Truckers Strike April 1, 2008

I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT "THEY" SAY.

i am so happy for you, so much so, i just had to go to the crappa
 
any o/o not running will lose his truck.

Ya know? It's funny....A year or so ago "Glenn" said that I'd be out of business in a few months because "the day of the O/O was over" as of this month I am completely debt free and I'm making very good money in spite of the high cost of fuel, Or possibly because of it.

Paid for truck
Paid for trailer
"0" credit card debt
No car payments

Glenn likes to run his mouth but he can always be counted on to spout clueless negativity and BS on virtually any subject that he weighs in on....

So, what is the whole point? Better pay? Less regulation? Both? Aren't there some that are ok with how things are? Can "some" speak for "all"? Like I said, if some are not happy, then they should absolutely do what they need to do, but in doing so, that shouldn't affect those that are happy.

The point of a "strike" is to draw attention to a problem by showing people how inconvenient you can make life for them if the complaints that you have are not addressed....So it should in fact have an "effect" on those that "are happy", That's the whole point.

Having said that....A strike is a stupid idea in my opinion and will do more harm than good, What would work better is to get all of the "Truckers" to stop hauling for stupidly low rates.
I mean seriously....If you could figure out how to organize a strike you could certainly figure out how to get them to just "Say No To Cheap Freight".

In 2008 the reason for the strike was fuel was killing everyone.....As an o/o you have to make a certain percentage in order to survive and make a profit and it wasen't happening....That's pretty much the short of it..

The reason that "fuel was killing everyone" as you say in 2008 is because a lot of so called "O/O's" aren't bright enough to say no to bad rates....So they haul "CHEAP FREIGHT" and then cry because they have to pay so much for fuel. Anyone that hauls " a backhaul to pay for fuel" is a fool and deserves to go out of business...That truck costs the same amount to run no matter which direction it headed.
I made great money in '08 and '09 because I'm willing to say no to "CHEAP FREIGHT" and wait til a better rate is offered.
As far as I'm concerned the O/O's that failed in '08 were not running their business like a business and the net result of their demise was a needed "thinning of the herd" and anyone that goes broke this time is in exactly the same situation.

i am so happy for you, so much so, i just had to go to the crappa


As always "Glenn" you demonstrate your tendency to be the "poster boy" for what is wrong with society these days.
 
blackw900 said:
Having said that....A strike is a stupid idea in my opinion and will do more harm than good, What would work better is to get all of the "Truckers" to stop hauling for stupidly low rates.
I mean seriously....If you could figure out how to organize a strike you could certainly figure out how to get them to just "Say No To Cheap Freight".

Amen brother!
 
Ya know? It's funny....A year or so ago "Glenn" said that I'd be out of business in a few months because "the day of the O/O was over" as of this month I am completely debt free and I'm making very good money in spite of the high cost of fuel, Or possibly because of it.

the day of the o/o will come to an end soon enough. you may be debt free for now, but one serious illness or injury could just as easily put you out of business, and INTO debt.



Glenn likes to run his mouth but he can always be counted on to spout clueless negativity and BS on virtually any subject that he weighs in on....
why not..?? the "positives" are that the negativity will soon come to fruition.



A strike is a stupid idea in my opinion and will do more harm than good, What would work better is to get all of the "Truckers" to stop hauling for stupidly low rates.
I mean seriously....If you could figure out how to organize a strike you could certainly figure out how to get them to just "Say No To Cheap Freight".

so YOU SEE..?? you agree with me after all..!!
was that so hard..??



The reason that "fuel was killing everyone" as you say in 2008 is because a lot of so called "O/O's" aren't bright enough to say no to bad rates....So they haul "CHEAP FREIGHT" and then cry because they have to pay so much for fuel. Anyone that hauls " a backhaul to pay for fuel" is a fool and deserves to go out of business...That truck costs the same amount to run no matter which direction it headed.
I made great money in '08 and '09 because I'm willing to say no to "CHEAP FREIGHT" and wait til a better rate is offered.
As far as I'm concerned the O/O's that failed in '08 were not running their business like a business and the net result of their demise was a needed "thinning of the herd" and anyone that goes broke this time is in exactly the same situation.

as long as suckers go for the lease to own deals, "one is born every minute"




As always "Glenn" you demonstrate your tendency to be the "poster boy" for what is wrong with society these days.

why thank you, i appreciate your kinds words, and your hand in friendship. you really are a nice o/o.

