trucker strike in my local news
 

Good piece even though its all talk..


I like that 1 comment about the load that pays 700 but fuel is 900 ....
900 bucks = 225 gallons at 4$ per, at 6mpg= 1350 miles, so if you took a load that has 1350 miles for 700 bucks there is something really wrong with you to beggin with and no help will ,,help'' you whatever the circumstances are...

Maybe a trip to the nut house for evaluation but thats about all...

It was on the local news here in Wilmington NC also. Truckers shutting
down on April 1st. I too am going to park my truck. It has nothing to do
with not being able to get the fuel surcharge. It just pi**es me off that
fuel has risen to 3.95/gal here in NC. I feel something has to be done to
stop this highway robbery. I know someone on here will say you need to
just adjust the rates at what you are willing to haul for. That's all good, I
just don't like getting f***ed at the pumps.

I on the other hand would welcome it. :D

I don't think you are talking about the same kind of F***ing.

I am glad you would enjoy it :D , but for real I can not believe those of us that own trucks are not bothered at the high fuel cost. :evil:

I guess it is time, to start running stright trucks with gasoline engines and
2 speed axle,like old times,carring 20000# at a time, since gasoline is a lot less costly nowdays, years ago they used to almost give away Diesel

Yes I am bothered by the high fuel prices,but mainly for what they are gonna do to the prices of eveyday goods,I get a very nice FSC so it is not coming out of my pocket directly at the pumps.

If you ask me,I don't think many really truly care on the highways,I have slowed down considerably and I basically get run over if I happen to get in the left lane to pass someone,and ever pay attention to the amount of wasted fuel being burnt up on a nightly basis from idlling trucks?

If every truck in the truck stop is burning an extra 8 gals. at night(low estimate),now times that by every truck stop in the states how much fuel do you think we could save just in one night? which would eventually drive prices down just from lower demand,but like I said noone wants to make any real sacrafices to do that.You cn't even get guys to do the speed limit.

Shutdown or strike?
 

First of all non-union truckers cannot strike,it's being called a shutdown. Fuel prices are not the only issue facing truckers. By all means if you can afford to keep on trucking,"Keep on Truckin'". For many others the fuel prices are just a drop in the bucket. How long will it be before the Mexican Trucks are hauling your once high value,high paying freight?
Why should you stick together with other truckers when they go under that's more freight for you right? What you can't haul the railroads will,sure thing.
I guess the sad reality is you can't afford to shutdown and stick together for a common cause that eventually will affect each and everyone of us some point in time. 10 yrears ago fuel prices were low and so were the rates,10 years later fuel prices are high and the rates remain almost the same. The precious fuel surcharge some of us receive helps out,it's a matter of time before the govenment find a new trick to take that away. Maybe it will be mandating engine speed conrols on ALL trucks at 55 mph to save fuel.
Typical of some,take advantage of an already bad situation getting worse. What are you afraid of if you shutdown for 3-5 days? You can't afford it? :shock:

Re: Shutdown or strike?
 

Why would I have to shut down for others poor choices?

I know what I need to run my truck and I found a company that provides that.It isn't my place to help those that can't/won't figure it out for themselves.

If they were doing all that can be done to help themselves I might have a different view,but from what I have seen since the prices have risen I don't think they truly care or are just waiting for someone(government) to do it for them.

I have already shut down for 2 weeks this year for 2 seperate vacations so yes I can afford it,but this is entering our busy time of the year and if you think I'm shutting down for someone who thinks .85cpm + FSC is a way to run a buisness you have some more thinking to do.

Good luck on the shut down,maybe now I will be able to sleep at night because there won't be any trucks idiling next to me........on second thought what was I thinking,those that do shutdown will be sitting in the truck stops in the tv room claiming that they are doing something great for their fellow driver,all the while their trucks will be out in the lot running...... :roll:

I kind of figured this would be the response I would get, that is what is wrong with this country now, it is all the I,I's and ME, ME's. This is not about me or you it is about our industry as a whole. I see this has fallen on deaf ears as I thought it would. :roll:

MY DEAF EARS?

Why not ask the same thing of the other BBR's.you know the ones running down the road 70-75mph,running trucks all night as they sleep,running for rates that are not enough to cover their expenses?

Where is your outrage at them?

Yes it is about me,because in the end I am the one that has to support my family and my business,as soon as you get something (which you won't) about fuel prices what will happen,they will go right back to hauling for cheap,because they know no different.

And that is not my problem,so go on shutdown and have fun,and accomplish very little,except watch alot of O/O's lose their trucks.

If a o/o can't afford to shut down then.........nevermind, no need in wasting anymore of my time

Actually, it's all about poor decisions being made day in and day out by thousands and thousands of owner operators.

I will side with Mike on this one. Why should he be asked to sacrifice his good business for the sake of others than did not have the foresight to run their own business correctly. Sure, fuel is high...so his 4-wheeler juice. But for every person/driver complaining about not making it, there are a hundred others that are doing just fine.

