Truckers ‘going broke’ and threatening to strike

reply to post by America Jones

1) Solar panels only work when the sun is shining on them. Trucks drive 24 hours a day.

2) The engine in my truck turns out 515 hp. It's not possible to produce that much power from a truck covered in solar panels.

3) Studies show that varying speeds on highways leads to higher accident/death rates. www.ooida.com...

4) Slower trucks means more delay in an industry where transit times are constantly being shortened.

5) At last report, 80% pf all truck/auto collisions were the fault of the auto. From the NTSA, look it up.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by Zaphod58
They aren't opening jobs to Mexico. Mexican truckers are only allowed to go from Mexico to a distribution center and back. They do NOT go to anywhere else. US trucks still take things from the DC to the store or wherever it's going to.

Oh, but they are! there is a huge fight between members of Congress who passed a bill to stop the Mexican truck pilot program, and the head of the USDOT, Mary Peters, to continue it anyway. Here's a quick search on OOIDA.com: ooida.com... .

OOIDA, for those who don't know, is the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association. They are the single best source for anything trucking.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by Zaphod58
They aren't opening jobs to Mexico. Mexican truckers are only allowed to go from Mexico to a distribution center and back. They do NOT go to anywhere else. US trucks still take things from the DC to the store or wherever it's going to.

That may be how it is today, however, you need to keep your eye one the building of the NAFTA Superhighway and the Kansas City SmartPort. Once those are completed, I have no doubts that you'll begin seeing shifts where U.S. ports will begin receiving less goods while Mexican ports increase goods received. Additionally, I have no doubt that one the NAFTA Superhighway has been completed, you'll see the largest portion of trucking business going to Mexican Trucking companies as they bring the goods in from their ports all the way up into the heartland and further up into Canada.

Due to the wages that the can pay Mexican driver's as compared to U.S. truckers, it's only logical to see the direction that this is heading once the infrastructure is in place.

No they aren't. The Mexican trucks can ONLY got to Distribution Centers. They aren't going to stores, or warehouses. They are taking things beyond the 100 mile radius they were allowed to operate but ONLY going to DCs. From the DC to anywhere else the products will be carried by US trucks. Yes it's going to hurt some truck drivers, but it's not going to cut pay, or anything else when it comes to that issue, and it's not giving away jobs.

Originally posted by Lotiki
The fact is, if truckers weren't making money, there would be no more truckers...... People don't do something when they know they will lose money.
The company that pays you to haul cargo also pays for gas. Truckers arent hurting, its the shippers that are hurting.

[edit on 21-3-2008 by Lotiki]

Hmm.....lets see. As a trucker, and part of OOIDA, I make a little money, sure. I pass the cost onto the people who need my services. If they don't want to pay, we'll sit. Luckily, what I haul, the big companies won't touch.

Second, show me a shipper who pays for the fuel, not some %15 fuel surcharge bullcrap. The shippers are raping the long haulers, and they are getting away with it. If they did pay the full cost of fuel, there'd be no complaints.

So anyways, I just had to LMAO at the shippers are hurting. Keep the comedy coming.

Let's see now!.......

In 95 I was pulling paper from Niagara WI to LA for $1.52 a mile. My $92,000 KWL900 kenworth large car truck/home, which I, and the finance company jointly owned until my last payment, earned 82% of the gross per mile rate. So $1.52 x 82% = $1.24 a mile to me and my large care blinged out truck with $1800 a month note. In mileage revenue that would come to something like this -

2150 miles x $1.52 = $3268.00 gross for linehaul. The actual miles were more like 2300 miles since freight is calculated on the shortage distance which is impossible for a truck to drive since most roads/routes prohibit truck traffic.

So now I made 82% of $3268 which was $2666.00 for the run. My advance to pay expenses came out to 1/3 the gross which would be $1089.00 up front for the trip out with a balance owed me upon submitting my freight bills, $1577.00.

Fuel was $1.10 to $1.50 a gallon depending on which state I pumped it from. I always pumped from low $$$ per gallon states and payed road tax to those I would not fuel in because of high diesel cost per gallon.

I had 125 x 2 gallon tanks for a total fill of 250 gallons of fuel. So, at $1.25 a gallon for 250 Gs is $312.50 for the next 1,000 miles at 5 miles to a G. Depending on terrain, weather and wind, my over all miles to gallon would go from 3 to 7 miles per gallon which average will be 5mpg.