(while you still are one that is)
 
that's ever so true...

different set of clowns, same old rhetoric, same old hot air, same old BS from those that can talk the talk, but noting else.

Even the OOIDA has gone on record as saying a strike serves no purpose.

Someone can look that up.
I know if we ever need the Proper info, You will help us Glenn8963. Your knowledge has always been superior.
You are a value to this site.
 
Ya know? It's funny....A year or so ago "Glenn" said that I'd be out of business in a few months because "the day of the O/O was over" as of this month I am completely debt free and I'm making very good money in spite of the high cost of fuel, Or possibly because of it.

Paid for truck
Paid for trailer
"0" credit card debt
No car payments



That's good to hear. I've heard from quite a few O/O's on here that seem to be doing all right and overall as a group, a little better than the company drivers. Of course like anything else, it varies according to how the individual handles the specifics.
It is a curious fact that the percentage of people who start a business during a recession succeed at higher rate than those who start one during the good times. I think it has to do with the ability to overcome the struggles, so when the good times come, it's a breeze.




The reason that "fuel was killing everyone" as you say in 2008 is because a lot of so called "O/O's" aren't bright enough to say no to bad rates....So they haul "CHEAP FREIGHT" and then cry because they have to pay so much for fuel. Anyone that hauls " a backhaul to pay for fuel" is a fool and deserves to go out of business...That truck costs the same amount to run no matter which direction it headed.
I made great money in '08 and '09 because I'm willing to say no to "CHEAP FREIGHT" and wait til a better rate is offered.
As far as I'm concerned the O/O's that failed in '08 were not running their business like a business and the net result of their demise was a needed "thinning of the herd" and anyone that goes broke this time is in exactly the same situation.


That's true.
when your business expenses rise, for raw material, fuel, etc., it doesn't make any sense to not raise your prices and take it in the shorts.
The prevailing wisdom is "because we'll lose customers and go out of business" - but the truth is, you'll go out of business anyway. And on the race to the bottom, take others with you.



reading these new posts to this thread has been giving me a deja-vu moment

Yep, it sure does.
I can laugh a little easier and handle the naysayers a little better now.
It still gets my blood hot when hear it, because I KNOW what a small, determined group or even one individual is capable of when you really put an effort into it.
That's the whole character of being a rebel in a nut shell. If I listened every time I heard, "No, No, No, You can't do THAT" - I never would have accomplished half the things I've done in my life.
Just knowing that, always gives me a smile inside when an insurmountable challenge presents itself.

4 years ago, the fuel prices were killing everybody (and I mean everybody) even though today they are actually a little higher. They just figured out how to boil the frogs - little by little.
But to answer someone else's question as to what the strike was focused on - that was it. Fuel was something that hit everybody, everywhere on everything we buy. Then to make matters worse, it was in short supply at times, which caused even more headaches.
Memories are awfully short, but I know for a fact there were tons of pi$$ed off people and no small numbers of politicians getting an angry earful everyday. And maybe even a few not so subtle threats.....................LOL.

But when even THAT crises didn't bring people together enough to set off a nation wide wildfire under D.C., it really disappointed me.
I'm still convinced the Day of Reckoning is coming, but rather than trying to help everyone, I'm going to concentrate on taking care of me and mine, and let the chips fall where they may. Lord knows, we've been warned.

Hey @rebel .... Totally off topic, but what is that on your plate in your avatar? Looks like some asparagus that you seem to be pretty proud of. Just wondering. Also wondering....do you still got the mullet? Again, just wondering.

