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Feedback about the April
shutdown:
From: Donna
I am so glad that I have found this web page. My husband and I have had
our own authority since July of 2006 and at this point nothing ceases to
amaze me. I feel that with all the griping and complaining, we are
getting nothing done. We just found out lately that there were some
drivers wanting to boycott EXXON. I agree, but it will do no good if the
majority doesn't join in. I told my husband, the only way to reach every
Carrier and CDL driver is to reach the hearts of the DOT of each state
and have them give us a list of Carriers and Owner Operators running in
our state and send them flyers. This will be costly I know, but if we
join together we can take the list and separate it in districts and let
it be a "take one and pass it down" process. I don't know if that would
even work. My husband and I are Christians and we started this company
with the hopes of being a blessing to someone in this industry. We both
feel the "truck drivers" have been given a bum rap and that needs to
change! I am praying that if anyone has any ideas as to how this can be
dealt with in a timely and effective manner, that they will surface and
we will have the wisdom to support their ideas. I would love to hear
feed back on my idea, which may seem lame to some. But I believe we need
to start looking for solutions instead griping and speaking to people
who can (or will) do nothing about the problem. |
| Reply: Thank you for your words of support
Donna. I wish I could do more than I am now, but I'm not sure what it
would be. Your idea for each state to have districts (and a
representative for each district) is GREAT, and I would
love to see this site (or any website for truckers) develop to the point
where we can have that some day, and VERY soon. As far as boycotting
EXXON, that would work, but we would have to identify which truck stops
get their fuel from EXXON (many truck stops don't identify their fuel
source, use various brands, or co-brand under their own name. Companies
like Pilot and Flying J have their own trucks, but not their own
refineries. I don't know if they, or others, use Exxon or not in all
honesty). I think it would be easier to just boycott
every truck stop in each state in a consecutive order. That would force
the fuel prices in that state down, then move on to the next state and
so on. Taking on EXXON is like taking on the federal government, and at
this time, I don't think truckers are organized enough to do that. We
have to walk before we run, and that is the point I try to make on this
site. Once we do become an organized force and prove what we can do on a
state by state level by working together, then we could advance and take
on companies like EXXON (and their investors), as well as the federal
government to get changes made in federal regulations. As far as
something being done in a timely manner, with fuel over $4.00 a gallon
in some areas, I'm not sure how much time a lot of independents and
small companies have. I know a lot of OOs and small companies feel
that $4.00 per gallon for diesel may be the breaking point for them. Thank you
again for writing in, and I will keep doing what I can to get drivers to
support one another, especially when it comes to getting the OO and
Company Drivers to start working together to help each other, as that is
the only way I see us surviving for much longer. |
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From: Janet
Hi....
I just found your site today, and was thrilled to do so....Now for my
comment....WE ARE BEING SHUT DOWN....these fuel prices will only allow
us to MAYBE finish this week out...SOMETHING needs to be set in stone
and done RIGHT NOW...I'm a O/O along with my husband and 1 other truck
leased to us (we have our own authority) total 3 trucks working...The
company I haul for refuses to increase rates or a fuel surcharge....and
being a lumber mill they are slim on loads that's why I'm home now
searching for some work...We are small...only travel a 300 mile radius
and being in a small rural area, it's hard to just found another load.
