Truck strike

[HENRY E NC]

I just got back from Chattanooga taking wife to see her oncologist,and I dont think the truckers that go thru there have startrd to stike yet. Chattanooga id s tight place when the trucks are on the road on I75, I24, US 74/64 on the way to I40 and I81. There were a lot out today. Maybe by the week end they will be gone. Stopped for gas in Ocoee on the way over $3.179. only put a few gals in. Stoppped at the same place on the way back and gas had dropped to $3.159 Cheaper tha the #3.319 here and $3.219 in Geogia at the line.
Stopped at an olds farm junk yard and saw lots of good items but after talking with the owner I realized he liked the junk better than I did. Henry

 

[[email protected]]

There is no indication of a truck strike here. State DOT car was setup at I69 and US 20 and had a full house. While I was in town, there was just as much truck traffic going through town.
The other thing you need to remember is that for every truck that refuses to run, there is another willing to haul the load. Then the driver who refused the load, loses customers and dollars. It doesn't take only a few of those to be flippin burgers for a new career.

 

[DaveS]

***[i:654c4848f0]Then the driver who refused the load, loses customers and dollars. It doesn"t take only a few of those to be flippin burgers for a new career.[/i:654c4848f0]***

Profit is probably better flippin burgers anyway.

 

[Vally Farm]

I may be wrong, but I doubt it'll happen. They talk about it all the time, but never do it. I hate, realllllly hate, to say this, but even the FRENCH can get a strike going. Needs to be done with the farmers, loggers, ranchers too! Mike

 

[Dennis (VA)]

I"m sure the strike will presuade the Chinese and Indian"s to park there cars and trucks so we can have cheap fuel.

 

[Big Mike]

F*CK the Dot Heads and the Chinks! If we would pump out A N W R, we could tell the Saudis to DRINK their Fuggin Oil!!!!! But there's no profit margin in that.....

 

[trucker40]

They were only calling to shut down for 3 days.I looked at Dan Littles web site.He is a bull hauler from Carrolton,Mo saying its only for 3 days.His website is free to truck companies to get loads or something.Only one union had went with them that was 18,000 trucks,plus he got a bunch of e-mails from others,saw on the news at Kansas City where they were side by side driving on the Interstate real slow.
Whats going to happen is they are going to see what happens.Then they probly will be more the next time if nothing gets done until they stop.Of course the guy that runs Schnieder claims that he wont stop.There might be a half million parked,thats if all the independents parked.There are about 3 million trucks.
Big companies want to get rid of independents.Big companies are owned by railroads,like Schnieder,JB Hunt,and others.The reason the stuff went to trucks is railroads dont go everywhere,they are inneficient,loose stuff,corrupt,and a truck can get it there faster.Especially food.
Something will need to give somewhere because they will stop again if it doesnt.
All I can say is,lame as it is,something is happening.All those guys risking their jobs,their way of making a living,so somebody that can do something will listen.
There is a war against any way that you can make a living with a truck right now.They want to bring in Arabs that dont speak English,and Mexicans to drive trucks for slave wages.The big shots figured this out long ago and now they are after independents.Greedy brokers are helping it along.These greedy brokers get good money from shippers and a fuel surcharge then refuse to give it to the truckers and offer rates of 10 years ago.The DOT is responsible for brokers and wont even talk to you about it.They will be unemployed soon after they drive the independents out,they wont have any trucks to load.
I cannot believe the stupidity of people in the trucking industry.Most of them are nnalert,and thats who have caused this with Reagans DERGULATION.The nnalert are only slightly better.If truckers could get that fuel money from shippers without the middleman thieving brokers,this wouldnt be happening.

 

[John M]

Henry, did you mean Oconee, SC? Just wondering.

 

[trucker40]

You might think that there is another truck waiting,but when this stuff began a few years back(brokers stealing the fuel surcharge)loads sat there until the price came up.Even if there are more "company trucks",companies wont haul it either unless thats all they can find and it takes them to a good area.Some of those cheap places went under.The brokers are most of the problem and I bet the shippers dont even know what their loads are being offered for in a lot of cases.It costs them whatever and the thieves steal all they can.
What you think is not happening,is.It will take time but you wont believe how empty stores will get if they go on strike for real.You dont really want to see a truck strike.
Truck companies go broke every day.Some companies have 100% turn over.When thats all there is left running the roads,you dont want to drive on the roads any more either.A mad trucker,working for a jerk company,who takes the fuel out of his drivers pay is not going to work very long.The when you have non english speaking jerks driving trucks for slave wages just so some rich big shots can have more money,you dont want out on that road.If they can get away with it they will have them in junk cab overs with no brakes,no sleeper,no air conditioner,as least as they can get away with.It will be like Mad Max in a couple of years.Also once the independents are gone and the railroad has it back the cost will go as high as outer space.