A little OT is always Ok, lol.
What's on my plate is okra, which does surprisingly well every year so far, when i can keep the deer off of it!
Those specimens had actually grown past their prime. Okra needs to be picked when its tender, before it gets that big, but that year I couldn't pick or eat it fast enough. By the time I got those, they were huge.


And...........
Mullet?
We ain't got no mullet.
just some trout, bass, bream and occasional muskie.

LOL

That hair was 14 inches long once it's harvested, not including what I leave on my head and neck, and all one length.
It's about a year from being that long again.
 
Ya know? It's funny....A year or so ago "Glenn" said that I'd be out of business in a few months because "the day of the O/O was over" as of this month I am completely debt free and I'm making very good money in spite of the high cost of fuel, Or possibly because of it.

Paid for truck
Paid for trailer
"0" credit card debt
No car payments

Glenn likes to run his mouth but he can always be counted on to spout clueless negativity and BS on virtually any subject that he weighs in on....



The point of a "strike" is to draw attention to a problem by showing people how inconvenient you can make life for them if the complaints that you have are not addressed....So it should in fact have an "effect" on those that "are happy", That's the whole point.

Having said that....A strike is a stupid idea in my opinion and will do more harm than good, What would work better is to get all of the "Truckers" to stop hauling for stupidly low rates.
I mean seriously....If you could figure out how to organize a strike you could certainly figure out how to get them to just "Say No To Cheap Freight".



The reason that "fuel was killing everyone" as you say in 2008 is because a lot of so called "O/O's" aren't bright enough to say no to bad rates....So they haul "CHEAP FREIGHT" and then cry because they have to pay so much for fuel. Anyone that hauls " a backhaul to pay for fuel" is a fool and deserves to go out of business...That truck costs the same amount to run no matter which direction it headed.
I made great money in '08 and '09 because I'm willing to say no to "CHEAP FREIGHT" and wait til a better rate is offered.
As far as I'm concerned the O/O's that failed in '08 were not running their business like a business and the net result of their demise was a needed "thinning of the herd" and anyone that goes broke this time is in exactly the same situation.




As always "Glenn" you demonstrate your tendency to be the "poster boy" for what is wrong with society these days.
You are exactly right, Dont haul cheap freight. I have read many of your post blackw900, and I strongly feel you will ALWAYS do very well in this industry. There are a lot of drivers out there that should follow your steps to making the best as an O/O. I know of a few like you, but like I said, a Few. Knowing how to run a Truck, and Making it profitable, Is only done by the pro`s. You are a leader in that category.
 
It goes beyond not hauling cheap freight. It is also company drivers not hauling for a pathetic wage and crappy benefits. There are jobs out there that pay well, fill those seats.

Education and pride will go a lot farther than a strike. Education, via forums like this, that let potential drivers know what they are getting into, education about what the companies out there are really like from those who drive or have drove for them. And the Pride to demand better.

I won't work for .35/mile. I won't work for a company that forces me to sleep with the truck shut off unless I always have an alternative for electricity and air conditioning. I won't stay out for weeks at at time unless you really pay me well for it. I won't drive crappy equipment. I won't be pressured into running illegally, or running fatigued.

Demand better. Nobody should have to be gone from home for a week at a time just to bring home 40-50k per year. Maybe a newbie that is learning the job, but not beyond that.
 
Demand better. Nobody should have to be gone from home for a week at a time just to bring home 40-50k per year. Maybe a newbie that is learning the job, but not beyond that.

Let me add to that. You should make more than that, plus have good benefits available to you at reasonable costs.
 
It goes beyond not hauling cheap freight. It is also company drivers not hauling for a pathetic wage and crappy benefits. There are jobs out there that pay well, fill those seats.

Education and pride will go a lot farther than a strike. Education, via forums like this, that let potential drivers know what they are getting into, education about what the companies out there are really like from those who drive or have drove for them. And the Pride to demand better.

