AMERICAN TRUCKERS MUST UNITE!!!
 

So says the flyer lying in the Laundry room at Jim's Truckstop in Buffalo. It is very reminiscent of a copy of Marx's Communist Manifesto I had many years ago, the last line stated, "WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!!!

I guess this coming Monday thru Wednesday, April 23-25 are the days of truckers' protests whereby trucks will be 'slow rolling' the nations' capitol and also state capitols like Buffalo. Jim's Truckstop is the launching point for the protests here. The flyer says "WE WILL BE GETTING ON I90 DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC [sic] WE WILL DRIVE AS SLOW AS ALLOWED BY LAW WITHOUT GETTING TICKETS"

Among the flyer's protests:

SAY NO: to inadequate background checks for Mexican truckers I say let the soccer Moms worry about that

SAY NO: to uninsured Mexican trucks and truckers Again, I say the American public will worry about that plenty without truckers having to crusade
SAY NO: to dangerous Mexican trucks on our roads Soccer Moms've got that one
SAY NO: to loss of loads, loss of income, loss of American trucker's [sic] jobs THAT is what this whole thing is about!

SAY NO: to the loss of our sovereignty and constitutional rights Say what!?!?!

The flyer says: WHY? TO PROTEST BUSH'S NORTH AMERICAN UNION PLANS...AND ALLOWING THE FOREIGN TAKEOVER OF OUR COUNTRY . IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS MORE THAN 17,000 MEXICAN TRUCKS AND TRUCKERS WILL BE ROAMING FREE ON US ROADS.....

WHAT? "CIRCLE THE WAGONS" TO HAVE TRUCKS, & OTHERS PROTESTING TO DO A SLOW ROLLING DRIVE, BUMPER TO BUMPER, AROUND EACH STATES [sic] CAPITOL, OR TO DO A SLOW DRIVE ON THE FREEWAYS, TRUCKS AND CARS SIDE BY SIDE, ALL LANES ACROSS , TO BLOCK TRAFFIC FROM PASSING. PLEASE DRIVE WITH EXTREME CAUTION.

Looks like the organizers are at saveamericafund.org.

Well, what to say? On the one hand, the grassroots activism has a lot of appeal. On the other hand, they aren't exactly honest perhaps even with themselves about all that is happening, eg. 17,000 Mexican trucks coming in two weeks to 'dismantle' our constitution and take away our sovereignty. Should be interesting to see what kind of participation there will be. Any of you have plans to participate?

I had trouble with the poll question so I'll ask it down here.

QUESTION:

Do you think Rev. Vassago should get some banners and a bullhorn and go to DC on Monday representing Classadrivers.com?

YES OR NO

I vote no. That sounds like work. :wink:

Besides - I disagree with most of what these yahoos are whining about.

Why would it matter if these Mexican trucks are so run down? Hell - drive around Chicago and look at some of the trucks on the road.

Why would it matter if these Mexican truckers want to haul loads in the US? I thought we had a shortage of drivers? :lol:

Why would it matter if there are "inadequate background checks" for Mexican drivers? After all, look at how many people come on this message board alone with several DUI's trying to get driving jobs - many of whom eventually find one.

Why would it matter if these Mexican trucks are uninsured? A simple check at a DOT scale will solve that. Besides - I doubt there is a shipper in the country who will put a load on an uninsured truck.

These "problems" that these people claim will be caused by the introduction of Mexican trucks is an illusion. At worst, it will hurt the guys who are running for pennies on the dollar - that's about the only type of freight these Mexican drivers will be able to get.

In fact, I could counter that the introduction of Mexican trucks to our roadways could be a good thing! If the stuff they claim about these trucks and drivers is true, it will make the shippers appreciate the US carriers even more!

It's a whole lot of "the sky is falling!" hype, not unlike the new emissions regulations that these same yahoos claimed would destroy the industry, or the changes in the HOS rules that these same yahoos claimed would make it impossible to get anything delivered on time.

Sounds like a firm 'maybe'. I suggest a posterboard sign on the driver's side saying 'se habla espaniol' , 'viva la mexico' on the passenger's side and 'truckers are sissies' on the back of your trailer. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I wonder, is this group going it alone or is anyone else supporting them? You know, one of those XM radio truckers' shows or OOIDA or the unions or whoever? I've tried listening to truckers' programs but instead of hearing interesting things about the industry or the O/O biz all I hear is a bunch of boring talk or some country music. This is closest thing to 70's rebel trucker lore that there has been

I wonder, is this group going it alone or is anyone else supporting them? You know, one of those XM radio truckers' shows or OOIDA or the unions or whoever? I've tried listening to truckers' programs but instead of hearing interesting things about the industry or the O/O biz all I hear is a bunch of boring talk or some country music. This is closest thing to 70's rebel trucker lore that there has been

Thats why i tune them out. I was expecting more from my Sirius as far as trucking is concerned but after hearing some of the bull**** spilled there i felt sick to my stomach. Nothing but commercials for JB HUNT and everything else non-trucking related. Never did i hear anyone talk about the rates, brokers or whatever else that affects a single independent, its a shame...

