Owner/operators Unite!!!!

lowest

Member
This is for owner/operators ONLY!! When are we going to ban together and put a stop to the shit that's going on against us? We need to ban together and deal with the problems facing us!! Owner/Operators are a dieing breed.We do not have to be!!!!! I'm proposing that we form a OWNER/OPERATOR FUND for O/O's ONLY. Each O/O makes a $100 contribution each month to help O/O's in need. If we get 100,000 O/O's to sign up for this, that's $10,000,000.00 per month. Drivers don't have to lose their trucks cause they blow a engine or drop a trans. We help them to stay on the road! We help also with their home emergencies. There is nobody helping the O/O. What is sweet about this, nobody pays back a dime!! As long as we have commitment from our members each month, we will never go broke. A commitee will be formed of 10 O/O's from different parts of the country and they will decide how the funds will be dispursed. Lagitament O/O's who are in dire need , WILL NOT BE DENIED!! Man, this will work and keep the O/O alive. Give me your feedback and let's see if we can do this.
Thank-you
 
This is a very interesting idea. Not sure how much work would be involved in organizing it, but in the right hands, it could become something really nice for owner operators.

I know that Arrow Truck Sales has something that they are doing to help drivers who have fallen into some bad luck. It isn't a fund like this, but they are helping certain drivers. I have been hearing about it on the Bill Mack Show.
 
Hate to play devil's advocate here (don't you believe it) but if you have owned a truck long enough to blow a motor and haven't been able to put away enough to replace it, there either wasn't much truck left when you bought it, or you pissed away all your money without putting away for a rainy day or you're pulling freight for 90 cents a mile or you ignored your maintenance and you paid the price. In all the cases above, IT'S YOUR FAULT YOUR NOT AN OWNER OPERATOR ANY MORE. Why should I or 999,999 other O/O's pay for your mistakes? Welcome to the free market system. Those who work hard AND save for unexpected breakdowns AND make good business decisions prosper, and those who buy trucks they can't afford and houses they can't afford and cars they can't afford and live settlement to settlement and then an unexpected breakdown comes along and they say, PLEASE OTHER O/O's WHO SAVED AND ARE DRIVING EIGHT YEAR OLD FREIGHTLINERS that are paid for, please come and bail me out now that my two year old W9 with studio sleeper and $2500 per month payment is out of warranty and broken...*Sucks in a deep breath after that run-on sentence*... go out of business... is how the free market works.
 
O/O's should be helped? Yeah, sure. But the system "lowest" is proposing offers a quite a huge chance to misuse that system. You pay $100 every month and you simply rely on the trust fund to save you whenever the need. You can simply drop the services and drive, that's all. So what if you engine/trans goes out? Nothin' to worry about, the trust fund helps. It's quite simple to misuse that system... Too simple. It seems that the only purpose for that system is to act like an insurance for sudden breakdowns. But how do you clearly state that you've done all the necessary services and taken care of your truck as it should? No chance in h*ll.
Missourian said it clearly: If you haven't saved enough money to cover the unexpected expenses, s*it la vie.

There are good and bad points in that proposed system and from my point of view, more bad than good.

-Janne-
 
Theres a lot I could say about this but I think one words sums it up best... Scam... Theres no way you could run somthing like that with out someones fingers being in the pie.
 
o/o unite

Its funny when u fill a room of drivers they cn never agree on anything. Let alone pool there money together not to acount admin fees, no one works for free. Instead of fingers in the pie it should be called american pie every one for themselves. What happens when u get all this money saved up and the IRS wants a piece of the pie? Well i guess you would have attorneys that would want there share. etc, etc, etc. Something should have been done long ago so when fuel went to $4 a gal or things got bad for the O/O it would have been inplace. However i think its a little to late.:mad:
 
Why we always fail when it comes to a truck strike

Let’s talk about why a strike in the trucking industry will not work and explain what I feel needs to be done in order to get what we need as a whole in this industry and why we will not get it because of the very reason that we are in the industry.
First, we have no leadership. The ATA, OOIDA or any other trucking association has not done anything for this industry for years, if they ever have. They are all political organizations interested nothing but power, to get power you need money, sad but true.

It is all about having POWER and we don’t have any. In order to have power, we need money, a leader and to get organized by putting our differences aside. Will that happen in my lifetime? I doubt it seriously unless we take the golden age of instant communications and use it to help ourselves it’ll never happen.

