Black Smoke Matters

[Drifter McDuck]

TV News helicopter at the Dallas convoy today... over 200,000 views so far online, plus TV audiences.

 

[Electric Chicken]

TV News helicopter at the Dallas convoy today... over 200,000 views so far online, plus TV audiences.

And yet on the national news...

 

[Drifter McDuck]

And yet on the national news...

We’re getting there. “Truckers” was a trending topic on twitter yesterday. The “Media Blitz” is 2/21. Major convoys in Indianapolis, Texas, California, and the Northeast. And there are more convoys scheduled in March.

 

[16695]

I hope that any protest would be successful but based on the caliber of today's steering wheel holders I doubt it. The drivers back in the 70's had real "balls" and would just pull their rigs across all lanes of traffic and walk away. OOIDA is the only group to stand and fight and they do not seem to support this attempt to bring the attention of Washington idiots to their knees. Good luck but I do not think it will ever happen like it is planned.

 

[Mike]

Whining? Hardly... I’m just not going to wait until my grandkids are being loaded onto cattle cars to push back.

I get this. Really do.

It used to aggravate me to no end at how the trucking industry does nothing to defend itself.

Folks will literally complain about a $45/year membership cost to a trucking organization. An organization that is everyone actually joined, would be an absolutely unstoppable force.

The crap that BSM is doing is ignorant at best. It does nothing other than make the public want harsher rules placed on us. They have zero direction in which to go forward even if there voices were heard and acknowledged.

This forum here, back in its infancy, had a bigger impact back around 2008. The wives of drivers here did more by carrying signs and painting signs on there cars than BSM will ever do. A select few from here even got on television. Problem was, splinter cells of new trucking groups were forming on every street corner, and they were more obsessed with arguing with each other than they were joining together for a good cause.

You don’t go screaming and making a nuisance out of yourself and then try to figure out what you want to accomplish. You organize, put together step by step goals, then you set out to accomplish those goals. You know where that would end with BSM? The moment they start trying to build solid funding through membership dues. You need lawyers, lawyers cost a lot of money. You need all sorts of funding, because driving your truck slowly down the road only makes those who support you angry at you.

 

[mndriver]

They lost my support when I was told I don't matter because I had the wrong hood.

 

[Electric Chicken]

They lost my support when I was told I don't matter because I had the wrong hood.

I don't care about your hood but those headlights are unacceptably hideous.

 

[Johnson]

Yeah, yeah... everybody’s a truckstop comedian. But there are those of us who don’t like being treated like a criminal with the mandatory electronic monitoring device. Nor do we like being treated like children, having our sleep/work cycles dictated to us by some suit-wearing extortionist who’s never drove anything bigger than their tax-payer funded desk. I get the limits on how many hours a day we can drive, but that rule can be enforced without us furnishing GPS coordinates showing exactly what business or who’s residence we slept at last night, along with a push-button feature showing exactly what time we got into bed. My problem is knowing that ELD’s are just the foot in the door to more restrictive, privacy-invading technology. What will be next? Mandatory driver-facing cams with audio? Sleep monitors to ensure how many hours of sleep we actually got? And why? Because the mega-carrier driver mills are producing sub-standard drivers, but nobody wants to call out the elephant in the room in this crony-capitalist totalitarian nation we’ve become. Because safety has nothing to do with it... it’s all about mandating “approved” electronic devices, manufactured by tech companies who’ve paid millions in lobbying fees so they can make billions. It’s about allowing the mega trucking corporations to put new drivers behind the wheel with no supervision for 18 cents per mile, driving freight rates down and bankrupting the competition. I don’t know about you guys, but I fear for the future of my children if we don’t draw a line in the sand at some point and say “enough”. If you are ready to join thousands of your brothers and sisters in drawing that line, then shut down, join a convoy, and slow your roll. Black Smoke Matters!

Every since you've had a cell phone you've been tracked. If you ever drove for a company with Qualcomm or other satellite communications devices , you've been tracked.
ELD'S just keep track of your hours and let you know if your legal or not.
THEY DO NOT FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING.
I get you want to have the ability to be flexible (cheat) because you can't figure out how to work with in the HOS I really do.
If we went back to having 15 hours of on duty time to use any way we wanted with in a 24hr period that would elevate a lot of problems except one the biggest.
SHIPPERS AND RECEIVERS BEING ABLE TO TAKE 2 TO 8 HOURS OR LONGER TO DO A 30 TO 45 MINUTE JOB WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT REPERCUSSIONS.

