Truck Drivers Block Freeway Traffic Across the U.S. to Protest Soaring Fuel Prices

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Truck Drivers Block Freeway Traffic Across the U.S. to Protest Soaring Fuel Prices
By Barbara Ehrenreich, Barbaraehrenreich.com. Posted April 8, 2008.

Faced with $4-per-gallon diesel fuel, truck drivers -- who deliver 70 percent of the nation's goods -- are hitting the brakes.

Until the beginning of this month, Americans seemed to have nothing to say about their ongoing economic ruin except, "Hit me! Please, hit me again!" You can take my house, but let me mow the lawn for you one more time before you repossess. Take my job and I'll just slink off somewhere out of sight. Oh, and take my health insurance too; I can always fall back on Advil.

Then, on April 1, in a wave of defiance, truck drivers began taking the strongest form of action they can take: inaction. Faced with $4-per-gallon diesel fuel, they slowed down, shut down and started honking. On the New Jersey Turnpike, a convoy of trucks stretching "as far as the eye can see," according to a turnpike spokesman, drove at a glacial 20 miles per hour.

Outside of Chicago, they slowed and drove three abreast, blocking traffic and taking arrests. They jammed into Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; they slowed down the Port of Tampa, where fifty rigs sat idle in protest. Near Buffalo, one driver told the press he was taking the week off "to pray for the economy."

The truckers who organized the protests -- by CB radio and Internet -- have a specific goal: reducing the price of diesel fuel. They are owner-operators, meaning they are also businesspeople, and they can't break even with current fuel costs. They want the government to release its fuel reserves. They want an investigation into oil company profits and government subsidies of the oil companies. Of the drivers I talked to, all were acutely aware that the government had found, in the course of a weekend, $30 billion to bail out Bear Stearns, while their own businesses are in a tailspin.

...

http://www.alternet.org/story/81641/

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. GOOD!

[backscatter712]

2. Excellent! About time someone shows how it's done!

[Skidmore]

44. We need a freaking everybody-drive-slow-to-work day. Everywhere.

Or just join the truckers and park right by them. Bring the traffic to a total halt. What better reason not to show up at work than to tell the boss that you are stuck in traffic. It would be the ultimate slap in the face of the corporations. Just join the truckers. The perfect organizing platform for a general strike.

[northzax]

130. I have a better idea

why not participate in national bike to work day instead? Much better.

[Ian David]

3. Go, Truckers!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

7. Damned right.

I sure hope these guys keep it up until Dear Leader is forced to accede.

He cannot send in the National Guard on this one. Many are overseas and such a move will only erode the repuke political fortunes all the more.

Welcome to the corner you have painted yourself into, Pres. Shit for Brains.

[elizfeelinggreat]

4. Are you listening, party leaders?

They want an investigation into oil company profits and government subsidies of the oil companies.

ME TOO!

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

5. good for them - they need to take a drive to Washington DC

and circle slowly around the White House.

[Ikonoklast]

14. You can't in a tractor/trailer, not in D.C.

Not allowed.

You better have a VERY good reason to be in that part of D.C. in a big truck.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

27. Maybe they can drive as far as the law allows, park and walk the rest of the

way - The million trucker march..

[toadzilla]

113. there was actually a plan to do that last summer

they were going to circle one of the more important buildings down there, the capital i think. the original plan as to circle the building 3 trucks deep and just park. i remember that it didn't work out as they had planned, not sure why though.

[northzax]

131. a truck parked and left on the road in dc?

imagine what happens to your bag if you leave it under a bench in the tel aviv airport.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

6. delete

duplicate post

[blondeatlast]

8. Off to the Greatest Page with this! Go, truckers, go!

:patriot:

[KansDem]

9. Is this the same "Barbara Ehrenreich" who wrote "Nickel and Dimed?"

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Good read...

[blondeatlast]

10. Indeed. She's terrific AND funny. nt

[Johonny]

25. I agree

very good book.

[Clear Blue Sky]

11. Need another song like "Convoy" to celebrate this...

[Jed Dilligan]

147. I wonder if 11 longhaired friends of Jesus were involved...

[blondeatlast]

12. "We built this country, and I'll be damned if I'm going to lie down and take this."

DAMN STRAIGHT, Mr. Little!

More importantly, the activist truckers understand their protest to be part of a larger effort to "take back America," as one put it to me. "We continue to maintain this is not just about us," JB -- which is his CB handle and stands for the "Jake Brake" on large rigs -- told me from a rest stop in Virginia on his way to Florida. "It's about everybody -- the homeowners, the construction workers, the elderly people who can't afford their heating bills... This is not the action of the truck drivers, but of the people." Hayden mentions his parents, ages and 81 and 76, who've fought the Maine winter on a fixed income. Missouri-based driver Dan Little sees stores shutting down in his little town of Carrollton. "We're Americans," he tells me, "We built this country, and I'll be damned if I'm going to lie down and take this."

:patriot: More power to them!

[truedelphi]

89. Nice to hear truth being spoken to power. Instead of last week's

Congressional hearings on the oil company profits.

CONGRESS SAYS: "Oh we didn't realize that there are other industries making equally big profits also. okay, No problem. Nothing to see here, Ya all just keep those nice fat oil company campaign checks coming my way, now you hear!"

[phantom power]

13. I can't really get behind this.

For one, it's based on the false premise that high fuel prices can be "fixed." For another, backing up freeway traffic for miles does nothing but cause miles of cars to run at reduced efficiency. What does that do except use up even more fuel, and ruin the day of a bunch of other motorists?

[blondeatlast]

15. Your post is 5 seconds I'll never get back. nt

[elocs]

101. Yes, it is a major bummer having to read points of view with which you do not agree.

I probably have many, many hours that I will never get back which include some from these very boards.

[LiberalFighter]

16. They need to organize and get paid more for each mile than what they currently receive.

Put the pressure on the companies that hire them to transport. Either they pay higher mileage or they put the squeeze with their paid lobbyists.

