Rumors Swirling of Trucking Strike
My mother, Ann DeVore, has been a truck driver for many years. She was at one time an owner-operator, pulling container trailers from the overseas piers and delivering them to warehouses where they could be unloaded and the products disseminated to their final destinations. I talked to her about this proposed strike and asked her if she would consider joining this strike over fuel prices. Her answer was a resounding "absolutely yes."
She explained to me that as an independent driver, she was responsible for the payments on the truck (like any vehicle owner), the maintenance, the license plates and road taxes, and most importantly, the fuel. She told me that these trucks' fuel tanks can hold in upwards of 600 gallons of diesel at a time. When the price of diesel is pushing $4.00/gallon in some places, you are talking $2,400.00 in one fill-up. Many of these trucks get little more than 10 miles to a gallon
These costs do not hurt all drivers. Ann is a prime example of someone not effected by this crunch as she is no longer an independent truck driver, but when she was this would have effected us deeply. She was the sole breadwinner for the household. If most of her profits were going to fuel costs, we would not have had food on the table. There are some drivers who literally live in their trucks all year. They cannot afford to lose all of their income to diesel.
Now Ann said she would strike, but this might not be the case for many drivers. "The owner-operator trucking industry is a non-cohesive group," she told me. "In order for a strike to happen and be effective, the strike must be the common goal of all of the owner-operators." There are some drivers, as I mentioned before, who live in their trucks. They could not afford to stop driving - stop receiving their paychecks - because they would lose their trucks and therefore, their homes. They do not see this strike as something in their best interest and so would not participate in it.
That being said, a strike would certainly hurt the industry, but it would not stop it completely. Owner-operators are a "drop in the bucket" when compared to the number of other drivers available to companies. There are teamsters, who are not necessarily effected by the out of pocket expenses due to union representation and company drivers, who have the benefit of not owning their own trucks. Ann explained that in order for a strike to be fully effective, "the teamsters would have to be on the side of independent drivers." This further puts a hampering on whether or not the strike will do any good.
Overall, Ann hinted that aside from a slight shortage of drivers, goods would still get to their destinations on time. The long-term drawback to the strike would be that companies may begin to rely on railroads to transport goods long distances, and that it would be difficult to get the goods back to all trucks if that happened. This would not stop the trucking industry though as there is still a need to get the goods from the rail yards to the consumer, and there are many places that no longer have tracks for railroad cars to travel on.
As to a short-term solution, I suggest that the companies work out a deal with the truck stops to get fuel cheaper. Although oil prices are still rising, most of what you pay at the pump is profit to those selling it. Ann informed me that many truck stops make deals with companies such that if the company sends its trucks exclusively to those truck stops, they will sell fuel for less to that company. Independent drivers do not have this option because their fueling is a small amount to the truck stop, but if the contracting company made the deal for the drivers, the drivers would have less out of pocket expense from their diesel bill. The companies do not have to pay for the diesel; they just have to use their influence to help the drivers out.
A long-term solution could be promoting the conversion of engines to the usage of biodiesel in the trucks. The benefits include less dependency on foreign oil, cleaner engines, and biodiesel is a renewable resource. Some of the truck engines would need to be converted so they could handle the biodiesel, but some already can handle it. The biggest challenge would be convincing the drivers to do that to their trucks. As many of the home energy companies do, have the truck stops or fuel companies sponsor some kind of incentive program, where the owner of the truck receives some kind of special discount for services by converting to biodiesel.
The economy will be greatly effected by the decision that these truck drivers are faced with. Goods and services will get more expensive as companies hustle to get all of their products to the consumer without the independent drivers' aid. All in all, the impending strike is a daunting decision. But as things stand now, it is a necessary evil.
"Weekly Retail On-Highway Diesel Prices", Energy Information Administration
Cari Smith, "Personal Interview with Ann DeVore"
"Biodiesel", Wikipedia
Published by AmyMcClair
I am a married woman who has lived all over the United States and has lived in the United Kingdom. I like to see new places and experience new things. I am constantly trying to better myself through educatio... View profile
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16 Comments
Post a CommentWho in these companies, who are ruining the lives of working Americans, are suffering personally ? Think about this. And, don't expect that the 350 truckers who drove to Washington, D.C. at their own expense, will solve your problems. At this critical moment for independent truckers, look what the OOIDA, nominally the representative organization for 162,226 members, is spending their time and resources on. Look on http://www.ooida.com and press the left bottom most banner which will take you to http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/English/Support/Truck_Convoy/default.htm, the organization of the World's Largest Truck Convoy to raise money for the Special Olympics. To participate truckers SIMPLY DONATE A $100 ENTRY FEE ! Who is donating even $1 to help truckers who are going broke by the tens of thousands every quarter, not even their own organization ?!