The other huge problem IS rookies training rookies AGREE 100% trainers should have a minimum of 5 years experience and be state/federal certification.

As far as companies driving down wages with under paid rookies , well it's not on them alone. There's an awful lot of o/o pulling cheap freight helping that cause as well.

That's all I have for now.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Every since you've had a cell phone you've been tracked. If you ever drove for a company with Qualcomm or other satellite communications devices , you've been tracked.
ELD'S just keep track of your hours and let you know if your legal or not.
THEY DO NOT FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING.
I get you want to have the ability to be flexible (cheat) because you can't figure out how to work with in the HOS I really do.
If we went back to having 15 hours of on duty time to use any way we wanted with in a 24hr period that would elevate a lot of problems except one the biggest.
SHIPPERS AND RECEIVERS BEING ABLE TO TAKE 2 TO 8 HOURS OR LONGER TO DO A 30 TO 45 MINUTE JOB WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT REPERCUSSIONS.

The other huge problem IS rookies training rookies AGREE 100% trainers should have a minimum of 5 years experience and be state/federal certification.

As far as companies driving down wages with under paid rookies , well it's not on them alone. There's an awful lot of o/o pulling cheap freight helping that cause as well.

That's all I have for now.

It was plenty.

 

[Johnson]

Every since you've had a cell phone you've been tracked. If you ever drove for a company with Qualcomm or other satellite communications devices , you've been tracked.
ELD'S just keep track of your hours and let you know if your legal or not.
THEY DO NOT FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING.
I get you want to have the ability to be flexible (cheat) because you can't figure out how to work with in the HOS I really do.
If we went back to having 15 hours of on duty time to use any way we wanted with in a 24hr period that would elevate a lot of problems except one the biggest.
SHIPPERS AND RECEIVERS BEING ABLE TO TAKE 2 TO 8 HOURS OR LONGER TO DO A 30 TO 45 MINUTE JOB WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT REPERCUSSIONS.

The other huge problem IS rookies training rookies AGREE 100% trainers should have a minimum of 5 years experience and be state/federal certification.

As far as companies driving down wages with under paid rookies , well it's not on them alone. There's an awful lot of o/o pulling cheap freight helping that cause as well.

That's all I have for now.

I was originally going to put in these terms but I thought it might side track the conversation. (Screw it, lol.)
The large carriers don't contribute that much to driving down rates.
I'm leased onto one and I can tell you they haul very little cheap freight.

The mid to small carriers , 1000 and less trucks are much more of the problem of driving down rates and again alone with o/o' pulling cheap.

 

[Duck]

I was originally going to put in these terms but I thought it might side track the conversation. (Screw it, lol.)
The large carriers don't contribute that much to driving down rates.
I'm leased onto one and I can tell you they haul very little cheap freight.

The mid to small carriers , 1000 and less trucks are much more of the problem of driving down rates and again alone with o/o' pulling cheap.

The big fleets blame the little guys, the little guys blame the big fleets,.. then when Habeeb Mohammed Gorbachev comes flying by in his 25 year old jalopy held together with bungees and duct tape, pulling a can with no f*ing tail lights on the chassis, everyone gets quiet....

 

[ironpony]

The big fleets blame the little guys, the little guys blame the big fleets,.. then when Habeeb Mohammed Gorbachev comes flying by in his 25 year old jalopy held together with bungees and duct tape, pulling a can with no f*ing tail lights on the chassis, everyone gets quiet....

Bet the ELD is tellin' him when he can drive, an' when he can't.

 

[Drifter McDuck]

Every since you've had a cell phone you've been tracked. If you ever drove for a company with Qualcomm or other satellite communications devices , you've been tracked.
ELD'S just keep track of your hours and let you know if your legal or not.
THEY DO NOT FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING.
I get you want to have the ability to be flexible (cheat) because you can't figure out how to work with in the HOS I really do.
If we went back to having 15 hours of on duty time to use any way we wanted with in a 24hr period that would elevate a lot of problems except one the biggest.
SHIPPERS AND RECEIVERS BEING ABLE TO TAKE 2 TO 8 HOURS OR LONGER TO DO A 30 TO 45 MINUTE JOB WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT REPERCUSSIONS.