[phantom power]

17. I agree.

Holding up traffic isn't going to help them. And it's for sure not going to bring back cheap fuel. Those days are over, for all of us.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

21. respectfully disagree

hold em up truckers, hold all of us up. Make us think.. One day of inconvenience is NOTHING if it gets our leaders attention, to stop the war, to start impeachment, to investigate the oil companies. Hold em up and shut them down.

If it was me, I would be driving around the white house keeping the criminals inside or I would be going around the media headquarters who cheerlead this administration or give infotainment instead the real story.

We need more protest in this country, not less.

[superkia]

41. I agree with you, we as a people have given up on fighting back...

and I am proud to see SOMEONE step up and take that chance to hurt their own pocket for a cause. You have to try and do something that will get you some media attention and pissing off other drivers in an organized way may just light up the switch boards at least in those local areas.

Good for those truckers!

[Mad_Dem_X]

98. Exactly! At least they are trying to do something

If this is how they want to protest, I say go for it. We need more people to stand up and say ENOUGH to this greedy administration.

[gorfle]

145. Useless...

We need more protest in this country, not less.

Except who is going to notice this "protest"? The people in power? The people who control gas prices? Nope - they will never be inconvenienced by this protest. They might look down from their helicopter ride and wonder why the traffic is stalled. They will probably think, "Oh gosh, looks like the poor people down there had another accident!" and then turn back to the Wall Street Journal or Forbes they are reading.

Protesting the price of fuel is a waste of time anyway. We are running out of the stuff. The price is only going to go higher. Eventually someone will invent something that is price-competitive, but until then, we're stuck.

[Johonny]

26. I have to disagree some what.

As people have said some protest is not a bad thing. But also while gas prices well never go back totally to what they were before, it's clear a stronger US dollar would lower gas prices. The rising high commodities prices are a bad sign and reflective of the strength of the US dollar. The future will clear be different than the past, but the Bush economy is not reflective of what the future economy has to be.

[riverdeep]

28. It's not a permanant fix for sure.

Our energy troubles are just beginning. But I think average people are sick of watching profits for oil companies rise, and they still come hat in hand to the government to ask for R and D money. And the government gives them (our) money!

[AnneD]

47. Thanks for the support Phantom Power...

:sarcasm: I am not targeting you specifically but the attitude in general. This was the same bilge water that has been spewed every time folks tried to make a change. People were for the Civil Rights Movement but opposed the Marches because they blocked the roadway and made people late for work. So sorry you were inconvenienced folks.:eyes: That's the same tired backstabbing attitudes and statements that you heard during the AntiWar Movement. It really wasn't until people hit the streets that politicians sat up and took notice. You like the benefits of Democracy, but you don't want to be inconvenienced for it.

Change can be messy sometimes-and we need some major changes in this country. I say it is about time some folks ARE inconvenienced. Congress hasn't been inconvenienced enough to pull the tax credits from the oil companies when they posted obscene profits and given more breaks to renew ables. They are bailing out Bear Stern but honest homeowners are left twisting in the wind, because they don't want to inconvenience Wall Street. Congress changes the bankruptcy laws and passes something that MBNA wrote (that screws the public) and they can't be inconvenienced to cap the interest rates?

I think it is high time some folks to feel inconvenienced. Yes it is tough on the average folks-but something needs to shake some folks in power up a bit. They are way to insulated to the suffering that is going on.

[phantom power]

51. Expensive fuel is not like civil rights.

Expensive fuel is happening because we are passing through peak oil. Your leaders cannot make this go away. It is not in their power.

If you want to protest, protest for something that is achievable. Better wages are probably achievable, at least until the world economy collapses further.

As far as inconvenience, the rest of us are already being inconvenienced. We pay for expensive fuel too. And we're paying for more expensive food, and more expensive everything else. Because that's what expensive energy does. It makes everything else expensive. And it's going to get worse. Quite possibly for the rest of our lives.

Whether the truckers strike or not.

[leftrightwingnut]

94. Most people just don't understand this. Fuel price protests are inevitable.

Now, if our government were seriously investing in infrastructure to deal with the impending fuel crisis, I would say the protests were unwarranted. But so far, this administration has refused to invest in anything, except wealthy pockets and endless war, which has an increasingly negative return on investment the longer it drags on.

So, I'm all for jumping on the protest bandwagon. The average person thinks its about high fuel prices. It's really about a lot, lot more.

[Wednesdays]

52. Exactly.

We refrained from protesting in December 2000. See how well that worked out?

[AnneD]

64. That is true...

but then oil companies buy oil leased at sweetheart price (and that land belongs to "the people") and gouge us all the way down the pipe line. I am saying take away oil company tax breaks and charge them a surplus tax. Use that for both the road tax and for renew ables. Truckers get a break and renewable energy gets a break.

It is the corporate stranglehold that is chocking our nation and our economy. The truckers may not understand that yet, but I think they might be more prone to listen if we support them. Once they wake up to how angry folks are-maybe Congress will start representing us instead of the business interest-Now THAT is what Civil Rights is all about, being heard-having a voice.

Edited to add-all I hear is whining-at least the truckers are trying to do something.

[northzax]

132. whining? I guess

but then, I moved to within biking distance of my job (or the bus when it is cold or rainy) and sold my car. I don't even know what a gallon of gas costs, because I haven't bought one in two years. That's how to address the scarcity of fuel, structure your life so it affects you as little as possible. Yes, I pay higher transportation costs for food, but my transportation costs have remained exactly the same for years. $1.25 on the bus or the amortization on my bike each way. That, I figure, is about $.20/day at this point. You can call that whining, I call it dealing with the law of supply and demand.

[skepticscott]

95. Sorry but you and they are attacking the wrong problem

The underlying problem is not the cost of fuel (which, as phantom and other correctly point out, is never going to be significantly less expensive in an era of declining production), but the fact that the payments truckers get are not going up to compensate. Why aren't you directing your anger at the people who are squeezing the truckers and making them dip into their own profits to cover the increased costs of operation? Truckers transport a huge proportion of the good you use every day-how much more are YOU willing to pay for the stuff you buy if truckers start getting paid enough to make them happy?