Dejanh, I'm with ya on that post. Noone wants to talk about rates and what affects the single independent. Our organization is out in MO and they give alot of good advice. I guess thats why we can come to this kind of forum and band together. There was a guy named Joe Overlease that was an advocate for the independent. He must have gone to work for JB or Swift or USX.

I don't see how running on the freeway at the minimum posted speed will help anything. Are they going to have signs, media or just drive around the capital? I don't see that this is going to accomplish anything. Nobody seems to want the Mexican trucks in this country, even the Mexican equivalent of the ATA. Clinton started this mess, but everyone seems to want to blame Bush. The ones most to blame are those in Congress. NAFTA is a very one sided trade agreement where the U.S. is the loser. I wonder how much money Clinton got to push this through? It is my understanding that unless Mexican trucks are allowed in the U.S. that we will have to pay the Mexican government 2 billion dollars. If true, whoever signed that agreement for the U.S. should be held accountable. Yea, like that is going to happen. When was the last time a politician was held accountable? Whether we like it or not, the Mexicans are coming. Some of the ATA's biggest members will benefit most from this mass invasion from the South with their ownership of some of these carriers. The time to protest is pretty much passed. The time to have raised issues should have been when these crooks were attempting to implement this so called free trade agreement. I suggest starting by going to the polls on the next election and voting against everyone who is in office. These people are not held accountable for their behavior and do as they please. If the majority of Americans don't even want to be bothered to learn about the candidates and vote, then politicians will continue to do what is in their personal interests. I find it interesting that no one seems to want this to happen, but it is going to happen anyway. :?

Re: AMERICAN TRUCKERS MUST UNITE!!!
 

Buffalo is not the capital of NY :wink:

Re: AMERICAN TRUCKERS MUST UNITE!!!
 

Yikes! Ok, so Albany it is. It may be sad and lonely for whoever is trying to organize a protest over here at Jim's in Buffalo.

Give me a break!!!!!!!!

granted :?

If you are going to protest at Jim's better make sure that the trucks are moving if the engine is running. Otherwise, you could get fined for idling. :wink:

Nah, nah, I'm not protesting, I'm trying to get one of you to do it on behalf of all of us. Skip that 'truckers are sissies', someone might take that the wrong way :lol: For the third poster on the back of the trailer put 'Everyday is Cinco de Mayo! So, you up for it Gman?

In all seriousness, I do expect this to have downward pressure on freight rates if it takes off. It's just more people competing for basically the same amount of freight. That's the only gripe, not uninsured truckers or faulty equipment or what have you. The general public will gripe about that plenty if we start hearing about accidents caused by Mexican trucks. Having said that, I'm still not entirely against it. It's sad to see such poverty just a stone's throw away from opulence (ever looked at a high school parking lot recently?). It looks as though it could equal things out a little between Mexican workers and American workers. I think it could definitely cost American workers but that's what happens when countries shift toward something called their 'comparative advantage' (that's just when a country stops doing a little of everything and focuses on the things it does better than other countries). I can also understand why a lot of people don't want to pay that price.

Still, I want to know, is anyone in this besides the actual organizers!? OOIDA? Anybody?

BTW, I got a load out of Buffalo after two days and I'll be in Norfolk on Monday.

Cam, I think I will pass on the run in the Socialist Republic of New York. If you think that a lot of Mexican workers in this country are working for peanuts, you may want to check around. I know a few companies who have Hispanic workers and are making a very good living. I think some of the problem is that some American companies are tired of dealing with so many American workers who only want to whine and collect a paycheck without giving a good effort. I have had several companies who have told me almost the exact same thing.

I have concerns about these Mexican carriers. I have been along the border and seen how some of them keep up their trucks. It can be down right scary to think of them being on our roads. According to a recent article I read, some of these Mexican carriers still haven't gone through the proper audits to see if they comply with American rules and regulations. I would expect to see many of them come into this country for below minimum wages acceptable for U.S. workers. I also expect this to be short lived. I think that once these Mexican drivers see what their U.S. counterparts make, they will want the same wages. I believe that is the primary concern the Mexican Trucking Association (I don't believe this is the correct name) has concerning their member carriers coming into this market. If they find out what Americans make they are going to demand the same wages in Mexico. Mexican carriers may not be able to afford to pay equivalent wages to them. The result may be an exodus to the U.S. carriers for higher wages.