I won't work for .35/mile. I won't work for a company that forces me to sleep with the truck shut off unless I always have an alternative for electricity and air conditioning. I won't stay out for weeks at at time unless you really pay me well for it. I won't drive crappy equipment. I won't be pressured into running illegally, or running fatigued.

Demand better. Nobody should have to be gone from home for a week at a time just to bring home 40-50k per year. Maybe a newbie that is learning the job, but not beyond that.

Let me add to that. You should make more than that, plus have good benefits available to you at reasonable costs.


I don't disagree with what you said at all, but I'm sure you know that it's easier said than done, and getting harder all the time.
That goes for everybody, not just truckers.
 
Hey, There Ya' go. A free market system. The free market will place the best workers with the companies offering the best pay, Benifits and treatment. Ya' gets what ya' pays for . Not only in trucking but in all fields.Same goes for the consumer market, Free market.
 
Hey, There Ya' go. A free market system. The free market will place the best workers with the companies offering the best pay, Benifits and treatment. Ya' gets what ya' pays for . Not only in trucking but in all fields.Same goes for the consumer market, Free market.


That's a great answer.
Now show me anywhere in this entire world where a "free market" truly exists.
I'm not talking about propagandized BS, but in fact.
You might be able to cite a few examples like the Columbian drug world or in the animal world, like the plains of Africa, where the Law of the Jungle rules supreme.
But I'm talking in the normal human world. Show me the place where people don't conspire to control the money situation when they get the chance.
Before dismissing this as untrue, go and read any of a number of articles on this forum from just the last few weeks about companies that were fined or shut down because of their outrageous behavior.
Company officials that ripped off their employees, their stockholders, their customers and even defrauded the government.
Violators fire people who try to do the right thing, fire people for their age or because they won't submit to sexual harassment or for a variety of unconscionable reasons.
Sure, they broke the law and got caught. Now, how many others that DIDN'T do you think are still out there?

My point is, that the answer "let the free market take care of it" simply isn't an honest answer, because the consequences of breaking criminal laws don't exist in this so called "free market" that people claim that we have.

Now, if you were to take off the handcuffs that restrain people from inflicting a just punishment for these crimes, THEN you might approach the concept of a "free market."
Until that time, it's just blowing smoke.
 
You are exactly right, Dont haul cheap freight. I have read many of your post blackw900, and I strongly feel you will ALWAYS do very well in this industry. There are a lot of drivers out there that should follow your steps to making the best as an O/O. I know of a few like you, but like I said, a Few. Knowing how to run a Truck, and Making it profitable, Is only done by the pro`s. You are a leader in that category.

This works well for the o/o's out there. But the "average company driver" has no choice in the freight he/she picks up or delivers. It IS a luxury we (company drivers) do not have. But also true, that if ALL o/o's follow BW's footsteps, the the need for such a slowdown or strike would not be warranted. But sadly, many o/o's stuck in a "fleece deal" will submit to the lower rates if simply to either get to the next pick up, or to just get home.

It goes beyond not hauling cheap freight. It is also company drivers not hauling for a pathetic wage and crappy benefits. There are jobs out there that pay well, fill those seats.

Education and pride will go a lot farther than a strike. Education, via forums like this, that let potential drivers know what they are getting into, education about what the companies out there are really like from those who drive or have drove for them. And the Pride to demand better.

I won't work for .35/mile. I won't work for a company that forces me to sleep with the truck shut off unless I always have an alternative for electricity and air conditioning. I won't stay out for weeks at at time unless you really pay me well for it. I won't drive crappy equipment. I won't be pressured into running illegally, or running fatigued.

Demand better. Nobody should have to be gone from home for a week at a time just to bring home 40-50k per year. Maybe a newbie that is learning the job, but not beyond that.

You may think it is that easy, but it simply is not. Newbies coming into the "revolving door" will accept those low paying jobs simply to start earning money, after being out of work for a long period of time.

No one should sleep in a truck without an APU or allowed to idle for comfort, but again, many do, some by choice by the way, by using fans rather than the a/c.

