shutdowns are not going to get it done.
In my humble opinion, what its going to take is for all of the big companies, the unions and union companies, and the O/Os all to get together, sit down and work something out. But we all know this has never happened and why would it happen now.
Thats just my nickles worth, sorry for rattling on and on
Jeff
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