Who Represents Truck Drivers

I’ve heard there are 1.3 million big rigs running around the US. I can’t verify that number but let’s go with it. Of that number how many have any voice about HOS rules, DOT concerns, rogue cops, unreasonable company demands and on and on? You know the answer. We’re the ones keeping the goods and materials moving and we have no say in the matter at all. The HOS rules are a joke. You’re paid by the mile. If you start your day at 7am, drive 4 hours for a pick up and have to wait 8 hours to get loaded or unloaded, how many more hours can you drive that day? 2 more hours and you’ve got to take 10 off. That’s 6 hours driving for the day at say 37 cents per mile. If you’re lucky you might do 375 real miles. $138 for the day, do that for 6 days before you have to recycle and take out all of the taxes and other deductions, and then figure your meals and what do you have left? About $325.00 take home pay.

Is it any wonder that more drivers are going to loose leaf log books? (In case we make a mistake and need to correct it of course). In reality, drivers are showing 10-11 hours per day driving on the log book, but spending more hours per day, to get the miles they need in order to make a decent pay check. And there are those “do-gooders” out there who want trucks off the road altogether, who don’t know the first thing about the industry who are getting the ear of the Feds. Like liberal advocacy groups around the country, they have all the answers but never ask any of the questions.

So who represents the truckers? Trucking Companies have their lobbyists and certainly make contributions to their favorite elected officials. OOIDA tries very hard to be heard.
Unions do their part, but what about the rest of us? The truth is, we’ll never have a voice.
Sure we gripe and complain about the way things are, but that’s about it. If things keep going the way they are, then we can forget about log books, it will all be done electronically, will that be better for us? No, it will result in more trucks needed, more drivers needed, more traffic on the highway and higher wages needed to compensate, higher cost for transportation. Who wins? No one. But there is a possible solution.

We all need to unionize. OK, I hear it now, but stop and think a moment. If the Teamsters would get off their duff and do something in the trucking industry like they used to instead of looking to unionize hotel workers and hamburger flippers, then there would be a solid voice in the trucking industry. I’m not saying we’d all be making 50 cents a mile, we wouldn’t. Each company negotiates a contract with their drivers, but if this were to occur then there would be a solid voice that would have some clout and we would all be heard.

Some of the issues we would all like to address are detention and down time time pay, unreasonable lumper fees, better training for new drivers and severe penelaties for companies that "force" drivers to violate safety and log book rules. No company will admit to the later, but we all know that many do.

I’d love to hear feedback on this one.

Enjoy the day

Flat Tire