Whats funny about this is,...... I am not 100% opposed to having the Mexican trucks here, for these reasons:
1.Can they pass a DOT inspection (will DOT go for the easy kill and stop these trucks?)
2.Can the Mexican drivers understand English well enough to navigate throughout our highways.(let alone getting pulled over at a weigh station)
3.Will they want to come here and drive for less than $1.00 a mile,...if they do, they won't last any longer than your average driver.
Maybe we should let it happen without a fuss, so they can fail and move on with life.

Now, on the other hand, I can see the potential problems as well. The one thing that gets me is that this decision was made long ago,...in some deal made to get another deal, by some person who stood to make a lot of money.
This happens so often,....it goes by as a moot point.
If I thought it would make a difference, I would be there, if I thought it would stop this, I would be there.
Problem is,.......it can't be stopped, and the only thing a huge protest will do is attract attention to the few who do show up.
We as Americans can't even be united long enough on one cause to do jack about anything.
Its a shame, but I care, you care,....but most don't because its not banging on their front door.
Someday ,..when everything is right,...maybe it will be possible to effect change on a grassroots level,...until then,...it everyone for themselves.

Clinton started this mess, but everyone seems to want to blame Bush.

GMAN, by now you should know that there is absolutely NO DIFFERENCE between Democrats and Republicans except the name maybe. If it benefited Democrats while Clinton was in office Republicans want the same benefit now that Bush is here, just look at how many Republicans got booted out of office for stealing money?. It has been going on since the beggining of time and i dont see it changing unless a third party system comes in to the play to acctualy balance the power a bit more evenly, at least...

if mexican truck drivers get treated as they do here in the south al/ tn they will not be held accountable for any violation. here in north al.. police have stopped hispanics driving cars, with no license, no ins, ficticious tags & ficticious id's. the police told me that if they are illeagle they have to let them go without fine or ticket. this happened to me when a mexican native landed his car on a porch of my home. they let him go. depite expired & wrong tags on car, plus all other violations.

Well,......I'm listening to Washington DC traffic on XM radio....not even a peep.

Dave Nemo has been trying to talk up the rally on XM 171. You've got to feel for the guy, I think he must be holding a gun against his head or something. Occasional crackpot call, a little country music, about it. Ah well,....

Bush sr. was the one that pushed it through, not Clinton. Clinton had next to nothing to do with it AFAIK. Bush jr is just complying to agreements in NAFTA(something that the US seems to be lacking, but slowly picking up the pace).

You guys havent even thought that many spanish speaking US citizens, like me, will benifit financially from this agreement. Before I had to drop the load in Laredo or Jaurez, now I can just proceed to deliver the load myself.
Hmm I wonder how many Mexicn truckers who are not as well versed in english though, can really deliver a load to say the more rural areas of america as I can speaking both spanish and english...............we will see I quess?
If the Mexican driver can actually do this, the worth of a driver their wil increase unbelievably, when I was a college kid a mexican attorney=a mexican truck driver, which I found to be funny knowing the situation in the USA. I dont know if its still the same, but Mexico had no type of regulations then who was an attorney, you just got permission from the local government (usually a bribe) to hang a sign on your door, 'attorney at law." If this agreement does become the case, I just see in a latino family, which do you want to be a doctor or a truck driver....a truck driver of course so I can make more $.

Unfortunately, I agree about their being little or no difference in the two major parties. If our political leaders were held more accountable things might change. Unfortunately, most people are either too busy or don't care. There are many who make money from both parties. Those people are not going to rock the boat. They don't want to lose their gravy train. I think a 3rd or 4th party would be good for the country. It might keep them on their toes. But until enough people get fed up, I don't see anything changing.

R and D's are supposed to balance each other like a marriage between a man and a woman. Together they make up the views of our people. The pendulum swinging back and forth as we progress forward. Sometime in the last 20 years the term “opposition party” has creeped in and now everyone in politics thinks of themselves first, their party second and lastly the good of the nation. How can we blame them? Take a look around … most people think about themselves first, their trade second and their nation last. Think about when you take that load that only pays your fuel bill. Are you benefiting your trade or yourself?

The bottom line is - all is lost and we are quickly heading towards …

Tampering with the political system alone won't turn anything around. What makes society work is virtue in the collective consciousness of society, ie., people stop being shitheads. For societal revolution, check out the first and second 'Great Awakenings' as well as various revivals including Cane Ridge and in the UK, the Welsh Revival. Widespread repentance and turning back to Jesus is the only thing that's going to pull this country out of its tailspin. If that offends anyone, tough :D