The other huge problem IS rookies training rookies AGREE 100% trainers should have a minimum of 5 years experience and be state/federal certification.

As far as companies driving down wages with under paid rookies , well it's not on them alone. There's an awful lot of o/o pulling cheap freight helping that cause as well.

That's all I have for now.

A smart phone is not mandatory. And the ELD shows within 3 feet everywhere you’ve been, and to the minute what time you went to bed, and where. I get that you don’t see the problem with big government gaining unprecedented tracking ability of its citizens, but where will you draw the line? The ELD is just the foot in the door to even more invasive and restrictive forms of control. What’s next? Mandatory driver-facing cameras with audio? Speed limiters? Sleep monitors? At some point, the people have step up and say “no more”. For the time being, I am just going to ignore your condescending remarks about my ability to run legal.

 

[Ontario Outlaw]

A smart phone is not mandatory. And the ELD shows within 3 feet everywhere you’ve been, and to the minute what time you went to bed, and where. I get that you don’t see the problem with big government gaining unprecedented tracking ability of its citizens, but where will you draw the line? The ELD is just the foot in the door to even more invasive and restrictive forms of control. What’s next? Mandatory driver-facing cameras with audio? Speed limiters? Sleep monitors? At some point, the people have step up and say “no more”. For the time being, I am just going to ignore your condescending remarks about my ability to run legal.

Testify!!

It should be our choice to run legal or run outlaw.

Just because “they” can’t scribble a legal comic book doesn’t mean I should have to be saddled with an electronic nanny.

It’s dumbing things down to the lowest common denominator so they can stuff idiots behind the wheel.

Then they wonder why they so many accident now

 

[mndriver]

There's an awful lot of o/o pulling cheap freight helping that cause as well.

What's cheap freight?

 

[Drifter McDuck]

I get this. Really do.

It used to aggravate me to no end at how the trucking industry does nothing to defend itself.

Folks will literally complain about a $45/year membership cost to a trucking organization. An organization that is everyone actually joined, would be an absolutely unstoppable force.

The crap that BSM is doing is ignorant at best. It does nothing other than make the public want harsher rules placed on us. They have zero direction in which to go forward even if there voices were heard and acknowledged.

This forum here, back in its infancy, had a bigger impact back around 2008. The wives of drivers here did more by carrying signs and painting signs on there cars than BSM will ever do. A select few from here even got on television. Problem was, splinter cells of new trucking groups were forming on every street corner, and they were more obsessed with arguing with each other than they were joining together for a good cause.

You don’t go screaming and making a nuisance out of yourself and then try to figure out what you want to accomplish. You organize, put together step by step goals, then you set out to accomplish those goals. You know where that would end with BSM? The moment they start trying to build solid funding through membership dues. You need lawyers, lawyers cost a lot of money. You need all sorts of funding, because driving your truck slowly down the road only makes those who support you angry at you.

There is a defined direction. There is a plan. The convoys are being used to generate media attention. They take place above the minimum speed (50 mph), right lane only, proper spacing, during non-peak traffic times so as not to snarl traffic. News crews are invited to each one, interviews are done, and the publicity has all been positive. In fact, the public seems to be more accepting of our efforts than a lot of truckers who keep saying “that will never work”. There are two big convoys coming up on 2/21: One in Indianapolis, and one in Lodi, CA. That day is the “Media Blitz” and is expected to make national news (CBS is already involved). There are several more convoys taking place afterwards in KY, OH, AL, PA, and NJ. On the day of the shutdown, there will be a Chicago Tri-State convoy, covering all interstates leading to Chicago, and going to the FMCSA Midwest Service Center in Matteson, before continuing into NW Indiana.

 

[Drifter McDuck]

 

[Ontario Outlaw]

Dumb question-

Why not just run outlaw and ignore the laws you’re protesting?

 

[mndriver]

All I hear with all the rhetoric....

 

[BrandonCDLtrucker]

I read this thread and this song keeps playing in my head.