At this very moment, not only 42,000 truckers went bankrupt but with their families, hundreds
They worked hard all of their lives and now they have been discarded like a used pair of sneakers. And, don't forget their work takes a lot more responsibility and qualifications than work at McDonalds. Also, these people paid tremendous taxes, and now after all this sacrifice they are thrown out on the street !
Maybe this doesn't concern you because you have another type of business or are on a government job, but don't forget, BECAUSE OF TRUCKERS' ECONOMIC SACRIFICES THE PRICES OF GOODS IN STORES IS NOT RISING AS FAST AS THEY COULD BE ! BUT WHEN THE TRUCKING TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY IS RUINED AND THERE IS NO ONE LEFT TO DELIVER PRODUCTS, THEN WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE PRICE OF GOODS FOR EVERYONE ?
Everyone is talking about the economic crisis, but who has heard about a crisis with the oil companies ? Should their interests and ambitions be put above those of the American people and America itself ? Who in these companies, who are ruining the lives of working Americans, are suf
A CALL TO FELLOW TRUCKERS
The Trucking Industry and truck drivers have always been one of the main elements of contemporary American culture and folklore. These manly guys, hard working and proud of their country and their work, were always American heroes. Even TV shows like Route 66, countless Hollywood movies, and books like "On the Road" showed professional trucker drivers as positive figures making up the fabric of American daily life.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) states that there were about 390,000 independent truckers in America (see http://www.landlinemag.com/Special_Reports/2008/042208_Trucking_takes_hit.htm ). There were ! In the first quarter of 2008, there are 42,000 fewer independent truckers. These 42,000 were destroyed by the continuously increasing price of fuel, primarily diesel. Calculate, just how few quarters it will take to destroy all of them ! What do these people have left to be proud of ? They worked hard all of
How could this be swept under the rug for so long? As a consumer I'm disgusted.
Many of our larger oil company's are owned by forgien country's and the profit's leave this country. We have been sold-out by so many,forso long that ,this is a direct result of conciquiences. Is it a supprise that we have problem's.
Thank you for all the comments so far. Let me address one of the issues brought up here:
The key is that the truckers MUST be united in order for the strike to be as effective as it should be - as it was in Italy. The reason so many truckers are still on the road is that most drivers are company or union drivers and a lot (if not all) of them are compensated for their fuel, so they do not care so much about the price they are paying at the pumps.
what a moron to think of this type of b.s.
Italy truck strike ends -- for now -(What happened in 2007)
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- A strike by Italian truck drivers that has caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine across the country has ended -- at least for now.
A spokesman for Italy's government told CNN the strike was called off after a Wednesday meeting between government and labor leaders in which the government made an offer to settle truckers' grievances.
"We can report that in the coming hours the country can return to complete normalcy," Enrico Letta, undersecretary for Prime Minister Romano Prodi, said in announcing the end of the strike. "It was a difficult and complicated negotiation."
Representatives for labor unions represented in the strike, however, said the strike has merely been suspended.
They said union leaders wanted to talk to members before accepting what was described as a "take it or leave it" offer from the government.
Truckers are demanding more money to compensate for rising fuel prices,
well here i sit at home on strike watching the news!!WOW!! we got about 5.7 secondds on it...what a joke !!! and ythe circus at the congress was a Hoot!! lets see i think they said "Shame on you!" and oh yeah don't forget to contribute too our reelection fund!!! Guys the nanswer in your hands all 4million of us...log the way it is..if u sit for 4 hours to load or unload log it that way and then shut down after 14 hours,quit showing it in the sleeper berth!!! after a couple of weeks of LATE,Late deliveries.Walmart and the grocercers will be hurting for goods!!!it works i promise u it works!!
I am parked along side of I-10 in Vidor Tx. I have not noticed any reduction in truck traffic today,What to hell are these guys thinking,The oil companies will not show any mercy. At least in 1979 we had a independent strike for about 6 days i think,anyway the govt. finally stepped in and gave us a 7% fuel sur-charge paid directly to the truck owner.It did make a difference at that time,but everyone must unite and shut them down.