The total fuel for the trip one way would be approximately 460 gallons at average cost per gallon $1.25 x 460 = $575.00 with $514 for food and any emergency.

Now lets look at the above over laid with todays cost of fuel -

$3.89 a G x 460 = 1790 bucks V 575 bucks in 95. Thats 3 times the cost with the per mile shippers paying not much more today for the haul 2008 V 95 rates. The only difference now is shippers pay a surcharge to cover the added fuel cost which really doesn't make up the difference that much.

As you can see, the advance I got in 95 would not cover the cost of fuel today. In fact $1790 - 2666 would leave me with $876 and I would still have to pull out food, drink, and other necessities over the road.

1996 I sold all my equipment off because I seen where the transportation industry was heading. It was fun while it was profitably affordable.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
No they aren't. The Mexican trucks can ONLY got to Distribution Centers. They aren't going to stores, or warehouses. They are taking things beyond the 100 mile radius they were allowed to operate but ONLY going to DCs. From the DC to anywhere else the products will be carried by US trucks. Yes it's going to hurt some truck drivers, but it's not going to cut pay, or anything else when it comes to that issue, and it's not giving away jobs.

Right now that may be the law on Mexican truckers, but laws are meant to be changed. Give it a couple of years when the super expressways are up and running then we will be seeing Mexican trucks up here in Canada. The government has allowed to Mexican trucks in a little right now so we can get used to it a little at a time! Then a little more and more till all we see is those trucks on our roads.
My buddy just sold his two rigs and now drives for a large truck company. It was either that or become another statistic of bankrucy!

It is the way they ( hidden governments want it). Home depot and Walmart killed the mom and pop stores. Up here in southern ont. the small house builders are being pushed out for the mega builders. Ten years from now we will only be going to a couple of places to buy everything!

My heart goes out to my buddy and all the other o/o out there.

Originally posted by finnegan
reply to post by bamaoutlaw

 

Truckers will have much difficulty organizing an effective strike. Reason - government subsidy. The government has been providing guaranteed money to driver trainging schools in order to inundate the industry with driver trainees. Then it has been subsidizing the larger companies to hire these inexeperienced drivers on by the thousands with no heavy risks.

They are preparing for this very event when all the supertruckers decide they've had it, well they've got a bunch of little Billy Big Riggers lined up to replace them. The roads might become more dangerous, but the freight will keep moving.

This is why you have a company like Swift, who will hire a dumbnut out of College (you gotta go take a 6 week course after July 1st to get your CDL this year), throw him into a truck, and tell him to go. These guys cause most of the truck accidents anywhere in the USA. Not saying it's all Swift, just the new drivers who have had no experience driving in real world situations.

Trucking used to be an apprentice type job, where you'd start off as a grunt riding with someone, driving a little in the plains, and working your way up. Now it's get a degree, and you're a full fledged trucker. NOT!!

I will say, this thread has made me mad at a few, and glad that some see the reality of the whole thing. As someone said, if the Truckers and Farmers decided to quit today, this country goes down to it's knees faster then you can say Uncle.

We don't do that because a lot of truckers are ex-military, extremely patriotic individuals who will take a beating from this country and take it without bitching.

It's not the company, it's the school. There are a huge number of schools out there where you pay the money and they make sure you get your CDL. My company has a 275 DRIVING hour training program for our new students, as well as advanced training programs, and the majority of our new drivers have "accidents" such as backing in and bumping a pole causing little or no damage. Most accidents are caused by cars having little or no respect for trucks. I can't tell you the number of times I was driving down the road and found out there was a car behind me when they whipped out to pass me. I had no clue they were there until that point.

I deal with truck drivers every day at my job. I work in Iowa and a majority of my truckers are from Missouri. Recently, my company-a major agricultural/ingredients company that is not ADM-increased the fuel surcharge they pay to the independent drivers. Out of 100 independent drivers, we've lost only 3 in the last year---and that was because of attrition with medical conditions and retirements (most of my drivers are farmers too). Of course some of these drivers talk about the cost of fuel, but it hasn't seemed to drive any of them out of business. I guess they shifted their assets or haul more loads now!

This is nothing new. Fuel costs increase, pass the costs to the customer. These drivers were heading out of business anyway if they can't make it. The most competitive stays in business while the "bitchers and moaners" can't. Some choose to leave the industry because it is better for them, others want to stay in business but lack the foresight or management skills to be able to. MOST of them, because they are hardcore Americans, strap it down, buckle it up, and ride the rough road out. We live in the USA. This isn't a socialist country quite yet.