So Driver's PLEASE lets set a date and stick together... shut down and
get the respect we deserve, before we are forced out of
business...Thanks for your time and I hope a shut down happens soon....I
know we are with/without other truckers support.... |
| Reply: Hi Janet. Well, there is a date set (at
least the month of April, but the actual dates are still in question),
but as the news reporter in Kansas said, most drivers don't even know
about it. You are right, with fuel prices over $4.00 a gallon in some
states, far too many independents and small companies are going to be
shutting down soon without any option. As far as something being done
fast, I wish I knew how to make then changes we need in the next few
weeks. Unfortunately, Company Drivers make up over 90% of the drivers on
the road today, and unless we can figure out a way to get them to shut
down with the OOs, change will not come soon enough. I know the ideas I
suggest are long term, and will take a lot of time to implement, but I
don't know any way to get the company trucks to stop right now. I feel
as helpless as you do, and I know that I will probably be looking for
work again soon as we are with a small, eight truck company and may not
survive much longer ourselves. Either way, I will still keep fighting
and doing what I can to get drivers to join together as Truckers rather
than OOs and Company Drivers. Somehow, we have to ALL stand together
some day, and somehow, we will have to bring the OO and Company Driver
together to stand as a unified force or we will all suffer. I know that
doesn't offer much consolation in this time of hardship, and I am sorry
I can't say 'Yes, we will make changes next week' although I wish I
could. All I can do is keep talking to other drivers and try to convince
them that unless they are willing to stand together now, they will all
regret it some day when the large companies are the only ones left and
have unlimited control of the trucking industry. |
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From: James
NO A State by state boycott will not work. becouse you will only see a
few less trucks in that state at that time. no one in Washington will
ever know you will not hear it on CNN are read about it in the paper. WE
MUST SHUTDOWN TO BE NOTICE. EVERY TRUCK DRIVER HAS THE KEY TO
WASHINGTON. IF WE ALL TURN THAT KEY TO THE LEFT AT THE SAME TIME, AND
DONT TOUCH IT FOR TWO DAYS. FUEL WILL GO DOWN AND FREIGHT WILL GO UP. IT
IS UP TO US. I AM SHUTING DOWN MARCH 28th AND 29th. I KNOW OF OTHER
TRUCKING CO THAT IS SHUTING DOWN THE 28th & 29th. WILL YOU JOIN US?? IF
WE DON'T STAND TOGETHER, IT WILL NOT WORK |
| Reply: As I have said, whether I agree or not,
I will post anyone's opinion here. My question for you James is this
though: If we can't join together enough to even work with one another
on a state by state level, how can we join together to fight on a
national level? If you or anyone else can come up with a way to get
drivers to stand together (Company and Independents) on a national
level, and get the majority of them to shut down at once, then I will be
happy to change my point of view on how to make changes. As far as
shutting down March 28th and 29th, as I state in the article above, the
news is reporting a shut down by independent truckers in April, but the
actual dates are still in question. I haven't heard anything about
a shutdown for the end of March from anyone else yet, and to be honest,
I think it would take at least four months of planning and drivers
passing out fliers at truck stops to spread the word enough to organize
a nationwide shut down (or until a few thousand drivers find this site
and use the forum as a tool to communicate with each other on a daily
basis). We have to get organized and communicate with one another
on a national level before we can become an effective force, and
unfortunately, that won't happen over night. Please tell other
drivers about this site, and get them to write in and visit the forum as
a means of communication (or let me know about another site or forum
where we can communicate daily). That's the only way I see us ever
getting strong enough to accomplish a nation wide shut down. |
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From: T-Bone
I am willing to shut down, but I cant because I am a Company Driver. If
the drivers shut down though, it will effect the entire nation because
we are the one who deliver merchandise to all department stores, grocery
stores, resturants, even gas stations...you cant bring anything to
anyone by train, so I hope the Government is listening!!!I remember when
Diesel Fuel was the cheepest fuel on the market and now its the highest.
Remember when it was .98 a gallon? Sure would be nice to see that again |
| Reply: Hi T-Bone. Your
statement about not being able to shut down because you're a Company
Driver is one of the main reasons I am a proponent of state by state
fuel boycotts. You may feel you can't shut down now, but you can refuse
to fuel in certain states. One thing you can do is tell other drivers at
your company about this site. If ninety percent of them stand together
with you, then not only can all of you shut down if necessary, your
company will have no choice but to listen to you and support you...
either that or go out of business when ninety percent of their drivers
shut their trucks off at once. Tell your fellow drivers about this site,
and get them to write in. Getting the Company Drivers to Unite is the
only way we will be able to make positive changes in this industry. |
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From: James Barker
I live in Roopville, GA With one Truck and have my own Authority. I will
fully support this site. we MUST stand together and set a date to
shutdown. If you want something done right you must do it yourself. we
can't wait for lobbyist or someone else to fix the Trucking industry. WE
AS TRUCKERS MUST UNITE AND DO IT OURSELVES. |
| Reply: Thank you for the comments James.
