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TheDude
Expert
Joined: Apr 06, 2006
Posts: 3330
Location: 3 miles NW of Champoeg, Republic of Cascadia
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 Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:45 pm Post subject: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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Trucker's Strike Looming: Fuel Cost Protest in April, Real or Hoax?
| Quote: | By Gene Byrd
Mar 24, 2008
A trucker's strike may be looming on the horizon. Many independent over the road truck drivers are fed up with rising fuel and insurance costs and are looking into organizing and trying to join together to take rigs off the road and that would mean shortages at supermarkets, convenience stores and if it was carried out to the extreme, eventually at every retail outlet in America. Everything that gets delivered to a retail store in your city or town is eventually delivered by a truck, and if it were highly organized a strike could paralyze the economy.
But is real or a hoax? In 2005 there were rumors all over that there would be a strike then as well and there were several reports that Teamsters would be involved and many received an e-mail that said in part, "Warning: Truckers unions losing patience with the Federal Government and the U.S. Oil Companies…Under pressure, major freight carriers strike early agreements with Teamsters Union. 88,000 unionized truckers are getting the brunt of fuel costs, the major Truckers Unions and drivers has had about enough of getting ripped off. With truckers unions and drivers claiming unreal fuel expenses the unrest and shift is beginning to give birth to a National Truckers Strike." |
Open Letter To All Truckers
| Quote: | Trucker Dan is proposing a National Trucking Shutdown as follows:
April 1, 2008 is when My trucking Co & thousands of others are shutting down at 8 AM on that date. From that time on we will no longer accept any loads at ANY price until such time as our FED Gov admits & puts into action a plan that will give all O/Os some help.
Here is what I would like to see happen,
1# suspend ALL Fed & State fuel taxes until such time that this economy is back on its feet
2# Fed create a FED Oversight Committee to oversee Ins Premiums Charged for Class 8 trucks Insurance
3# Stop allowing Large Trucking Fleets to self Insure, this would make a more level playing field for all trucking Cos
4# Fed Regulations for Brokers & Shippers that are enforced, with set max amounts they can charge.
5# Standardized Fines from Coast to Coast for safety violations. In other words if a log ticket cost $50.00 in Missouri then a log ticket in California should only cost $50.00
I will not return to hauling until our Gov. the people we put into office gets off their butts an does something to help this Industry my email address is dlittle@uscattlehaulers.com
Send me an email if you plan on shutting down on April 1, 2008
Mish note: I corrected numerous typos, spelling errors, and grammatical errors in the above clip for ease in reading. The text one would see if clicking on the link is slightly different than posted above. This statement is not intended to be a criticism of the literary skills of "Trucker Dan". His intent after all was not to write a piece for the New York Times, or even a blog. |
Some forum rumanizing: National Trucking Shutdown
Only 9% of US truckers are independents, out of 1.8 million drivers total. Don't know how many of their company colleagues would join in.
Dan's Letter at Trucker2Trucker.com: Open Letter To All Truckers
We had a recent topic on Trucking itself.
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Cogito, ergo non satis bibivi
I will not abide another toe. |
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joeltrout
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Sep 19, 2007
Posts: 1310
Location: Land of the Tongva tribe
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:49 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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Sounds like all those gasoline strikes planned for Americans not to buy gas on a certain day. None of those worked and made people forwarding those emails look stupid.
I will only believe it when I see it. If I see it I will be amazed by it.
joeltrout
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ENERGY is the basis of our industrial civilization and sustains our standard of living. It is the foundation stone of our national wealth. A nation starved of energy.....will be a nation of starving people. |
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BigTex
Moderator
Joined: Aug 03, 2006
Posts: 4261
Location: Graceland
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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| joeltrout wrote: | I will only believe it when I see it. If I see it I will be amazed by it.
joeltrout |
Ever seen a herd of mountain lions?
That's what a truckers' strike would look like.
Aint gonna happen.
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joeltrout
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Sep 19, 2007
Posts: 1310
Location: Land of the Tongva tribe
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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Besides why begin a strike when the country could possibly go into a recession? Maybe he figures he will not have any work anyways.
I know the LA/Long Beach Harbor is hurting big time. First it was the Chinese New Year that almost stopped shipments from China because the country was shutting down. Then the US economy began slowing rapidly which in turn slows down importing activity at the harbor. I know a guy who has been part of the union for 10+ years and recently had his salary cut literally in half because not enough work. If other harbors are seeing a slow down in activity then that will hurt the trucking industry even more.
Ask people that were a part of the writers strike. It hurts more people than it helps usually. It doesn't matter if you will make a few more dollars in the future if you cannot pay your mortgage and lose your house right now.
Most people do not save for unexpected slow downs or even expected slow downs such as a strike.