 

[trucker40]

Look,what has China and India got to do with brokers stealing fuel surcharge because the fool Repblicans wont regulate them?

 

[Anonymous-0]

what color is the sky in your world??

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

I have to support the American trucker. Our government has screwed us, and them with current financial/legal conditions. You can"t afford fuel, and you can"t afford a rig that can pass all the DOT crap. Americans are screwed by who? OUR GOVERNMENT, and greedy corporations.

 

[trucker40]

Blue same as yours.Cant help it,this is nonsense and its ruining life for people.

 

[john in la]

With slave labor rates; discounts on fuel for large fleets; direct billing knocking out the middle mans comission (brokers)independents are going to be hard pressed to make it. Even if they were getting their fair share from brokers.

My company is hiring drivers in select cities. 0.52 a mile

 

[HENRY E NC]

No, i meant Ocoee. The Ocoee River flows from somewhere in Ga, to the Tennessee River thru Tennessee near Ducktown. The Olympic Kyack games were held on the Ocoee abouot 8 miles from Ducktown Sometime in the 90's. We have to go thru the Ocoee gorge to get to Cleveland and Chattanooga Tenn.

 

[Jim H SW-PA]

Our local paper Valley news dispatch said today some very harsh words,# 1 we better get used to it, and #2 If the drivers can't make a living with their trucks,time to look for another job. Check out our local news.@ wpxi.com -- go down to `[local truckers join fuel protest],click on link. also try, valleynewsdispatch.com to read what I'm saying.Oh yes!!!I almost forgot.Top CEO's from oil companeys saying they can't help oil prices are so high.And right after that the newscaster said they only made, one hundred fourty something billion last year.

 

[NcNE]

I agree with the rest of y'all that fuel prices are just too darn high and something needs to be done. However, many of the small truckers cannot afford to go on strike while supporting a family. As far as finding a different career, its tough as well. Here in Central Nebraska, 3 major companies within a 75 mile radius of eachother have laid off over 450 workers in the last two weeks.

 

[Jim H SW-PA]

Believe me,I do understand your position. We probably have the same circumstances in eastern Pa. A lot of illegal people out there that will work cheaper waiting for your job. The govnmt makes raids out there every so often,but somehow they show up again.Writing to state reps.or congressmen seem to be falling on deaf ears.I am on a fixed income,[by choice] At my age I will probably have to go to work at either Wal Mart, Lowes.Then I think of the gas prices to get there.and to work for minimum wage would it be profitable? Heck no!!I'll just have to sit here and pick s@#t with the chickens.

 

[John M]

DUH!!!! Didnt even catch that, just saw the letters I guess. Thanks!

 

[ericlb]

you might remind the paper that those big rolls of newsprint they use come to them on a truck, as well as everything else they use to produce their paper, wonder how long they would last if the truck quit coming? ive been searching, and the oil man might be partially right, the problem looks to me like we have the oil, what we don't have is the refining cabibility to produce fuel from it, we have 1 refinery still blown up in texas and several still not up to pre hurricane capacity, but the bunny huggers wont let them build more of them because it might make bambi change her humpimg habbits, if they told the companies to make more refineries today it would take ten years for it to produce its first fuel, but if not , it will be even longer, lets see we could save some fuel if we put every politician in washington d.c. on a bicycle.. of course as fat as some have grown off of oil proffits, somebody will have to invent a 3 wheeled bicycle that has dual rear tires...

 

[Dennis (VA)]

What have the chinese, etc, have to do with this. Everything. There economies are expanding, they buy more cars per year then US so they have increased world oil consumption. So more demand and stagnet supply + higher prices. As far as brokers stealing supplements instead of striking, go to state attorney general.

The strike seems to me like the buggy makers going on strike to protest everyone buying model T's. Feel for the truckers but the world dynamics have changed.

 

[Jim H SW-PA]

Even as I had to laugh at your comment, {Good humor is appreciated]This a serious matter,I do agree with you about the refineries that need to be rebuilt.The top oil companies should take a look at their $140,000,000,000 profit and do something about it,Rather than to sit back and count it.If I have a machine broke down I need to make money with, I have to fix it.