These fuel costs are hitting everyone hard, not just truck drivers. I'm putting $55 in a tank I usually put about $30 in every week just to get to work. That is an increase of $60 every month that I can't just piddle away on movie purchases, drop into a casino, or spend on junk food. Poor me.

Like someone else said, striking will just play into the hands of the big trucking companies. It may even help with getting those Mexican truckers up here (which I STRONGLY oppose). What these drivers don't haul will be hauled by someone else; whether that be another trucker, or, a railroad.

[edit on 22-3-2008 by CreeWolf]

Now the flip side...

I sold of my equipment in 96 and had a little nest egg to lay back on. Getting anxious to play the game again, I went in for a night desk job with a local trucking firm late 1996 to 1999.

Now I had the inside visuals to see what goes on in a 350 company driver plus 15 O/O supported office where peoples checks were generated by drivers who are the back bone of all trucking companies.

I now seen why there was a driver shortage and the pay so lousy. People managing people (drivers) are limited by the traffic departments dizzying load tendering to driver managers for there group of drivers. Some of these day time office people are not people friendly and it showed at night when the driver manager went home and I with 2 others would get hammered to hell with calls and satellite messages demanding to know about there loads and directions which the driver managers failed to supply to there drivers.

Imagine now, the driver is dispatched a load during the day, gets a tiny fraction of load info with a message to check with nights for the rest of the load info and directions. Now the driver has enough info to pickup, but after that, must either call into night operations or message across the satellite for further instructions that should have been provided earlier.

Most of these drivers were not in good spirits when in this situation. Allot of them wanted more done than what a driver manager could do or night shift could do.

In the end it was a head bashing experience that destroyed my nerves. This company had an extremely high turn over in office help with people daily being escorted out the door. I, knowing transportation, tried to communicate with the traffic department manager how to close lose ends with the load tendering process. This person avoided me like the plague. I guess there's only 1 boss and that ego inflated boss never listens to reason in the big scheme of things. I tried but no one listened and guess what!!!!

1999 came and the company fell to dire straits. Drivers had been quiting in mass numbers with the rising fuel cost and slow line-hauls/back-hauls. I was there at night taking it all on with the credit companies calling for payment, showing up and repoing trucks and com-check running out of money for drivers to fuel rigs because there was no money in the fuel debit account.

I worked 5 days plus the week ends because no one else would. I put in 12 hour days on Sunday besides the other five and half days I worked. It was monumental what I put myself up against. I did it because I knew trucking and I knew what it was to drive a truck. I knew routes, truck stops, and every detail of highways besides DOT regulations and I knew the drivers.

But its not about me, its about the people who drive trucks and make it all happen. The job sucks, the job is tough, the job takes you away for long periods of time. But if you get in with the right company and a driver manager who cares, you have the chance to make some good money.

The company fired me in 99 just before selling out to a conglomerate investment firm. The new operation closed the doors and moved what was salvageable to Atlanta. Its was a fun challenge that became a nightmare in the end.

Ironic though, that ego driven traffic department boss went onto opening a freight office which bellied up in just a short time. Trucking is a tough job to master if you fail to see the signs.

This happened in the UK a few years ago, I personally can't remember much coming of it, other then the UK Government making it illegal for truckers to strike/park/barricade patrol stations.

It does me proud to see so many of my brother drivers on the board, even more to see OOIDA members. I would guess that quite a few of y'all listen to the old Bozo and his boy Steve Summers and Bubba Bo.

Redneck, from your words you remind me of a regular caller. Yep, I listened to the old Bozo for years before hopping into the truck, but not well enough I guess . The gov't pays $10k to the the big boy bottomfeeders to pump out a new driver. It takes one year, which is their contract to send you off to the crash course training. I did mine at TDDS up near Seville, OH over by Youngstown. It is Ohio's oldest school and had some old Roadway retirees instructing and some pre-deregulation vets. Youngest guy was about 47 that had broke his leg in three places and messed up his back enough to hang it up.