And yes, subsidies for the oil companies should end, but that's a band-aid. Even if it produced a temporary dip in prices, it won't halt the inevitable upward trend.

[harun]

117. It gets media exposure, which helps them and us

We need to move all commuter class cars to full on electric. This will help with oil demand enough to give them some relief in terms of prices for diesel.

[NMDemDist2]

20. would you rather they just park the trucks?

slink out with a whimper?

How many days supply of food do you have in your house? How many days supply of food is in your town? of gas? of batteries?

good luck trying to do without the truckers, who are independent contractors. how else to do propose they raise awareness?

You don't have to be in solidarity with the working man to be a liberal.

But it helps.

[phantom power]

45. You and I both read E/E. Do you think affordable fuel is ever coming back?

I think they might try striking for better wages. Cheap diesel is history. Truckers can flame me all they want for saying it, but it won't make it less true.

[NMDemDist2]

58. yes I do, and no I don't think 'affordable' fuel is coming back

in my 50+ years on the planet I've never seen prices go down.

but the goods need to roll and the consumers will have to pick up the cost as always.

and as independent contractors, they are basically trying to strike but not for higher wages. I imagine they would be happy making the same amount of money, but fuel costs are eating into their bottom line and they have to get relief somewhere, don't you agree?

[phantom power]

68. I think higher wages are their best hope for relief.

I don't think it's in anybody's power to bring down fuel prices. Assuming that's true, the best bet is to organize for better wages, so they can afford the more expensive fuel.

In the really big picture, fuel is going to get more expensive, and eventually it's going to be rationed, and the trucking industry is going to become smaller and smaller, world wide. And all of us will have less of everything. Hopefully not including food, but probably less of that too.

I can guess that nobody on this thread wants to hear that opinion, either, but now seems like a good time to bring it up.

[NMDemDist2]

70. thanks to the Economy forum on DU I sold my house at the peak of the housing bubble

and thanks to reading E/E I have a fairly extensive garden this year for the two of us. I live in the middle of oil country in one of the few places there is water. I have learned to bake and have my freezer full of flour bought on sale before it went up 50% in the last two months.

I'm seriously considering a few chickens next.... so far eggs are still affordable enough not to justify the cost of chicken feed. But it's getting damned close.

you are preaching to the choir my friend

:hi:

[kestrel91316]

138. Chickens would be a REAL SMART MOVE. And you can grow your own

corn and wheat to feed them if you have some space.

Read Gene Logsdon's books "Practical Skills" and "Small-Scale Grain Raising"(being re-released in a new edition soon).

I grew a little experimental patch of wheat in my suburban Los Angeles back yard a few years ago - made some KILLER loaves of bread. The wheat could have fed chickens, and the straw would have been good poultry bedding if I could have legally kept them. Corn is easy to grow, and the hens love that, too.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

82. Options abound

They fall mostly under the heading of "Socialism."

Let's take this example.

In agreement here that prices for fuel are never going to come down. In fact they should've been higher many years ago.

Also the costs of everything are going to increase as energy prices increase and that cost is always going to get passed off to the individual under the current system that burdens us.

So how could that burden be greatly eased? Well the solution is easy. Government subsidies. We've already got them by the billions but where are they going? Primarily to large corporations. So what is? This is corporate capitalism where the benefits accrue to the corporations and the costs are placed upon the individuals.

So in this example the truckers could be assisted, while we retool our infrastructure and economy, by the government (I suggest we take back what is rightfully ours starting with Exxon-Mobil and moving swiftly from there) quite easily even as the prices of fuel increased.

The rest of us would be assisted by government subsidies going into public transportation systems (rail, trolley etc.) so as to ease our burden.

This would all be part of a larger program and the monies for this are already there keeping in mind that all of these monies are yours and mine.

Of course there is a BIG problem here and that is the fact that the entirety of Congress is corrupted beyond redemption which is why all of our rights, health care-schooling-public transport etc.- are being sucked away by Corporate profits. So what really needs to be done amounts to clear strategizing and mass direct actions with clear demands. Recognizing this it is also important to recognize allies and these truckers are for the most part exactly that.

[Ikonoklast]

It gets attention, though, doesn't it? That's the idea.

If a few commuters are inconvenienced, well, I hate to hurt your feelings, but tough.

Direct action is called for, words have beeen ignored by this government.

When your grocery store runs out of food because the truckers that used to bring it to grocery distribution centers are all bankrupt, people like you are the first to whine.

[phantom power]

42. I guess it depends...

Do you want to alienate those commuters? Fuel costs hit truckers right where they live, but the rest of us are coping with high fuel costs too, and I know I'd be pretty pissed off if I saw a convoy of truckers making me late for a meeting, and fucking up my gas mileage, to boot.

If you take the attitude "that's tough," then you may find other people return the favor. It would be unfortunate if you turned potential supporters into adversaries, is my point.

[Ikonoklast]

50. "Me....my....." That's all I need to read.

Gee, you're late for a meeting. So sad.

I'm fighting for my livelihood.
My living.
The money I make to feed my family, and keep a roof over my head.
Keeping my small businesss solvent.


But, God forbid, you may be inconvenienced by a labor demonstration.


TOUGH.

[phantom power]

53. Don't look now, but truckers aren't the only ones hit by this economy.

But by all means, keep insulting the rest of us non-truckers. That will help your cause, right?

[Ikonoklast]

56. Look, labor actions upset people

That is the point of them.

Ever been involved in a labor strike?

I have.

We inconvenienced LOTS of people.
Made them uncomfortable.
Made things difficult.
Made people ANGRY.

What side of a picket line, or labor action, would you be?

I think I already know the answer.

[phantom power]

63. I think you should organize for better wages.

Not cheap fuel. You won't get that, mostly because it's just no longer possible.

As for strikes, isn't the point of a strike to hurt employers, so that you get better wages, or working conditions? I mean, customers are inconvenienced too, but it's not the goal. Yes?