There won't be a strike...just more of the same pointless yammering and nothing will ever be done. You want to make a difference? Run compliant. Run the speed limit. Don't haul cheap freight. That's the key right there, but most of the owner operators out there won't allow themselves to see it. They'll blow down the road doing 80 from truck stop to truck stop and whine about fuel in between cherry machine pulls. Then they'll spend 10 hours in their truck in the parking lot in 70 degree whether, idling the entire time. That's where the problem is. Unfortunately, it's not a fixable problem.

So as Fozzy says...same poop, different day.

Two thumbs up on that post....

Twilight Flyer is correct.... most do not have a clue.....

Maybe I am wording this wrong, this is not about if your making it or not. I run compliant, I run under the speed limit, and I don't haul cheap freight. I am making it. This is neither here nor there. Yes, those that are flying up and down the highways and leaving their trucks running all night, they are a problem, but they won't be around much longer anyway (I hope). What angers me is that we, that is you and me, are paying around $4.00/gal. for fuel, $3.27 give or take for regular unleaded. Something has to be done to stop this :twisted:

I don't disagree with that statement...I disagree with all the crying being done for no reason. I work in the office and pay the $3.30 per gallon to fill my car. But I'm not going to stop coming to work because of gas prices, which is in essence what drivers are being asked to do. I'll simply adjust my usage in other ways: ie. run the speed limit, limit my driving, etc.. It's the same with running a business as an O/O.

Crying? I don't see any crying going on. Just think if you were to walk to work for a few days you would not be buying that high priced fuel. That is what I am getting at, shut down and you won't be buying into the big rip off
at the pumps. If you hit them where it hurts, it will get their attention.

Im about as rookie as they get. You folks posting here have been trucking for years and know alot more about the industry than I do.

Not taking sides, just speaking from a business point of view, I don't see how a strike or shutdown could have a long term positive affect on fuel prices. The reality is, as a petroleum dependant country we have no other option. Okay , lets say we all stop using fuel for a few days, those same loads we missed will be waiting. Someone is going to have to carry the loads. The oil companies got us by the balls and they know it. Those big oil tycoons will laugh at our feebile efforts to stop their profits.

Im not claiming to have an answer to this dilemna, but I think we need something MUCH bigger than a strike....maybe nuclear powered trucks :lol:

Speculation has driven some of the price increases this time around but,demand is what usually drives prices up by reducing speeds and idle time you could do more than a partial shutdown of a few anger displaced truck drivers.

Who exactly are you trying to get the attention of anyway?The government?The oil companies?Joe average?

It has been suggested and I sorta agree,if you had a rolling show of support(thousands of trucks) around the Washington D.C beltway you would have a much better chance of getting attention.

The government and oil companies, aren't they one and the same with who we have as our current President? You actually believe this is about supply and demand. Please!!!!!!!! And believe me it is more than just a few angry truck drivers. This is about people in general getting f**ked every time they pump fuel into their vehicles whether or not it is a big truck or a personal vechicle.

Last I remember this is what free enterprise is all about right?

They have the right to set prices how they see fit and you choose whether or not you want to use those products at that price right?

You really want the government to set prices on goods in this country? what about setting prices that you can charge to haul for? I wonder what anyone wants done really? are they prepared for the slippery slope that it might bring?

I think you are finally getting it, if we all choose not to use that product (fuel) at the given price, then maybe, just maybe they will lower the price.
If everyone continues using their product at this current price then what the hell, they will just raise it even more. When is enough, enough.

No I have "got" it all along,you just won't see that by reducing consuption on a daily basis you achieve the same results and don't make people interupt their daily lives by doing a foolish shutdown that will do nothing.

Just wondering , what else are we going to use? Bio-d, I run the north east and haven't seen any here. They got it we need it so we pay for it. Why do you think your getting f^%ked at the pump, it's a free market if you don't like the price keep driveing till ya find some cheaper!

I see nothing "foolish" about it. That is the whole point. Don't you think the rising fuel cost have disrupted the lives of the American people. For what, their monetary gains. Anyway we both have different views on this and that is cool. I do appreciate your input.

You obviously haven't been listening to the CB radio, and the guys whining about the "evil corporations" that are causing all of this.

That might be difficult to do pulling a 53 foot trailer.

The major difference is if you walk to work, you still earn. If you shut down, you only hurt yourself.

Whose attention are you trying to get? The guy who owns the gas station?

I disagree.
This will be fixed by attrition.
Those with poor business sense shall perish.

The cost of fuel is NOT going down this summer.
The shipping rates will not go up as long as there are enough desperate O/Os to haul anything for nothing.
Eventually enough of these guys running without a profit margin or a safety net in the bank will have trouble ($$$ to fix) and be forced out.
When enough do, the shipping rates will go up.
Pure capitalism doing it's thing.

While I am new to trucking and have a lot to learn, I am not new to small business.
How foolishly many O/O's operate their trucks is stunning.
The fact that they ever made a profit makes me look forward to the day I can be a O/O.

Yeah, the oil prices are Bush's fault. Okay. Study on, Slugger.