Why we are divided and can’t stand together as whole?
It’s simple really, we all are in this business for different reasons, but the one thing that we have in common is that we are independent thinkers and doers. That very independence is why we can’t agree on anything because we ALL have our ways of doing things and thinking period. If we could ever manage to put that aside and unite to reach common goals then we’d have a shot at making changes that we need in the industry and everyone would profit and be better off.

We had attempts at strikes before, but they all failed because of a lack of organization and having clear and reasonable goals and someone that we all trusted that was articulate enough to get the message across to those in power. What good does it do to park the trucks when the powers that be can’t find any ONE person to talk to that can explain the reasons for the strike and how to resolve it so that everyone is some what satisfied. All we did was call attention to the fact that we aren’t organized and don’t know exactly what we want and have no spokes person or persons to explain it.

We have to figure out who we can trust to lead us as a group. Perhaps form a nonprofit organization with a board of directors that we elect. Anyway we do it, it has to be some one that knows all the issues facing today’s drivers, what’s important to us and can communicate those facts.

Why does the government want to keep us under control? They aren’t that stupid contrary to what we think about them. They know that if the truckers of America ever united and worked as one to achieve common goals that we would be one of the most powerful political forces the country has ever seen, or will see. There is an estimated 3.4 million of us, both local and OTR. If you took that many people that were united for a single goal don’t you think the government would pay attention? Then add in our families, friends, and other people who have a stake in our well being well folks, I think we could grab the bull by the horns and hog tie it don’t you?
"Wait you say you said politics and power didn’t you?"

Yes I did that’s the ONLY way we can achieve any goals we set. "But you said to have power we need to have money where are we going to get the money?" Well if every driver put in say $50 a year to a general fund don’t you think we could buy some power?
Other organizations have lobbyist why shouldn’t we? Do you think that the ATA and OOIDA don’t have people in the areas of power lobbying for them> Sure they do, they just don’t have our interest as drivers at heart any more I think.


Before the age of instant communications, it was almost impossible to organize, as there was no way to get the word to all the drivers. Now with cell phones, email, instant messenger programs, the internet, and sites like this one and mine TruckerSpaces we have a way to communicate with each other. It’s right here waiting on us and all we have to do is use it.
 
You make alot of good points,but I have to disagree on OOIDA. I think if this organization had the backing of the majority of the truckers out here, they would be able to do plenty for us. As it stands, they are limited due to a lack of support and a lack of funding.

They do what they can though, and we have brought several things they were at the forefront of up for discussion here. Right now, they at least get vocal on issues and do their best to get us drivers out there and acting on the issues.

Where the OOIDA is limited though, is the membership. It is hard for them to present something to Congress and say that their entire membership is behind them, when they will only be laughed at due to the fact that the "entire membership" is roughly 150,000. Let them go to war for us, with 1 million members behind them, and our representatives in Washington D.C. will be forced to listen.

OOIDA digs tons of issues up and brings them to our attention, many things that the majority of drivers would never know about until they have already happened. Drivers need to do their part though, and act on the things they are made aware of. Until now, drivers have been the weak link in the trucking industry, and until they focus, organize, and become active in all the issues, it will remain that way.

Most drivers can tell you who the Presidential candidates are, but I bet it is safe to say that the majority of them do not know who their representatives are, or most of the other elected officials that they have the ability to vote for.

As for the ATA, that organization could care less about the drivers. They are going to do whatever the large companies pay them to do.
 
C/P of a mssg. I posted on another site: {Bullwinkle you can figure out which site lol}

I have just got done looking at several different trucking sites and a few news sites, what I am seeing is that the word strike is being used a lot!!!
the way it looks its not a matter of IF but WHEN. what worries me is the longer it takes the uglier it is gonna get and lets face it even the die hard it will never happen crowd are changing their tune, news sites in CA,TX,ME,GA, NC all had news of groups of truckers saying that they are about broke and are ready to strike.
I think what will light the fuse to this powder keg is there is going to be a small group of truckers that are going to shut down somewhere and make the news that will set off a chain reaction that will end up with everyone shutting down.
In 74 it basically started that way with a few trucks just shutting down all lanes of the highway somewhere and it snowballed from there and it did get ugly, I was hoping that it could be done with someone setting up an agenda and having the backing of most of the drivers out here but I think that it is going to just happen spontaneously.
 
I think that if the owner operators and company drivers would take the time to put together a good plan, it could be very successful.