[Ikonoklast]

71. You need to understand, these are independent operators

I am my own employer. I can't strike against myself. I own the company I work for.

Low freight rates are the enemy, set by cut-throat brokers that operate with little or no government regulation, even though I still have to operate under intense government oversight.

Fuel taxes that are used by the states in frivolous ways are the enemy. And they always need more.

States finding ways to toll roads that were already paid for by my tax monies, are the enemy.

The reason a barrel of oil cost so much right now has more to do with the value of the dollar, ruined by the Fed and their Republican enablers.

This is just the start. The customers, end users of the product, will be the ones ultimately inconvenienced by these policies.

Not me. I'm not taking the loss any more.

They will pay for it.

If you think food is high now, give it six months. Then you'll hear the screaming.

And a labor action that makes the public aware of these problems, gets their attention, is seen on the media, is a success, right?

[phantom power]

73. Yes, I can see the problem for an independent...

I hope you can all find a way to succeed, no matter how you end up doing it.

It's probably not my place, but I'm going to offer some of that famous "free advice:" Although it's true that weak dollar, and taxes, etc, are contributing to high fuel costs, underneath all that we are also passing through peak oil, and that's going to bring us hard times. Great Depression hard. Maybe even worse. The trucking industry is going to really take in the chin, world wide.

I don't know what to do about it, or if anything can be done, but I hope all you truckers can keep a close eye on that, because it really is going to hit you all first, although everybody else will be close behind. If you haven't seen it before, you should check this site out, and pass it around to your friends: http://www.theoildrum.com/

I suppose I've said more than my fair share here. I apologize for being combative.

[Kolesar]

140. Ohio's transportation planning is totally busted because of high construction costs

Construction costs have been high ever since the 2004 Florida hurricanes. Costs are also high because of high commodity costs. The concrete and steel that Ohio was buying to build roads and bridges is now being bid on by the builders in China and India.

Ohio moved projects down in priority and dumped a few entirely. And that is after a six cent/gallon tax hike. Pennsylvania is putting tolls on I-80 after determining that it was an easier political issue to handle than to raise gas taxes there.

I don't know how to advise you. I would expect freight rates are going to climb "anyway" because oil prices will affect the rail and large trucking companies.

[Daemonaquila]

139. NIMBY doesn't cut it

Everyone is being hit. Everyone should be raising this kind of hell. Bravo to the truckers for being the first to start making the point that they're fed up.

Of course gas prices aren't going to go down *a lot*. They sure can go down from where they are now, though, as the oil companies take record profits. Everyone can get relief as we turn to biodiesel, ethanol, and other options.

So I'll be happy to sit behind the trucks and cheer them on. We should be joining the protest, supporting them, and parking our own cars in the road with a message to the government that we're tired of them pandering to the corporate interests that are trying to raise those prices as quickly as possible, and protecting the interests who don't want alternative fuels or electricals taking over the roads.

I'm sorry you find it so awful to be inconvenienced. Just wait. You'll be more inconvenienced by raising food, gas, or other prices soon enough. It's just a matter of time before you either start fighting back when YOUR OWN interests are affected sufficiently, or implode.

[gorfle]

148. But here's the thing.

But, God forbid, you may be inconvenienced by a labor demonstration.

Your demonstration affects people who have no ability to fix your problem.

All your protest does is annoy a bunch of fellow drivers who are in the same boat you are.

What you guys need are higher shipping charges, which will compensate for your increased fuel prices. This is going to mean increased costs for everyone for transported goods, but that's just the way it's going to have to be, because the days of cheap energy are over.

The answer to this problem rests solely with the shipping companies. They will have to raise their prices to cover the rising fuel costs. The government can't fix this problem. Even if they garnished the oil companies' profits, this would only be a short-term fix. The price of energy is going to continue to rise until science gives us something better, assuming it can.

[FatDave]

74. If truckers made me late to a meeting, I'd thank them.

[AnneD]

112. Thank you....

ITA. Step dad was a trucker in the 70's. That was my first lesson in labour action. I remember him parking his rig. Mom did the books and there was no way he could afford to continue-financially and make payments on the truck-let alone shelter, feed and clothe us.

My brother sold his rig last year because he was expected to eat the extra fuel costs. My other brother caters events...rodeos, rallies, festivals. He is cutting the less profitable from his schedule and he is thinking of giving it up-it is that bad. Between food costs and fuel costs-he has had to go up so much on his prices that folks are balking at them. It's not worth it anymore.

[wuushew]

29. Many of them seem to be for reducing fuel taxes

which is another very bad idea given that truckers pay those taxes to compensate for the holy hell that they inflict on roads.

[Ikonoklast]

35. The roads are supposedly engineered to take the weight

The states that collect and spend those tax monies, however, have no problem hiring politically connected engineering firms that use substandard materials to build those roads and bridges.

The pressure per square inch put by a fully loaded truck tire on any given section of pavement is 100 lbs/sq.inch. That's for an 80K tractor/trailer.

A mini van with one occupant puts 35lbs./ sq. inch., an average sized SUV only 33 (mostly because of the wider footprint of the tires).

One tractor/trailer roughly equals three cars, in total pressure per square inch inflicted on roadways; well within designed engineering limits.

Yet I paid roughly $12,000 in total fuel taxes last year.

You are getting a free ride off me.

[wuushew]

49. Perhaps, but damage increases exponentially

Like all structures, roads deteriorate over time. Deterioration is primarily due to accumulated damage from vehicles, however environmental effects such as frost heaves, thermal cracking and oxidation often contribute.<36> According to a series of experiments carried out in the late 1950s, called the AASHO Road Test, it was empirically determined that the effective damage done to the road is roughly proportional to the 4th power of axle weight.<37> A typical tractor-trailer weighing 80,000 pounds with 8,000 pounds on the steer axle and 36,000 pounds on both of the tandem axle groups is expected to do 7,800 times more damage than a passenger vehicle with 2,000 pounds on each axle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road

[NobleCynic]

59. From an engineering perspective you're incorrect

100 lbs./ sq inch is far more than 3 times greater the impact of 35 lbs/ sq inch. The wear and tear on the road from pressure rises exponentially not linearly. The impact on the road is dictated by the 4th Power Law and the weight per axle.