Even a "seasoned pro" may accept such a job, if he was faced with certain unemployment due to his shop closing and no other job prospects in the immediate future.
no one wants to drive crappy equipment, but again, you take what is there and get the job done. as long as it at least passes a DOT inspection, it's "good to go" for the time being.

easily said (by you) but not all that obtainable for some.



Let me add to that. You should make more than that, plus have good benefits available to you at reasonable costs.

benefits are becoming a joke, in ANY industry. more and more workers are paying up MORE money into the health care costs. hell, my state alone has budget problems (what state doesn't) and the state is making the state workers pay more out of pocket expenses, and taking cut backs in retirement benefits.

some smaller mom'pop operations, that many of us here recommend for some to seek employment, DO NOT OFFER ANY health benefits. what does one do then?? we tell them to go to a smaller company, but then there are no bene's..????

I don't disagree with what you said at all, but I'm sure you know that it's easier said than done, and getting harder all the time.
That goes for everybody, not just truckers.

true that.
 
This works well for the o/o's out there. But the "average company driver" has no choice in the freight he/she picks up or delivers. It IS a luxury we (company drivers) do not have. But also true, that if ALL o/o's follow BW's footsteps, the the need for such a slowdown or strike would not be warranted. But sadly, many o/o's stuck in a "fleece deal" will submit to the lower rates if simply to either get to the next pick up, or to just get home.



You may think it is that easy, but it simply is not. Newbies coming into the "revolving door" will accept those low paying jobs simply to start earning money, after being out of work for a long period of time.

No one should sleep in a truck without an APU or allowed to idle for comfort, but again, many do, some by choice by the way, by using fans rather than the a/c.

Even a "seasoned pro" may accept such a job, if he was faced with certain unemployment due to his shop closing and no other job prospects in the immediate future.
no one wants to drive crappy equipment, but again, you take what is there and get the job done. as long as it at least passes a DOT inspection, it's "good to go" for the time being.

easily said (by you) but not all that obtainable for some.





benefits are becoming a joke, in ANY industry. more and more workers are paying up MORE money into the health care costs. hell, my state alone has budget problems (what state doesn't) and the state is making the state workers pay more out of pocket expenses, and taking cut backs in retirement benefits.

some smaller mom'pop operations, that many of us here recommend for some to seek employment, DO NOT OFFER ANY health benefits. what does one do then?? we tell them to go to a smaller company, but then there are no bene's..????



true that.
@Glenn8963, get a sign, will work for benefits. In all my years driving, NEVER slept in a truck.
 
Well come July the 1st 2012 Im SHUTTING DOWN Were gonna shut down from the 1st-4th. I thought thats what this thread was but I just reread it. April 2008. lol
Just a little something to get the attention of a few lawmakers. Thats all we need. Theres a bill in congress right now the would make it mandatory for all trucks to have EOBR's. Then theres sleep apnea bull. Fuel prices.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD.
Anyone who gets on here and says they will not shutdown is probly payed by the American Trucking Association to moniter and disrupt the site.
 
@gearjammer

Since your digging up old threads ;)

Remember this?

I remember that was when I was really involved in trying to change things for the better for all truckers, that was the time my truck got egged for putting posters in my windows at the truck stops advertising the strike,stoppage,whatever you want to call it I was also in DC along with 300 or so other truckers[ 3000 were suppose to show up].
reading some of the old posts show the huge difference in attitudes compared to today.
after that I was real disappointed that truckers seemed to have that "nothing can be done" attitude and just gave up.
I recently whet over my records and my profit percentages show a downward slide since that time, sure I made a profit but each year it was less and less.
the greatest difference I see from then and now is the attitudes of todays drivers and quite frankly it shows just far the government and trucking companies have squashed the independent attitudes of the truckers today, you can see plainly just how big a win the government and companies won.
this winter I have been thinking about what I was going to do in the future and reading this, this morning I have decided to hang up the keys even the part time crap i have been doing isn't worth it.
I sold my truck to a farmer last summer and although I will still run some heavy equipment once in a while I am completely done with driving.
 

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