The problem is that far to often, a "strike" crusade gets started on the CB, and now on a small website, and rather than directing that enthusiasm toward a real solution, a few people run with the idea of pushing for the "strike". In the end, nothing gets accomplished.

I want to get drivers focused on a long term solution. What is the solution? I don't know. I am not going to try to lie to people and say I have the right answer in my head because I don't, or if I do, I don't know that it is the right answer. I have thoughts an opinionts, but rather than run with that, I think we need to take the time to discuss it and get everyone's point of view and put forward a plan from there.

Bring owner operators and company drivers together toward a common goal is the first goal that needs to be met, this I am set in stone on. There are too many owner operators out there that have little to no respect for a company driver, and at the same time, there are far too many company drivers who could are less about the issues that an owner operator faces. Goal #1 needs to be forming a community where both of these groups understands and respects the issues that each deals with.

As we build a community based on the above, we can concentrate on how to address issues that affect the trucking industry, as a whole.
 
When I was a young, dumb hot head I was one of the first to scream strike and cuss the government. Over the years I have learned that doesn't do anything but give me laryngitis and prove how stupid I was. Eventually I figured it out and stopped. I try to use my brain and the Internet now which is the only way we can all communicate and get somewhere.

In the beginning OOIDA had the right mind set, over the years it's changed. I don't say that they don't do a lot of good things for us, or that I don't appreciate what they have accomplished that's why I've been a member. I just don't think that they are on the right track as far as organizing the industry. They could have by now IF they had of made the effort to.

Another issue I have with them is the fact that they aren't a Non Profit and there are some serious bucks being paid to a lot of people there salary wise that could be used for lobbying to have the laws changed so that we come under the auspices of Wage and hour again and have the same protection that most of American workers have. I personally don't want anyone making one penny off the backs of the drivers or getting paid outrageous salaries so that they can "help" the trucking industry. It has to be a passion, a calling so deep that you look past the money aspect of it.

Getting us back under the Wage and Hour regulations would go a LONG ways toward solving some of the major issues the industry has been fighting for years such as log books regulations, unpaid hours sitting at docks, sitting in shops for repairs and maintenance on company trucks, just to name a few It would probably have an effect on the latest greatest idea the government has and that's the purposed speed limiters. Hey bring it on, I'm all for it as long as EVERY vehicle including ALL buses, cars have to have them, otherwise it's discrimination pure and simple.

I don't doubt that they lack funding or membership, they made some stupid financial moves in the past one between 1999-2002 which was trying to finance equipment, they had no business getting into that and lost a lot of money.

Lack of membership is something that they haven't approached correctly. Some drivers think that because the name is OOIDA it's just for owner operators and their drivers. I can't tell you how many times I've explained that one.

Another thing is that they don't allow the members to vote on what projects they tackle, not saying that the ones they have weren't justified and appreciated, but you have to let the members participate more. It can't be just pay the dues and we'll decide what issues are important.

There will in all probability NEVER be a nationwide strike because there are too many opportunist out there that will take advantage of those that park during these so called "strikes" of the past like the one in '74. That one caused more harm than good because of the violence that was involved in it. The site that was preaching strike was shut down and is now in litigation for several things. One was being stupid I think.

In order for drivers of ALL kinds to be taken seriously there has to be a nationwide effort and not just a few splinter groups trying to strike, that have no organization or negotiating skills.

They think just because they park the trucks wave a few signs, talk to the press that they've done something. Well they have. They've proved once again, that we cannot put our differences aside long enough to unite in order to have the power to make things change. I personally would be at the front of the line if there ever was a serious attempt at organizing with actual representation that had the bargaining skills to present what we need, why and the facts to back them up.

You make alot of good points,but I have to disagree on OOIDA. I think if this organization had the backing of the majority of the truckers out here, they would be able to do plenty for us. As it stands, they are limited due to a lack of support and a lack of funding.

They do what they can though, and we have brought several things they were at the forefront of up for discussion here. Right now, they at least get vocal on issues and do their best to get us drivers out there and acting on the issues.

Where the OOIDA is limited though, is the membership. It is hard for them to present something to Congress and say that their entire membership is behind them, when they will only be laughed at due to the fact that the "entire membership" is roughly 150,000. Let them go to war for us, with 1 million members behind them, and our representatives in Washington D.C. will be forced to listen.

OOIDA digs tons of issues up and brings them to our attention, many things that the majority of drivers would never know about until they have already happened. Drivers need to do their part though, and act on the things they are made aware of. Until now, drivers have been the weak link in the trucking industry, and until they focus, organize, and become active in all the issues, it will remain that way.