Example:

A passenger car with 2,000 lbs. per axle does 1 unit of wear and tear to the road.

A semi with 20,000 lbs per axle will deal (20000^4/2000^4) ~10000 times the damage to the road.

Not quite the free ride you think.

[Ikonoklast]

72. I pay taxes on based the GVW of my vehicle

I'm well aware of the 10k figure. It's high. 20K on any one axle is over the federal legal limit.


Let's talk about total miles driven and cumulative damage to road surfaces, by the 165 million personal vehicles as opposed to the 13 million commercial vehicles (of all types, and those registrations include light trucks, not just Class Eight vehicles), and total taxes paid.

States always have depended on out-of-state registered commercial vehicles for revenue.
You realize I pay taxes each year to states I never even drive one mile in?

Let's all pay based on a weight and mileage scale. I'd go for that in a second. Like European states do, heavier car, higher taxes.

Never happen.

Personal vehicle drivers would see an increase in road use taxes vs. paying a fuel tax.

Weight of the vehicle and miles driven would make road use taxes more fair.

[leftrightwingnut]

92. Tax vehicles by weight.

That's a great idea. Not only would it force fuel consumption down and reduce the rate of fuel price increases, the revenue could go toward development of more fuel-efficient and alternative energy vehicles and investment in public transportation infrastructure.

Petroleum should be reserved for public transportation, airlines, trucking and rail. Personal vehicles should be plug-in electric/hybrid.

I'd love to take a bus to work. But it comes once an hour and then it would take an hour and a half to get there. I don't want to spend 3 hours out of my day commuting 10 miles. I'm sure many others would use public transport if it were available and a bit more convenient.

[Robb]

114. I think we're all looking at the wrong end of the equation

In many parts of Europe, the same company that builds a road is required by contract to maintain it for X number of years. Part of the bidding process.

Amazingly enough, they use surfacing mixes that last (!) several years before requiring any maintenance. No potholes, no cracks. This is not rocket science, the materials have been around for years and they're only marginally more expensive.

In this country, road fixing companies would scream holy hell on such a plan. :shrug:

[lostinacause]

91. Regardless of what you pay fuel taxes are too low.

The economics behind fuel taxes strongly suggests that every car and truck on the road in America is not paying enough. It is a much greater issue for trucks because they compete with other modes of transportation. A low fuel tax ends up being similar to subsidizing the trucking industry.

The fuel tax is inconsequential anyways. The rates are already built into what you are paid. If the taxes were to go down in a few years you wouldn't notice the difference. The same is true of fuel price in the long run. The real change that is needed is immediate compensation for high fuel prices from whoever you contract with.

[BearSquirrel2]

137. Your analysis is falacious

The taxation you need you multiply your rate of impact by the number of miles you travel. This is roughly proportional to the amount of fuel you consume. So yes, you are taxed proportionally to your impact in comparison to a typical car driver. The people who are getting a "free ride" under your model are the ones burning french fry oil.

[Canuckistanian]

85. Yeah, what the hell did civil disobediance ever do for humanity?

What a bunch of malcontents.

[riverdeep]

18. Could a general strike ever happen in this country?

Like it happens in France, for example? Only if things get much, much worse, and we don't turn on each other.

[blondeatlast]

19. I'm oddly optimistic about the truckers' success. I remember the truckers' strike in the '70s

when the nation grinded to a halt.

I think people are so fed up they may win the popular opinion (especially since they are independents) and maybe others will piggyback on their success.

One can hope. I think it very well could happen with the truckers leading the way; they'll get a LOT of sympathy, I think.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

22. I think the truckers would be first line to getting a massive one day

protest going. I really do think the average joe pissed off about everything would join them.

[blondeatlast]

24. Keep the good thought. I just have really, really good feelings about this strike somehow! nt

[kster]

23. K&R...........nt

[Pastiche423]

30. Power to the truckers!

[Tashca]

31. About time

Maybe this is the catalyst for a movement in this country?
These independents have no choice. They are in a do or die situation as far as their independent future goes. The day of the small independent trucker is probably over unless they stand up for themselves. I think many people will be behind this. Some of the simmering anger has to do with continuous record oil company profits. I hope this thing grows!!

[nichomachus]

32. You can't pray it away

Near Buffalo, one driver told the press he was taking the week off "to pray for the economy."

It was idiots like this who got us into this mess with their unquestioning support of our Christian president.

Someone needs to ask these "poor" truck drivers who they voted for. If they say Bush, you laugh in their faces.

[Tashca]

36. I disagree

What a hateful post....

These people should be encouraged not chastized....

I have a feeling they could be good converts if they did vote for *

[Wednesdays]

57. Where does it say the driver is Christian?

:shrug:

The driver could have been Muslim, or Buddhist, or whatever. And a Democrat, too.
Please be sure to think hard before painting with that broad brush.

[nichomachus]

65. I rarely hear

anyone other than Xians saying they are going to pray problems away.

[Wednesdays]

80. So, if I write in another thread, "I pray for the economy"

people should conclude I'm a Bush-loving fundie? :shrug:

BTW, I am a church choir leader...have been for 24 years. But as liberal a Democrat as you can find. Like I said, when you paint with a broad brush...

[nichomachus]

151. Well, if you said you were going to take a week off to pray

for the economy, I'd suggest there are better ways to spend your week.

[Dammit Ann]

33. Here is a great site to lend your support or encouragement.

<[http://www.theamericandriver.com/files/TruckersAndCitizensUnited.html>]


There is a forum and petition. This is a cause we should all rally behind. Thanks.

[cynatnite]

43. Thanks for posting this! n/t

[lonestarnot]

69. Nice! Thanks.

[Dammit Ann]

34. K&R.

On this busy day, this needs not be ignored. The revolution is not going to be on c-span, folks.

