Railroads Toot Their Horns

[Racer X 69]

I know CSX is trying to get rid of the teamsters, do not know if they will be able to.

The Teamsters is a strong union. It will be very difficult to get rid of them.

But the railroads will do like the coal mines have done. Make the employees feel like they can get a better deal without the union, and once the union is busted, then take it all away and then some.

The big companies are way more evil than the labor unions. Unions got their start as a way to create better wages, benefits and working conditions for the workers, who would otherwise be working long hours in unsafe conditions for slave wages, without any benefits such as paid holidays, vacations and medical insurance.

 

[bigyellowpete]

The Teamsters is a strong union. It will be very difficult to get rid of them.

But the railroads will do like the coal mines have done. Make the employees feel like they can get a better deal without the union, and once the union is busted, then take it all away and then some.

The big companies are way more evil than the labor unions. Unions got their start as a way to create better wages, benefits and working conditions for the workers, who would otherwise be working long hours in unsafe conditions for slave wages, without any benefits such as paid holidays, vacations and medical insurance.

I wonder where I can get a job fitting all those conditions right now.... Oh yeah, trucking!

 

[smokestack]

53' Intermodal Rail Rates
All Inclusive Door To Door

Los Angeles, CA to Atlanta, GA - $2550
Chicago, IL to Miami, FL - $1896
Croxton, NJ to Miami, FL - $1890
Erail, NJ to Lathrop, CA - $1837
Erail, NJ to Los Angeles, CA - $1832
Kansas City, MO to Morrisville, PA - $2016
Harrisburg, PA to Miami, FL - $1775
Morrisville, PA to Lathrop, CA - $2081
Morrisville, PA to Los Angeles, CA - $2030

 

[boone315]

L.A. to Atlanta is 2100 miles, that is like $1.21 a mile, your truck gets 6 miles a gallon at $3.00 a gallon that is $1050, sorry, would have to decline that thing.

 

[smokestack]

rail rates

 

[Racer X 69]

So then we will soon all be just a bunch of intermodal can haulers.

Lovely.

 

[maltomeel]

The fact that railroads are more fuel efficient has never been in question. The fact that your freight may arrive on time or sit forgotten on a siding somewhere for weeks or months has always been the issue. If the railroads ever figure out how to manage as efficiently as the trains run, long distance trucking might be in trouble. After 38 years in the business, I don't expect that to happen soon.

In my short experience, I SO agree with you. The rail system has serious organization & communication issues. Plus, weather will always affect scheduling. The carriers I use may be slowed down by the weather, but they always get where I need them, and I can actually get a straight answer and an update now and then.

Sure, we need the rails, but in addition to, not in lieu of trucking.

 

[boone315]

I just picked up a load at Fed Ex in Champlain NY(brokerage warehouse) took it to the rail in Syracuse, a load of designer clothing(Can't remember but I think Loreen Michaels or something like that) going to Bradenten FL, dropped it off at 1530, will be put on the train by 2200, out of the rail Saturday a.m. and be in Tampa FL, Tuesday,, I really don't see where any money is saved shipping loads like that by rail. I can see coal, or oil, scrap and so on and maybe even some produce but as far a general freight, to inefficient.

 

[smokestack]

rail is taking the gravy
and leaving the boondocks to trucks
if an o/o can find a decent drayage co
or a good spot in a crap drayage co
he can make a nice living
eg there is a guy out of Bethlehem who is leased to Roadlink
not the best not the worst
all he does all day everyday
is pull loads out of Sam Adams in Allentown
32 mi round trip for around 80 bucks
over and over ....ka ching

 

[boone315]

rail is taking the gravy
and leaving the boondocks to trucks
if an o/o can find a decent drayage co
or a good spot in a crap drayage co
he can make a nice living
eg there is a guy out of Bethlehem who is leased to Roadlink
not the best not the worst
all he does all day everyday
is pull loads out of Sam Adams in Allentown
32 mi round trip for around 80 bucks
over and over ....ka ching

They have loads like that in Syracuse, I stay away from them because they pay crap, the office keeps booking them because we have a bunch of local drivers who only do local work, however, most of the time only one or two local guys show up for work which means the office has a bunch of local work that needs to get covered. We get several southern wine loads in a day, they pay $50, 8 miles round trip but they take at the minimum 2 hours to get to you, at the very fastest you are going to get in and out of the rail is 30 minutes, so if everything goes perfect(and it never does), it is 4 hours per load, at $50, that is like $100 a day, we have guys that live on that, how? I have no idea.

 

[smokestack]

know exactly what you are saying

my truck is leased to a trucking co
my truck only hauls company trailers
but all the trailers (not cans)
are off the rail
we have a local "minimum" that addresses short hauls
up to 20 miles
plus waiting time is after 1 hour
that smooths out those crap locals

 

[boone315]

We have a two hour detention, then it is $50 an hour.

 

[smokestack]

50 is nice

after
1hr 20
2 hr 30
3-11 hr 40

our mileage rates are quite decent
but our revenue is controlled by big brother
everyone makes around the same money
if you have a great Mon Tues
Thurs you are going on a $$$$ diet
so other o/o can catch up
i hate when things are fair
i like unfair
but
to my advantage

 

[bigyellowpete]

Stack, you crack me up.

 

[boone315]

50 is nice

after
1hr 20
2 hr 30
3-11 hr 40

our mileage rates are quite decent
but our revenue is controlled by big brother
everyone makes around the same money
if you have a great Mon Tues
Thurs you are going on a $$$$ diet
so other o/o can catch up
i hate when things are fair
i like unfair
but
to my advantage

We don't have that problem, though we have a couple guys with the most favored driver status,(they earned it) our office doles out the loads as they come in. The thing that I have never seen before is the girls wait till the customer calls them, they never call looking for loads for us and that really sucks now that things are really really slow on the rail, we have lost a couple great paying accounts because the girls in the office have their head up their backsides, I am going with Mawson here in a week or so, going to give up the easy miles and home time for far better money

 

[smokestack]

are you sure you are ready
for the outside world?

 

[MustangLX]

who would otherwise be working long hours in unsafe conditions for slave wages, without any benefits such as paid holidays, vacations and medical insurance.

Do you really believe our lives would be like that in 2011 without labor unions? I don't.
People are too sophisticated for that to occur.
That's like saying slavery would still be around if it weren't for Abraham Lincoln.
I don't give the unions nearly that much credit.
Do some research about the wage freezes during WWII imposed by the government.
These "evil" companies needed a way to attract and retain top notch people.
Since pay raises were illegal they began to offer health benefits, paid vacations, etc. Things we now take for granted.