Most drivers can tell you who the Presidential candidates are, but I bet it is safe to say that the majority of them do not know who their representatives are, or most of the other elected officials that they have the ability to vote for.

As for the ATA, that organization could care less about the drivers. They are going to do whatever the large companies pay them to do.
 
Hate to tell you but that's already being done to certain degree. There is a site to help FAMILIES of drivers when a catastrophic issue arises. You can find them here: UTDA

However it's not to fund Owner Operators that don't have the business sense to have the money to pay for repairs and survive the down time involved in major repairs.
Truth of the matter if you're an Owner Operator and you can't afford to take care of yourself, your equipment and financial obligations then you don't need to be in the business. You should be driving a cab or flipping burgers, something that doesn't require you to think about and plan for the future.

Why should anyone bail you out, spend their hard earned money to fix your stupid mistakes. NOT

This isn't a business for idiots that have to have all the chrome, run from truck-stop to truck-stop at 100 mph, brag on the C.B "This is MY Truck." trying to impress some stupid kid or woman with air between their ears with your empty bravado and bull crap.

It's BUSINESS not a hobby and it's a cut throat business at best which only the strong survive and the weak are driven over like so much road kill.
This has to be one of the STUPIDEST ideas I've had the misfortune to read.


This is for owner/operators ONLY!! When are we going to ban together and put a stop to the shit that's going on against us? We need to ban together and deal with the problems facing us!! Owner/Operators are a dieing breed.We do not have to be!!!!! I'm proposing that we form a OWNER/OPERATOR FUND for O/O's ONLY. Each O/O makes a $100 contribution each month to help O/O's in need. If we get 100,000 O/O's to sign up for this, that's $10,000,000.00 per month. Drivers don't have to lose their trucks cause they blow a engine or drop a trans. We help them to stay on the road! We help also with their home emergencies. There is nobody helping the O/O. What is sweet about this, nobody pays back a dime!! As long as we have commitment from our members each month, we will never go broke. A commitee will be formed of 10 O/O's from different parts of the country and they will decide how the funds will be dispursed. Lagitament O/O's who are in dire need , WILL NOT BE DENIED!! Man, this will work and keep the O/O alive. Give me your feedback and let's see if we can do this.
Thank-you
 
Another issue I have with them is the fact that they aren't a Non Profit and there are some serious bucks being paid to a lot of people there salary wise that could be used for lobbying to have the laws changed so that we come under the auspices of Wage and hour again and have the same protection that most of American workers have. I personally don't want anyone making one penny off the backs of the drivers or getting paid outrageous salaries so that they can "help" the trucking industry. It has to be a passion, a calling so deep that you look past the money aspect of it.
Is there some proof in this? I am not saying it doesn't exist, it's just I have never seen anyone say anything about this. I figured this happened but just never saw anything about it.




Lack of membership is something that they haven't approached correctly. Some drivers think that because the name is OOIDA it's just for owner operators and their drivers. I can't tell you how many times I've explained that one.

Yea, they say it is not just for owner operators. But the title says different.

Another thing is that they don't allow the members to vote on what projects they tackle, not saying that the ones they have weren't justified and appreciated, but you have to let the members participate more. It can't be just pay the dues and we'll decide what issues are important.

I agree here, if I have to pay for a membership. Then I should get a vote on what, and how they use my money.
 
there is going to be a shutdown sooner or late the time to try to reason and work with government and business customers has passed its been tried to do it the "right" way has been tried for years with the results being that we ate told to bend over,the whole trucking industry is pissed and is a powder keg just waiting for a spark,
Its time to lead,follow or get the hell out of the way!!
 
Hate to tell you but that's already being done to certain degree. There is a site to help FAMILIES of drivers when a catastrophic issue arises. You can find them here: UTDA

However it's not to fund Owner Operators that don't have the business sense to have the money to pay for repairs and survive the down time involved in major repairs.
Truth of the matter if you're an Owner Operator and you can't afford to take care of yourself, your equipment and financial obligations then you don't need to be in the business. You should be driving a cab or flipping burgers, something that doesn't require you to think about and plan for the future.

Why should anyone bail you out, spend their hard earned money to fix your stupid mistakes. NOT

This isn't a business for idiots that have to have all the chrome, run from truck-stop to truck-stop at 100 mph, brag on the C.B "This is MY Truck." trying to impress some stupid kid or woman with air between their ears with your empty bravado and bull crap.