[lanlady]

37. oh my, what did Rush Limbaugh have to say about this?

Aren't truckers among his most devoted listeners?

[Wednesdays]

54. Maybe not anymore, it looks like.

My, how the tide can turn. :bounce:

[lonestarnot]

38. Woohooo! Kick ass truckers!

[Hutzpa]

39. Its about time

this reminds me of the same thing that happened in England couple of
years ago, when the truckers over there went on strike, they literally,
a'mean literally cripple the British Government for 2 months even though
it was for if I remember correctly 1 week.

Unfortunately, this strike was done by the fuel suppliers and it was
very effective.

So, kudos to them for stepping up to the plate.

[marmar]

40. Vive la revolution!

We all need to follow suit.

[ThomWV]

46. Dam sure good to see Someone stand up to the national hijacking we're enduring

[Fireweed247]

48. keep it up guys!

:applause:

That's strange, all I see being reported is San Franciscans protesting to free Tibet :wtf:

[JBear]

55. From one diesel driver to another...

It is simple as to why diesel has spiked to $4.00 per gallon. Diesel is the fuel of war. We are shipping tons of diesel fuel back to the middle east to fight this war. Shortage at home means price gouging by the oil companies and a HUGE inflationary pressure. Keep protesting!

:bounce:

[1776Forever]

60. Great post! Tell it like it is!

:hi: Good luck!

[lonestarnot]

67. How can we help include all states?

[Orwellian_Ghost]

79. Important connection

I posted this immediately afterwards to draw that connection.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3126888&mesg_id=3126888

[varelse]

61. Now, that's a never say die attitude

:evilgrin:

[SeattleGirl]

62. Yes!!!!

I've been hearing about this, and this article is a good one.

For those of you grumbling about it, or nay-saying it, or talking about how it puts YOU out, well, think about it. When the gas prices go up, what else goes us? Yep! Food and a lot of other consumer goods.

They AREN'T just doing it for themselves; they are doing it for all the Jane and John Q. Public's out there who are losing their homes, who are having a hard time paying everyday bills, who can't buy as much as they used to buy. They are doing this for US too.

[lonestarnot]

66. Anything we can do to help them?

:evilgrin:

[Lugnut]

75. Go truckers!

Got milk? Not without a truck.

[roamer65]

76. Shut 'er down, baby!

Shut it ALL down.:evilgrin:

[yellerpup]

77. Serious people attacking a serious problem

in a serious way. No one can force these people to deliver the goods when they have nothing left to lose. K&R! :kick:

[AntiFascist]

78. Unfortunately...

this may 'fuel' the invasion of Iran. After all, China and India are demanding more and more oil while the Saudi (and other) oil fields have passed their peak production. Iraq and Iran are sitting on vast oil fields. Unless you want to have a draft, and many more dead young American soldiers (conscripts or otherwise), then I suggest that we develop hydrogen powered trucks...and fast!

[Greyhound]

81. Another hearty recommendation. Can the truckers be the inspiration for the

change we so desperately need? American truck drivers have the power to literally force the issue, I hope they do, in spite of the fact that it will create a great deal of discomfort to the obedient flock.
:kick: & R

[Maddy McCall]

83. GO, TRUCKERS! I love you guys and gals!!!

:yourock:

[malaise]

84. These are the good guys

People are waking up

[peacetalksforall]

86. I remember writing on DU in the last two years that the drivers didn't seem

to mind. I said they were the only ones our dictators would listen to. We don't count. They do.

[RB TexLa]

87. Not a proper use of the strategic petroleum reserves.

[Hugabear]

88. SHUT THE FUCKING COUNTRY DOWN

It's the ONLY way to get their attention.

[ekwhite]

90. Man - I haven't seen that kind of stuff happen since the 70's!! N/T

[lostinacause]

93. I see the demands of the truckers as being at odds with the interests of the nation.

Beyond lowering gas taxes, which if anything should be higher, there is little the government can do to prevent the increases in gasoline that are inevitable. The needs to be a drastic shift in the infrastructure priorities to deal with the increases in costs.

The major issue for the truckers is not the oil companies, it is the companies that the owner-operators contract to. They should be accommodating truckers rather then taking advantage of the market while it sorts itself out. Truckers should address this issue.

[datasuspect]

100. do you sincerely believe the current government has had no hand

in fixing oil prices?

you do realize that "markets" are a sham and easily manipulated by those who stand to profit from the manipulation?

[lostinacause]

125. In the way that you are thinking of it, certainly not. The government does not have the

mechanisms necessary to do so without making it apparently obvious. The oil companies would have a hard time systematically adjusting the price to make it appear natural. Doing so would be stupid as the odds of getting caught are high relative to other options available. Any form of market power in the oil industry, except OPEC, is a long term systematic increase in to base price. The cycles are a result of market type factors.

The government certainly has lined the pockets of the energy industry though the energy bill that cut the taxes on oil companies and through systematically failing to deal with environmental, emissions, and efficiency concerns.

[northzax]

134. so your belief

is that the administration is in league with Mexico, Venezuela, Nigeria, Norway, the uk, Russia and the Arab OPEC states to curtail production, while simultaneously being in league with India, china, japan and southeast Asia to increase demand? Impressive. Oil is expensive because there are more people using more oil than ever before. You may have noticed that there are two billion people in china and India? They want energy too, and there are six times as many of them as there are of us. If china and India uses, on average, a third as much energy per capita as Americans, that is still twice as much, total, as we use. So should we demand that people sell their natural resources to us for less money than they can command on the open market?

[cynatnite]

104. Many indie drivers aren't contracted to any company n/t

[lostinacause]

121. I meant to include any form of providing service to.

[liberal N proud]

96. I am on their side 100%

Stop this nation cold and then lets see something done about the outrageous raping of the American at the fuel pump and it's trickle down inflation

[Whoa_Nelly]

97. This needs to be a MSM story

So far, according to Google news search, it seems to be more of a byline rather than a national news story.
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&suggon=0&as_qdr=all&q=truckers+protest&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn

Carrying the story on the MSM could have a greater impact nationwide.