After those three weks to learn the basics of manuevering and promises of a butt-kicking if I made them look bad, it was 5 weeks in the truck with a guy with three years OTR. That was PAM. Swift and Star (and CR England to a degree) are not that great for giving a foundation. JB Hunt is funny, you either run full out for the dispatchers to get their bonuses or they will starve you out of the truck. As for my time with PAM, started at .27 and left at .31 was there for 13months, ran dedicated to RR Donelly bringing those credit card offers, rebate checks and magazines to USPS bulk mail centers all over the 48. Trips to Dallas were always a deadhead to Laredo to run some general freight unless I got lucky at something was in the Dallas yard ready to go. Every now and then I would get shafted with running newspaper inserts or be in south central Flordia and have to run recycled carbboard up to the georgia pacific pulp mill.

I had a lot of fun, and met some great people on the road and miss it quite a bit. I will never forget the first time coming up the hill out of Kingman, AZ and seeing forever once on top headed to Flagstaff. It is a beauty that can't be described only witnessed for yourself. But thanks to the DAC by spending more than 11 months out of the chair, those days are over.

I may one day say the heck with it all and spend my retirement on the road, but until things are fixed I know that I will never take on the headache of being an owner because the only thing worthwhile are the gravy runs...same sights, same smells and same people everyday isn't why I had the desire to go into the business in the first place.

Originally posted by Lotiki
Begins on April 1st, huh?

Sorry, April fools. This gag story has been circulating in various forms since the mid 90's.

www.snopes.com...


The fact is, if truckers weren't making money, there would be no more truckers...... People don't do something when they know they will lose money.
The company that pays you to haul cargo also pays for gas. Truckers arent hurting, its the shippers that are hurting.

[edit on 21-3-2008 by Lotiki]

Owner Operators pay for their own gas. My dad spends about 1500 a week on gas for his truck.

Take your internet gag story research, print it off, go hang out at a truck stop in the real world. The fact of the matter is, the trucking industry is hurting from the rising fuel costs. An efficient truck gets 6-9 mpg on the highway. Local shuttles get worse. You can go to your specs on any manufacturer's website, and read all you want, but these are the cold hard numbers you'll get from the drivers.

I'm a mechanic in a tractor-trailer repair facility. I talk to alot of drivers from all around the country. They are hurting. What I want to know, is what is going to happen when some of the smaller Ltl companies, and the smaller line-haulers can't afford it anymore. They'll have to shut their doors, and put drivers on the couch, rather than in the driver's seat.

Then the ripple effect truly starts. The mega hualers, Schnieder, Swift, J.B. Hunt, aren't big enough to take the full brunt when the smaller companies go belly up. Sure they'll be able to buy up some of them, but not enough to keep the freight on the road. The unemployment market will flood with drivers, repairs shops such as the one I work for will struggle to stay open without dumping half of their employees. The food, clothes, tv's, and all the other stuff that people take for granted will begin to be scarce on the shelves, and the prices wil go up even more.

If the fuel prices don't start to go down soon, or there isn't a alternative energy source put into mainstream use, the economy will collapse even further.

I really appreciate the insight you drivers are giving here. I have been seriously thinking of making a much needed career change, and thought that driving would be just the thing. Schneider has caught my attention. I have heard it mentioned that there have actually been layoffs happening in the industry, but from what gets reported in the media, the industry is really hurting for drivers. I don't have much to lose, but don't want to waste my time either. I kind of had the impression that driving might be one of the last bastions of a true American blue-collar job that you can still make a living at. But it seems that even this might be on shaky ground now.

I do business with a few trucking companies hauling our agriculture products. We need them to haul our product, no way around that. They have a good amount of business opportunity with the farmers, the problem is the amount they have to charge (and to remain competitive).

I have noticed personally that it is harder to schedule with them now because they try to keep the trucks full and running at all times. I cannot say I blame them, but I have definitely noticed a change.

If I didn't have their service, I would have to haul the product myself which would be a huge burden. (30 - 60 km)

reply to post by jackinthebox


There is still a need for drivers, but you have to be careful about which company you go for. I won't give recommendations, because I've only worked for one, but I've known many drivers from other companies that have had various stories to tell. The key is that you're going to get out of it what you put into it. If you're a company driver, and you work hard, and stay out as long as you can, and work with your dispatcher, you can still do pretty good for yourself depending on the account you work for.

reply to post by Zaphod58


I've learned over the years that it doesn't matter who you drive for, because every driver has the bad stories about their company. I hear the same thing about most companies as well. So like you said, it's all in what you make of it.

It's the puke's on Wallstreet that are pushing the price of oil up and the fact that the US hasn't built new refineries in decades.

The reason the gas is 5 to 6 dollars a gallon in Europe is that the government taxes it for social programs, so what gives with the USA? Traders on Wall Street.