It's BUSINESS not a hobby and it's a cut throat business at best which only the strong survive and the weak are driven over like so much road kill.
This has to be one of the STUPIDEST ideas I've had the misfortune to read.


i COULD HAVE said it better, but i like the way you say it too.....

that'll be the day i "donate" money for some dumb@ss o/o who can't manage his/her money. to spend money foolishly, and i do stress foolishly on the chrome, bells, and whistles, that an o/o "must have" is ridiculous to say the least. a true o/o would NOT spend money on frivilous items, such as those, but WOULD spend money on items that WILL increase the resale value or lenghten the reliablity on the engine of a rig, and for starters, that would be an APU, then spend money on synthetic lubricants for the engine, transmission and rear axles, even the front axle as well.

oh yeah, let's all "donate" money for some dumb@ss that cannot control his expenses, because he "had to have" the shiny new piece of chrome......:runningaround:

it IS A BUSINESS, and it must be treated as such...........

pissing away money is for fools, and i for one, will NOT SUPPORT thier urination habits.......:pissed:
 
I have to post on all and any of these opinions. They all are like armpits, and yes they all stink. Ever heard the saying "to get along, you have to get along."? If everyone just minded their own business, then we wouldn't have alot to worry about. I own my own truck, or should I say PACCAR let's me own my own payment, and I have seen hard times and good times. Yes the price of fuel sucks. I try not to let it worry me much. I don't buy excessive chrome for my truck. (Besides its a Kenworth and stainless looks better on it.)If I make out breaking even at the end of the year, I've done what I could. I do not cry to anyone. I merely push on and keep working. I will either make it or won't. Either way I would never have known If I could if I never tried. Turn off the C.B. , use your hands free for your cell phone. Don't worry about the other guy till he's crowding clear into your lane and damn near running you off the road. Then a simple,"Hey a-hole wake up and give me my lane back!" will suffice. Do your job without complaint and you will feel better about doing it.
 
I have to post on all and any of these opinions. They all are like armpits, and yes they all stink. Ever heard the saying "to get along, you have to get along."?

so, what are you saying, deep down inside your "fresh armpit self"....???:order:

that WE SHOULD donate money into a fund to support dumb@ss o/o's who can't survive, and we need to be thier personal crutch....???:nono:

if an o/o CANNOT survive, its HIS/HER PROBLEM, NO ONE ELSE's......:wtf:

i don't see any "donation buckets" for factory workers, plumbers, carpenter's, mechanic's and so on and so forth. if those people lose thier jobs (or business's), they move on, pick up the pieces and go.........

and no, i never heard your saying, "to get along, you have to get along".

but i have heard of, "a fool and his money, are soon departed"


most o/o's (not all) are fools.............spending money, continually dropping the hammer, and taking freight at such low prices (just to get out of the area), that these people are thier own worse enemy..........:thud:

can't maintain a business....??

GET OUT......!!!
 
Hi guys, id just like to post this in response to the UTDA being brought up.

We are a Non-Profit, Charitable Organization representing the interests and supporting the wellbeing of professional truck drivers and their families in the United States and Canada.
By implementing fundraisers, the generous donations of our members, and the support of our sponsors, we are able to provide some relief to truck drivers and their families during hard times due to health, death or natural disasters’.
We also work closely with other Charitable Organizations’ and Government agencies for assistance and relief.

As we are growing at a fast and steady pace, we are also getting more involved in advocating for the truck driver, our goals are to work with other important Associations, Organizations’ and Companies to ensure that the truck drivers interests will be considered before anything else.
We will work closely with companies to ensure that proper treatment, pay and respect are always given to the truck driver & to remind companies that truck drivers are hard working people with families to support just like anyone else.

In the last 10 or so years, the trucking industry and the truck driver went from being well respected and honored, to a nuisance and an eyesore for everyone to cringe at.
Our volunteers and staff Members are working everyday to educate our Communities, about truck drivers and the trucking industry, to place a positive image and outlook back into the hearts and minds of people everywhere.

We can’t do it alone!

Your membership is needed to help us make a difference in our industry, to make our voice herd to help your fellow trucking brothers and sisters during these hard times.
Don’t worry, Membership is free, and donations are helpful, but certainly not required.
The single most important thing you can do is join the UTDA now! as our members are our voice, and without you, we cannot be herd.
 

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