Anyone out there with good connections to get this protest some larger corporate media spotlight?

:kick: for the truckers! :toast:

on edit:
Great photo of one protest! A couple of more photos at AP story link.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h754857XlNi4En4IBAv5GxRgEYhQD8VPC1380



A man walks through an area of parked trucks near the Port of Tampa, Tuesday morning, April 1, 2008, in Tampa, Fla., in protest of the rising cost of diesel fuel. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says many of its members believe diesel prices at more than $4 a gallon is making it difficult for them to stay in business. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

[newfie11]

102. Go truckers!!!!

Most of the tractors (farm)in my area are diesel as well as farm trucks. Anything to draw attention to these high diesel prices is very welcome.

[datasuspect]

99. company drivers should stand in solidarity with their brothers

and sisters

[Lugnut]

119. A lot of them are.

Some trucking companies are supporting this effort as well. Fuel prices are hurting them too.

[elocs]

103. I bet the rest of the world are shedding big crocodile tears hearing about our expensive fuel.

If there is going to be an ultimate solution to hauling goods in this country, then it can no longer be based upon big gas guzzling rigs be-bopping all across the country. There is absolutely no way around this. If I had the ability to look 100 years into the future and still saw semi trucks on our roads I would be majorly disappointed because they need to go the way of the dinosaur. If we don't develop the rail system again in this country and only use trucks for short hauls we will be in trouble because this can't go on this way.

Also, I have found the best way to make friends and influence people is not to piss off as many people as possible. There are certainly people celebrating what the truckers are doing, but I am willing to bet that none of them are on the road behind the trucks.

Americans complain loudly when their drug of choice (oil) which fuels their addiction goes up in price. Just let us have our drug cheaper and we will all be happy.

[cynatnite]

105. Rail system is not the answer...

It's modernizing the trucks to operate using alternatives other than diesel. It's a lot better than what it used to be with the low sulfur diesel, but more has to be done.

Attempting to replace trucks with train system is far more costly, more hazardous to the environment and definitely less safer.

[elocs]

109. Rail is more hazardous to the environment and less safe?

So a better truck can be made, but not a better train? Arguing against an efficient rail system in this country does not make any sense to me. How may semis would be replaced by one efficient freight train? Just because it became convenient for trucks to deliver goods all over the country and for many years it was not expensive does not make it the best way to transport goods. We've got to have a bigger vision than that.

[cynatnite]

110. You're not looking at how damaging laying millions of miles of rail...

to every town in the US would be to the environment. Want train tracks laid down through Yellowstone or some other protected land? That's what you'd have to do to get product to places like Jackson Hole, WY and other towns.

My husband is a truck driver and he's hauled pharmaceuticals which is very valuable. It's also a tempting target for thieves. That's not to mention other dangerous products that would be vulnerable as well.

Take a walk around your house. Virtually everything you see was transported by truck at one point. There is no way to have enough rail lines or train cars to move it all.

Rail is not and never will be feasible to transport products. It's in the trucking industry and the focus should be on making those vehicles better for the environment. They've already started doing that. All trucks made after 2006 require low sulfur diesel. Emissions are considerably less than they were before. The technology is coming, but unfortunately it's at a snail's pace.

[CanSocDem]

116. You are right...

...about 'cleaning up' the trucking industry rather than re-building the railroad system.

Something as simple as separating the trucks from the cars, on the roadway would open the door for making trucks more fuel efficient. As it is, trucks have to be OVER-DRIVEN to keep up with and, stay out of the way of, the smaller vehicles they share the road with.

Hybrid tractor-trailers aren't impossible.


.

[elocs]

149. Who ever said that you lay rail to every town in the U.S.?

That would be stupid. Whoever has suggested laying tracks through Yellowstone? This is a good example of a strawman argument. There are already many, many miles of preexisting rail lines and the railroads already own much land to add more. Much of the rail system in this country was destroyed in favor of delivery by truck because it was more convenient and cheaper. The same goes for local mass transit when even my own small city had a trolley car and rail mass transit system that was dismantled in favor of the car where everyone may travel wherever they like by themselves. Where is the efficiency in that? Improving our rail system would not only aid in the delivery of goods, it would also help mass transit.

Like UPS and FedEx you have hub cities. The city in Wisconsin where I live has 50,000 people and is a rail city. I worked for years at a warehouse and unloaded semis that traveled from California, Canada, the east coast, from all over. These were packaged and canned food goods that could have been delivered by rail and then delivered locally by truck without the need to be hauled by truck for hundreds or thousands of miles.

There is no reason why much of that freight and goods could not have been delivered by rail and then use trucks for short haul within a 50-60 mile radius. I don't see any reason why such a system could not replace a significant proportion of trucks driving hundreds and thousands of miles per delivery.

Long haul trucking used to be convenient and inexpensive when fuel was cheap, but those days are gone forever. If we do not learn to think outside the box and maintain the same old mindsets we will not be able to solve the problems of the 21st century. There was a time when heating and powering our homes with oil was cheap and easy too, but we now need to find new and better ways of doing that. There have been many things in the history of this country that people claimed would never work, but turned out to be great ideas. I think it is unreasonable to claim that long haul transport by truck is the greatest idea in the delivery of goods and products and can never be improved upon.

[alarimer]

106. We need to encourage more rail shipment.

Rebuild the railroads.

I'd be pissed off if I was stuck behind them and got in trouble at work.

[mainegreen]

107. Heros

:patriot:

[mcollier]

108. A Change is needed now

but I don't need to tell you that. It seems the only ones enjoying these times are Oil companies.

[progressoid]

111. They need to grid lock Washington DC!

[ExPatLeftist]

115. They've been doing this here in Iceland as well

for the last couple of weeks. It is obvious that people are desperate because Icelanders are generally not people to actively protest many things...