I would like to see Trucker Dan keep his word and not truck until the govt changes policy. I bet he doesn't last too long.
joeltrout
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ENERGY is the basis of our industrial civilization and sustains our standard of living. It is the foundation stone of our national wealth. A nation starved of energy.....will be a nation of starving people. |
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vision-master
Fusion
Joined: May 18, 2006
Posts: 4329
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:15 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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| Why? Because they have crappy jobs and ain't making any money now. Besides, they COULD shut down the economy. Think - food - think food trucked - think food gone from shelves - like quick. |
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Ludi
NeoMaster
Joined: Dec 27, 2004
Posts: 12472
Location: zombie horde wonderland
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:18 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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As others, I will believe it when I see it, and if it happens, I don't expect it will have much effect.
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Shannymara
Master
Joined: Oct 04, 2004
Posts: 5389
Location: Oklahoma
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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Drew? Paging Drew... Any inside info from our resident professional truck driver?
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"Every junkie's like a setting sun..." - Neil Young |
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Windmills
Heavy Crude
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Joined: Oct 11, 2005
Posts: 409
Location: Arizona, USA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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If it has any effect, it certainly won't be the one they want. Stomping your feet and holding your breath until you turn blue isn't going to make the price of oil come down.
Some people think that we shouldn't spread the word about peak oil. They say, "screw everyone else. I'll be prepared and ahead of the curve when they get blind-sided." For me, it's reactions like these that make me believe we need much more awareness, not less. If people have a good understanding of why things are happening, we wouldn't have so many unproductive reactions to events, such as trucking strikes and "price gouging" hearings in Congress. (Price gouging...in a free market economy...that's an oxymoronic paradox for another thread...) |
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Ferretlover
Moderator
Joined: Jun 13, 2007
Posts: 3584
Location: Minniesotuh
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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I was listening to a phone interview with a trucker around midday, and he was saying that the US has spent $500,000 dollars buying gas so the Iraqis could buy gas for 5 cents a gallon; boy, was he mad!
disclaimer: I have NO idea if what he said was true.
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drew
Intermediate Crude
Joined: Jul 22, 2004
Posts: 860
Location: canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:00 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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| Shannymara wrote: | | Drew? Paging Drew... Any inside info from our resident professional truck driver? |
Never happen in a million years.
Truckers in North America, particularly American ones are probably the most conservative group of people you could find.
The group politically/socially has a lot of similarities with heavy metal fans, bikers (the scumbag kind), and farmers, hence the 'outlaw- cowboy' image many want to portray.
In addition they are a group of individuals who are somewhat free-spirited and generally don't like being told what to do. There is zero chance that any individual or organization could get them to act as one.
The vast majority of truckers I've crossed paths with are racist to a greater or lesser degree and generally view the American military invasion of Iraq as a very good thing, even if it went bad. Many believe that Iraq and 911 are connected.
Most dislike socialism and unions generally and would be loath to strike individually or as a group.
Drew |
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mattduke
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Oct 28, 2005
Posts: 1326
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:15 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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| Good for my train investments. |
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strider3700
Fission
Joined: Apr 17, 2005
Posts: 2717
Location: Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:11 pm Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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I had to check the posting dates to verify this wasn't just dragged up from the past. Wasn't it last spring that we had a looming trucker strike? Maybe the spring before that? Maybe both?
We seem to hear that these things are going to happen all the time but they don't. As is pointed out a strike by some of these guys is only going to make better opportunities for the others.
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shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts |
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Dreamtwister
Fission
Joined: Feb 06, 2006
Posts: 2195
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:07 am Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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| drew wrote: | | Never happen in a million years. |
But you have to eat, right?
Granted the source is worthless, but I was watching an interview with some truckers on MSM the other day, and they were talking about how they weren't able to make ends meet any more. Some of them even had to park their trucks.
I got the distinct impression that the anger was a lot deeper than the plastic and botox zombies were allowed to portray.
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The whole of human history is a refutation by experiment of the concept of "moral world order". - Friedrich Nietzsche |
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vision-master
Fusion
Joined: May 18, 2006
Posts: 4329
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:19 am Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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| drew wrote: | | Shannymara wrote: | | Drew? Paging Drew... Any inside info from our resident professional truck driver? |
Never happen in a million years.
Truckers in North America, particularly American ones are probably the most conservative group of people you could find.
The group politically/socially has a lot of similarities with heavy metal fans, bikers (the scumbag kind), and farmers, hence the 'outlaw- cowboy' image many want to portray.
In addition they are a group of individuals who are somewhat free-spirited and generally don't like being told what to do. There is zero chance that any individual or organization could get them to act as one.
The vast majority of truckers I've crossed paths with are racist to a greater or lesser degree and generally view the American military invasion of Iraq as a very good thing, even if it went bad. Many believe that Iraq and 911 are connected.
Most dislike socialism and unions generally and would be loath to strike individually or as a group.
Drew |
I am thinking, you get this group mad enough and all Hell will break loose. |
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ozkrenske
Heavy Crude
Joined: Oct 27, 2004
Posts: 220
Location: Queensland, Australia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:46 am Post subject: Re: US Trucker's Strike planned for April 1st |
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Maybe if they get mad enough we may see a .... wait for it ...... a
Convoy
Oh memories of bad 70's films come flooding back. |
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