Two main reasons:
1) The economy is teetering on recession mode. If we went on "strike" this would definitely push the economy over the edge. Just look at those axle union workers, how many people had to be laid off because those people were striking. The trickle down effect was huge, imagine what it would do if we went on strike, boycotted, whatever. This effect would further punish us. It would be counterproductive.
2) Our image would further erode. We already have image problems.
What should we do? Well that depends on our goals.
High fuel prices
Everyone is talking about fuel prices. Fuel cost is now by far #1 the biggest expense, and in some cases is more then all other expenses combined.
My solution is for everyone to slow down to no faster then 60 mph. Also, ensure your equipment is in good shape, and do not idle. Ever. Idling costs are about $5 an hour right now, almost twice as much as picking up a phone and making a long distance call, and leaving it off the hook! Anyone wanting to buy a "classic" truck right now is INSANE.
Should we get congress or the president to slow down all trucks to less then 60 mph? Absolutely NOT. This should be an individual business decision. I do NOT want the government running my business.
So now we've done something amazing, reduced our fuel cost, but if everyone did this, something else amazing would happen. The price of fuel would go down. Why? Because there's less consumption.
Cheap loads
Many people are talking about the cheap loads. Simply refuse to haul them. If you cannot stay afloat with the rate given, why do you haul it? The most important thing is to know your cost, and your expected profit. I know what loads work for me, and I try to stick to them. I do not deal with brokers, so I cannot comment further.
Racking up the miles
This is also part of the problem. You heroes out there doing 14,000+ miles solo are contributing to the excess capacity problem. What we need to do is cut back our miles, try to get more per mile, and to reduce our costs per mile. The end result will be the same money, but with less miles. Slowing down helps.
Anyone agree/disagree?