Although I make it clear I'm an advocate of individual state by state
boycotts rather than a nationwide shutdown as a more realistic and
achievable approach to making changes over time, I hope other drivers
will finally realize that the changes we need to increase freight rates,
driver pay, reduce operating costs and other improvements in this
industry are only going to happen if we make them happen and quit
putting our hopes in the Washington lobbyists. |
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For more feedback about
the trucker's strike, check out the
Truck
Stop Talk page. |
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| Suggested Ohio Boycott |
From: Daniel Ragusa
I have started a boycott in Ohio. Please tell other
drivers and please put it on your website. don't buy fuel in Ohio unless
its an absolute necessity. again thank you. i am that 1 in 25 and it has
gotten me into some trouble but i will keep standing up for myself and
anyone else who drives a big truck. also i believe that you should post
Information about trucking companies so that new drivers don't get
sucked into a contract without knowing some of the bad things about the
companies b4 they make a mistake thanx again for all your trying to do
its more then most of us.Daniel Ragusa |
Reply: Thank you for the compliment Daniel.
The reason I haven't added any information about trucking companies is
because you probably know as well as I do that some drivers have nothing
but good to say about a company and claim they have always been treated
fairly, while other drivers will say the same company is the worst one
on the planet and robbed them blind.
If any of you have have had a bad experience with a particular company,
tell me about it and I will be glad to post it here. Just be aware that
I've been around long enough to know that many drivers aren't the
innocent victims they claim to be when things go wrong, and some drivers
fail to mention some of the circumstances that may have led up to a bad
situation (I've been as guilty of this as anyone over the years when a
company has made me mad). Because of this, (and because I know a little
about the law when it comes to liable, slander, and defamation of
character) I will contact the company and give them the opportunity to
reply here if they so choose. If anyone does want to write in and make
any allegations, be sure you can back them up with facts, because you
get one shot at it, and so does the company.
As far as boycotting the state of Ohio,
I've posted your information here about not buying fuel in Ohio (let's hope this gets some more
driver's attention), but I need to know what changes you and other
drivers want to see made in the state of Ohio before I can do anything
more. Since we have to work together as an organized group to effect and
changes, I will need drivers to write to me and let me know they ARE
willing to boycott Ohio, and tell me EXACTLY what changes they
want made (changes have to be on a state level such as equal speed
limits for cars and trucks, not federal issues such as hours of
operation).
Also, as I promise on this site, I will act as a liaison and contact the
governors office to discuss the changes we want, and the time frame we
are willing to give them until the changes are put into effect before we
actually do boycott the state (boycotting a state without letting the
state government know why you're going to boycott and offer them the
chance to agree to the changes first isn't logical). Just be sure to
understand that a boycott is a one time thing, not something we do every
few months when we think of something else we want changed. Also, for a
boycott to be effective, we have to have a set of complaints and
reasonable changes we want made in advance so I can go to the governor
with them, and with an effective number of drivers that are willing to
have their name appear on the proposal stating they will join in the
boycott.
Unfortunately, we need a lot more of the 1 in 25 drivers to join with us
than have so far (see
Are Drivers Scared or Lazy?
for the 1 in 25 reference Daniel is making) before
we can form a unified group that is strong enough to make the changes we
need. I'm afraid that twenty or thirty of us isn't a large enough number
to make the state of Ohio care about what we have to say.
Between starting the website and talking to other drivers on the road,
I'm doing everything I can think of to get drivers to stand together, so
if you can bring me the drivers, I will be more than happy to put
together a proposal for us.
