Independent truckers see end of the road

[SoCalDem]

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8V4INA00.htm

Business Week ^ | March 1, 2008 | Ellen Simon
Trucker Robert Griffith is on the road three weeks out of four, pulling oversize loads like crane booms, railroad ties and air conditioning ducts.

One of his biggest worries: How he'll find the money to buy his daughter a prom dress. As the cost of diesel doubled over the last four years, his take-home pay has plummeted, from $50,000 to $11,000 last year.

He's literally burning money; he spent $64,000 on diesel in the last eight months. Since he canceled his satellite radio, he's on citizens band radio constantly (handle: Instigator) talking about what needs to change so truckers like...

snip

[Double T]

1. Simple Solution.

Fuel Surcharge.

[Warpy]

3. Apparently they're under contract to do the hauling at a set rate

They're going to have to do what the indies did in the 70s, park those rigs in the yard and take interim jobs close to home until the bosses wise up and realize they're not going to get those guys to work for nothing.

People are going to have to realize just how dependent we are on truckers, especially bosses who expect contracts written in the days of $.99 gas to be honored now.

[Double T]

11. Fuel surcharge is ONLY fair way to go. NO ONE will work for NOTHING..........

or less than NOTHING. US inflation is on its way to 20%!!! We're so damn screwed.

[Lugnut]

5. My son is an owner/operator

He has a fuel surcharge in his contracts. If he didn't he'd be out of business.

[Double T]

10. It is the ONLY way drivers will survive. The fuel surcharge is a MUST.........

BUT watch the price of EVERYTHING go through the roof!!!! 20% inflation here we come.

[Lugnut]

15. That's the problem.

If you got it a truck brought it. If people gave some serious thought to all the items they use every day - food, clothing, fuel, repair parts, mail, package delivery, etc. - it's not that difficult to understand. My son hauls produce and frozen foods. He's using fuel to run his truck and refrigerated trailer. Many produce items such as tomatoes, grapes and strawberries require subtle temperature adjustments and hauling times that translate into ending up with delivering either a mushy mess or a product that is salable and edible on delivery.

[rusty quoin]

2. "I wish Jimmy Hoffa were still around."

That says it all.

We had come so far in the 20th century, and were fooled again into thinking policies, like that of the Hoover administration, were good for the working man. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!

:banghead:

[madrchsod]

4. deregulation of the trucking industry is coming back

to haunt america. the real cost of distribution of goods in this country will soon be evident....

[underpants]

6. CNN on Wednesday had 4 actual truckers on (around 1 PM)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=2930255


CNN just now had four truckers on talking about gas prices

Edited on Wed Feb-27-08 12:53 PM by underpants
At $3.62 a gallon it costs them $700 or so to fill

They were at a truck stop in Georgia (missed name) and one said that he was going to fill up and drive to a factory in North Carolina-he would make $800 for the trip

One of the drivers said that some companies DO pay a surcharge for gas, the trucker who was driving to No. Carolina said that the surcharge WAS included in the $800 he had just mentioned.

Same trucker (driving to NC) said that his insurance was $650 a month.

Another trucker said that he had 4 payments (he bought it new)left on his truck. It costs him $.60 a mile to operate. He thinks he will sell the truck and get out of the business once he makes his last payment. "If it cost other Americans 60 cents a mile to drive they would find a way to stop driving too"

Not one of them have seen any increase as gas prices have gone up and FOOD PRICES have gone up "because of gas prices increasing" and as one trukcer pointed out oil companies have record profits.

THEN the reporter jokingly pointed out the truck stop owner who was standing above the table with some other people "He must be to blame" everyone sort of giggled. The truck stop owner said that he and most all "petrol" dealers sell at 1 to 2 cents UNDERCOST. They only make money off food and drinks and the like-stuff you buy in the store.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. Is it possible the "petrol" dealers was "Petro"...as in..

Petro Truck Stops?

Petro Truck Stops have large stores, usually good sized restaurants, often a Barber Shop, repair facilities including tires and oil changes, most have a Blue Beacon Truck Wash (which is a revenue stream through land lease payments) as well as fuel.

[underpants]

17. Thie owner had an accent a foreign accent

I am pretty sure he said "petrol"

:kick:

[thunder rising]

7. The trucking industry is unregulated. Nobody is forcing a pay scale. Either take the load offered

or not.

[FormerOstrich]

8. I've been reading more and more about this...

from what I have read it is not just the independents but smaller companies, too.

So tell me.....I seem to keep having a stroke at the supermarket cash register as a result of "sticker shock". I have been led to believe that the increase in the prices is because of the high cost of fuel.

hmmmmm....so if I'm paying the extra $$$s because increases in fuel and the person buying the fuel has been incurring losses because of the increase in fuel....exactly where is our money going???

[SoCalDem]

9. Exxon-Mobil-Texaco-BP-Shell n/t

[taught_me_patience]

16. Me

As a shareholder of COP. They distribute profits to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Don't worry, the invisible hand of the unfettered Free Market will take care of it.

:sarcasm:

It always does, it's just that nobody likes its "solutions". It is harsh but fair. Well, maybe not fair. Not really.

But it is harsh. They got that part right.

[Contrary1]

14. What is the cost of diesel in Mexico?

I found an article that stated it was $2.80 USD in early January, but can't find anything current.

[SoCalDem]

19. Whatever it costs there, their trucks have to buy gas here

if they deliver stuff to the US..

When we traveled in mexico, their gas was more expensive than here..

[GoneOffShore]

18. We allowed the railroads to die

And now we're paying for it.

In Britain right now they're starting to re-use to canal system to transport goods.