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Originally Posted by ken_o
this is also great for the o/o the raising of rates somewhat levels the playing field.
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This, my friends, is an excellent point! A rising tide floats all boats.
If trucking companies were required to pay fair labor, freight rates would go up across the board, restoring the future of O/O's and putting some hope in the future for those who desire to pursue an O/O opportunity.
In it's current configuration, trucking is rigged to benefit trucking companies at the expense of O/O's. That's why they hate company drivers. The problem is, most of them don't know why they hate us. If anything, the O/O's should be on the back of OOIDA to get behind the fair labor issue.
Why on earth should the American people be subsidizing the likes of WALMART through discount labor a/k/a OTR drivers. WALMART and all the others happily pay union freight rates whenever it suits them. I'm sure that most of you have noticed the docks reserved for LTL, FEDEX, UPS, etc . . you know, the dock with no waiting.
WALMART and the rest take advantage of cheap freight because, quite simply, they can. Company drivers work for chump change because the law says they can. Truck drivers are specifically excluded from the "FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT" which among other things, addresses the issue of overtime. When the exclusion was put in place, 1938, there were lots of conditions for which it made sense; Unpredictable roads, unpredictable trucks and zero communications, to name a few. These conditions, for the most part, no longer exist but the exemption does. Why? Because noone has stepped up to say ENOUGH!
So, is a union the answer? Hard to say because they don't have the clout they used to enjoy. On the other hand, they may be the one organization that could provide all drivers with a unified voice. Remember, we're victims of an antiquated law, not greedy companies. Companies don't like unions and who can blame them? We need to get the law changed and hopefully, we won't need a union to do it.