Dave. OTR Driver - Webmaster - TruckDriverUnited.com |
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From: Bill Mogensen
SHUT DOWN WILL BRING THE USA TO ITS KNEES. WE ARE
SHORT OVER 500,000 TRUCK DRIVERS AS IT IS. THE BIG 7 ARE THE ONLY ONES
WHO GO TO WASHINGTON NOT TO FIGHT FOR THE TRUCK DRIVERS BUT TO PUT MORE
PROFIT TO THE BOTTOM LINE. WAKE UP, WITHOUT A SHUT DOWN OIL PRICES AT
THE PUMP WILL GO EVEN HIGHER. THE TRUCK DRIVER HAS NO ONE TO LOBBY IN
WASHINGTON FOR THEM. JUST A BUNCH OF WOMEN AGAINST TRUCK DRIVERS. THEY
FAIL TO REALIZE THAT WITHOUT TRUCKS THERE WOULD BE NO FOOD ON THE SHELF
OR THE JEANS THEY WANT TO BUY. I ONCE WAS TOLD THAT THIS MAN HAD THE
MOST IMPORTANT JOB BEING A GUARD IN A PRISON. WELL HE DID NOT THINK THAT
WITHOUT THE TRUCK DRIVER THERE WOULD BE NO WALLS OR GUNS TO KEEP THE
PRISON SECURE. WITHOUT TRUCK DRIVERS NO MEDS WOULD GO TO THE SICK. WAKE
UP!!! AS A TRUCK DRIVER IF EVERY TRUCK DRIVER WERE TO DONATE $12 A YEAR
TO PUT SOMEONE IN WASHINGTON TO FIGHT FOR THE TRUCK DRIVER THEN MAYBE
THEY ALL COULD MAKE A BETTER LIVING. STOP COMPLAINING IF YOUR NOT GOING
TO SUPPORT OTHER TRUCK DRIVER TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF! ITS TIME TO PUT
AMERICA ON ALERT! OIL MUST GO DOWN! LAWS TO IMPROVE SAFTEY FOR THE TRUCK
DRIVER. TOO MANY DRIVERS AND CAR DRIVERS HAVE FORGOT HOW TO USE
DIRECTIONALS, FOLLOW SPEED LIMITS, AND DO A PROPER PRE TRIP. WAKE UP.
YOU CHOOSE YOUR PROFESSION NOW ACT ON IT! IF YOU WANT SEND ME TO
WASHINGTON AND ILL GET IT DONE!!!! I AM NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK UP. MOST
TRUCK DRIVERS JUST TAKE IT IN THE BACK SIDE FROM DISPATCH AND
MANAGEMENT. YOU WORK FOR THE COMPANY AND IF YOUR SITTING IN A TRUCK STOP
YOUR NOT MAKING MONEY.
BILL MOGENSEN |
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From: Jim McLane
HI BEEN IN THE BIZZ FOR AROUND 12 YEARS NOW, HAVE
FAMILY THAT GOT OUT OF
IT IN THE MID 80'S AND CALLED ME NUTS FOR JUMPIN IN. BUT ITS KINDA IN
THE
BLOOD. WAS COMPANY FOR A WHILE, THEN BOUGHT MY OWN, HAD MY AUTHORITY FOR
ALMOST A YEAR, BUT NOW LEASED TO A SMALL OUTFIT. TRUCKIN'S TRUCKIN ITS
GOT
ITS UPS AND DOWNS.... BUT I GOTTA SAY WHAT THE F*** LATELY..
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH EVERY THING I'V READ HERE SO FAR I'LL EVENTAULLY
GET
THRU THE REST OF THE SITE BUT FOR NOW I PRINTED UP SOME FLYERS. I RUN
LOCAL NOW. WITH A GROUP OF REAL GOOD GUYS. I'D LIKE TO THINK WE'RE ALL
KINDA OLD SCHOOL,BUT WITH A NEWER ATTITUDE TOWARDS THINGS. ITS HARD NOT
TO
WITH THE WAY THE INDUSTRY IS TODAY. AS FAR AS A SHUT DOWN GOES.. NOT A
PROBLEM. OR A CONVOY TO THE CAPITAL OR WHEREVER.
I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU
JIM MCLANE
J MCLANE TRUCKING
UNION BEACH |
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