[Supersedeas]

118. nothing to see here -- more sports, more weather

[0007]

120. Fuck 'A' Let's bring on a national strike next.

[Summer93]

122. Back to the future

Once there was a trolley line at the end of the street that taken would bring you to the city. It was there even before running town water was there. There were trains that hauled goods from city to city and even some stopped at smaller towns.

Now that we have successfully demolished the train system in this country is it possible to re-establish it? The rail beds are still there in some places and were made into bike trails. Is it possible to use a train with an alternative fuel source? Weren't there steam trains in the past? How could they be fueled today?

Why aren't we looking into the possibilities now of how to solve the problem that is coming down the tracks headed straight for us now?

[Scriptor Ignotus]

123. reminds me of something from Howard Zinn's

People's History of the United States. About time somebody done something.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

128. This won't get into a Zinn book ...

... until Bush orders Blackwater to start cracking truckers' heads. So far, this is just a protest, inconvenient but mostly peaceful.

I hope it doesn't escalate to "Zinn" level.

Best of luck with lowering fuel costs.

[Kolesar]

143. I heard Howard Zinn on a radio interview and I thought he was pretty dreadful

He had this attitude that he "refused to work on a candidate's campaign", because that is not a good use of time. He said you had to work on issues or movement building instead.

Then what do you do when one of your movement wants to run for President?

[Scriptor Ignotus]

150. well his book is amazing

hmm, I've heard him on some programs from time to time too. didn't seem that bad to me.

Al Gore would seem to agree with Zinn on the climate change issue though...

[Kolesar]

152. thank you...eom

[H8fascistcons]

124. Truckers Don't Stop There!!!!!!

Drive to the Mexican border and block the Mexican trucks from driving across America, it's about power and control, the republican Fascists are taking the power away from ordinary Americans through economic terrorism. Congress has already ordered the program halted and the republican Fascists refuse to comply.....

[The Animator]

126. Traffic in Orlando sucks enough as it is.

Believe me, I'm all for people rising up and protesting the price of gas, but that would be certain to backfire in O'town. It sounds good in theory, until your driving your wife to the hospital. Or until the cops can't get to a domestic disturbance fast enough to prevent someone from getting killed. Think about how many low wage workers would end up losing their jobs because they were late for work that day.

I'm all for stickin' it to the man, but we didn't set the gas prices, don't stick it to us.

[Xenocrates]

127. Teamsters need to strike!

Back in 2002, I bought a VW TDI Beetle, mainly because it gets unbelievable mileage (42-45 mpg) and it was nice to have a vehicle that had a range of 500+ miles between fill-ups.

And then the price of diesel went up, and up, and up, and up. Part of this problem was the fact that the EPA required a reformulation of diesel fuel to have less sulfur. Very Very low sulfur. I was told at the time that this formulation caused the price increase. But now its been around for a couple years now, and it remains 50c more per gallon than super unleaded fuel? WTF?

I fully support the actions of the independent truck drivers in these actions, but what would really put the fuel to the fire.. The Teamsters Union needs to strike. Without them, these holdups in traffic will be forgotten by the next commute.

Will it get the cost of fuel to drop? No, probably not. Will it influence the vote in November? You bet.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

129. The idea is good but many of the goals and targets are wrong...

reducing the price of diesel fuel. They are owner-operators, meaning they are also businesspeople, and they can't break even with current fuel costs. They want the government to release its fuel reserves. They want an investigation into oil company profits and government subsidies of the oil companies. Of the drivers I talked to, all were acutely aware that the government had found, in the course of a weekend, $30 billion to bail out Bear Stearns, while their own businesses are in a tailspin.

--

1) The govt *cant* lower the price of fuel its a private asset, instead they should be after more money from the companies that ship things!
2) Releasing the fuel reserves is not going to help for any period of time
3) Investigating the oil companies is well and good

[bdamomma]

133. good for the truckers

stop everything and let's see how fast people will get in the streets (or am I dreaming), no food and no products coming in.

[Redstone]

135. Oh, yeah, THAT will work. Like it did before. And before, and before.

Redstone

[BearSquirrel2]

136. Kind of ironic ...

Kind of ironic. Just guess who most of those redneck trucker probably voted for!!!

I believe GW Bush has been quite explicit about not "manipulating" the price of oil via the strategic petroleum reserves. In fact he has employed a strategy of filling the reserve when oil prices are high!!!

I suppose all those Kerry voting Prius drivers were right ... huh???

[Kolesar]

141. Everybody could slow down 10 mph and "save on fuel costs" ... eom

[gorfle]

142. This will accomplish nothing.

This will accomplish nothing. So long as the truckers go right back to buying diesel fuel again, which they will, the demand won't change, and, consequently, the price won't change either.

Waste. Of. Time.

[Omaha Steve]

144. If they just block off fuel terminals for a few days....

That works. It happened in Omaha in the late 70's. That has a much better effect that just shutting down a highway or two.

[blue sky at night]

146. I think this is great news...........

but back when I was listening to the CB radio in 2004, the majority of drivers were pro-bush, so guess what dudes, you thought your were so smart back then, bashing the Fag Kerry. I knew damn well we already fucked back then with the Oil Companies running the country. Me thinks it is too late, the ship is going down boys.

[Chugalugger]

153. I am a suffering Owner Operator(O/O)

My income has dropped by half. I have to negotiate for a fuel surcharge just to make it out here. This week my Fuel Surcharge is 51 cents a mile, this rate is tacked on to the Line haul portion of the rate breakdown. Even with this surcharge my income is half of what it was 2 years ago. We O/O,s also have been cutting back on our maintenance schedules on our trucks. Sometime I feel I'm just working to fill my tanks. The only blessing that i have no truck/trailer payment. Some of us out here have a big nut to crack of 2-3000 dollars fro a truck payment before all the OE out here. All lot of these drivers are turning their truck back over to their lenders. Its a mess. If I knew any other way to make a living I would be doing it. I did participate in the Tampa Port Blockage. When it was over, it was business back as usual real quickly!!