Archive for April, 2008

Truck Drivers Strike

Posted by Allen Smith in Truck Driving Jobs, otr trucking, trucking life on April 7th, 2008

Whether you are a seasoned driver, just out of truck driver training or attending any of the truck driver schools across the nation, one should be watching the outcome of this recent truck drivers strike. Primarily owner operators, many drivers shut down for a few days to protest the high cost of diesel fuel. At $4.00 plus per gallon, nobody can blame them. When a rig holds 300 gallons of fuel, $1200 just to fill up your tanks is destructive to your bottom line profit.

But, will the strike have any effect? Will this small, short-lived demonstration actually cause a change for the better? Unfortunately, the answer will more than likely be a resounding, “NO.” Having a small group of drivers stage a 3-4 day “strike” will, sadly, accomplish nothing. With owner operators falling beside the way side year after year, the greatest majority of drivers on the road these days are fleet drivers.

It will perhaps cause those interested in truck driver training and looking at truck driver schools to take a second look at truck driving as a career. However, owner operators are the ones taking the dramatic hit by the fuel costs. The company driver does not have the worry. Most trucking companies will pass some of the increased cost of fuel onto their customers through an added fuel surcharge, but the rate of freight will remain the same . . . cheap. Therefore, the owner operators will continue to haul the load at the same low rate, while doing battle with the increased price of diesel. The truck driver will always be the one who loses.

Strikes of this nature will simply not work. It will take the effort of all truck drivers working together in order to force those with the power to make changes occur. And that, my friends, is where the problem lies. A few hundred drivers here and there cannot make change . . . it must be done by thousands . . . no, millions.

Eight million CDL drivers in the United States today, and most of these would have to participate in a truck driver’s strike to catch the attention of Congress and the nation, and be taken seriously. Now, what would have to be done? Hundreds of thousands of truck drivers, company drivers and owner operators would have to ban together and shut their rigs down. They would have to do so, not for a few days, but for several weeks.

CDL drivers everywhere would have to make the decision to STOP the flow of freight in this country, and do it long enough where the effects would be felt. This would mean store shelves would go empty . . . everything that everybody takes for granted: groceries, supplies, clothes, autos, EVERYTHING . . . would come to a halt. The general public still cannot comprehend that everything they buy . . . everything they purchase at a store or retailer or ANYWHERE . . . comes by way of a truck driver. The ships can still sail, the aircraft can still fly and the train can still run, but the truck driver carries the products to the stores. The truck driver carries it to the general public.

Because the owner operator is somewhat of a dying breed, it leaves mostly company drivers running the road these days. Thus, the fear factor sets in . . . ”If I shut down and strike, I would lose my job.” In addition, to create empty shelves in our nations store, what kind of suffering would that cause to the innocent? A mother needs formula for her baby, but the shelf is empty due to truck drivers striking? It is a tough situation and a hard call to make. On the other hand, the truck driver and his or her family cannot pay their bills due to the high cost of fuel factored in with the low cost of freight.

The good side of this is that the shelves could be refilled at an alarming rate due to the professionalism of our nation’s drivers. But this is the only way for drivers to make a change. For those who are attending truck driver training or considering truck driver schools, they too will have to consider the options of someday executing a massive, well organized strike with other CDL drivers. A strike . . . a “real” strike . . . of such magnitude, will cause those in power to react.

Allen Smith
Truth About Trucking

: cdl, company driver, owner operator, truck driver training

cdl, company driver, owner operator, truck driver training

3 Comments

The “Strike” That Broke the Truckers Back

Posted by Allen Smith in Truck Driving Jobs, otr trucking, trucking life on April 4th, 2008

I would like to say that all the talk you are hearing about truck drivers going on strike and high fuel prices is just the final “straw” for truck drivers everywhere. I’m not down playing high fuel prices at all. As a matter of fact it was a serious enough problem to finally initiate some truckers to display their total anger and dissatisfaction and pursue a strike. However, what I am saying is that their source of being disgruntled is much more deep seeded than that.

I’ve written much about the trucking lifestyle and the sacrifices made in order to succeed in OTR trucking. I try to paint an honest picture to everyone in regards to what a trucking career is really like. I ‘ve written the song “The Trucking Brand” to express the sacrifices and obstacles truckers face on a daily basis. However, public apathy is a big part of a truckers dismay. The general public as a whole finds trucks “annoying” and truck drivers part of the problem of their “inconvenience”. In general, let’s face it, when was the last time you passed a truck and thought, “Oh great, there’s another wonderful truck driver bringing all the goods we need to our local stores.” I think never. It’s probably more like, “Man I hate these trucks, always in the way when I’m driving!”

Next, are the trucking companies themselves. Let’s face it, they’re out to make money and with a 128% turnover rate among truck drivers, they’re really not all that concerned about them, their families, or their futures. Then you have the brokers. I can’t even tell you how many shady brokers there are. A seasoned owner operator can get through this, but even the best can get fooled sometimes.

When you sum it all up; with sacrificial lifestyle, public apathy, lack of compassion, the poor attitudes of the trucking companies towards their drivers, and having to deal with some pretty shady brokers, you can see how increased fuel prices was the final last straw for truckers. Let’s face it, we all endure much in life to succeed. Some endure quite a bit just to make ends meet. But, when it comes down to it, if all your sacrifices lead you to little or no profit, where’s the reward? Why bother?

Something must be done to relieve these men and woman of this burden. There must be provisions made for them by our government somehow. As their profession becomes limited in its pay, their families suffer. The government can only be forced to comply with the effects of high-fuel prices if the public becomes more sympathetic to the problems of the truck driver.

I’m certainly not one to advocate the government is the answer to all our problems. Quite the contrary, the government is in large part, the problem. Oil is not the problem either. Oil brought us the industrial revolution; oil is the reason we enjoy the comfort of living we all experience. The problem lies with those who will not allow further drilling in this country. The problem lies with those who will not allow further plants to be built. I spent many years working in the oilfields of Oklahoma. Advancement in technology now allows us to set up a drilling rig, recruit the petroleum products we need and remove the drilling rig and barely leave a “dot” on the landscape.

As long as those groups continue to keep us from drilling in our own country and not allow for new plants to be built, then we all deserve what we will continue to get…high fuel prices. And, it’s not only the Middle East that we rely on so heavily either. In fact, our #1 source for oil is Canada…and our #2 source is Mexico! Alternative fuels are a good idea, but I don’t see that as a cure all. Take Ethanol for an example. The cost of producing Ethanol is far greater than what the product yields. Also, it will only lead to higher grocery prices…think about it!

Every consumer needs to support truck drivers , in particular the over the road owner operators that are feeling most of the impact. If we don’t, there will be far greater consequences for the consumer. It’s just a matter of time.

Allen Smith

Truth About Trucking

: aubrey allen smith, owner operator, trucking companies, trucking life

aubrey allen smith, owner operator, trucking companies, trucking life

4 Comments

The Trucking Brand : Truck Drivers, Can you Relate to This?

Posted by Allen Smith in Uncategorized, Videos on April 2nd, 2008

Truckers have a lot of time to themselves. Many of us write songs while we’re on the road. Trucking life is a rough one, the music and thoughts we keep are what keeps us going.

Nobody really understands the sacrifices and lifestlye that the American Trucker endures….except the truck drivers themselves.

Trucking is a “brand” if you will. We all can relate to one another in some way, shape or form. We may have different opinions on many things in life, but our one common bond is our trucking bloodline.

Having a little fun, here’s a song I wrote about no one…. and yet everyone. You’ll know what I mean after you listen to it.

I think you’re going to enjoy it……it’s dedicated to all of you truck drivers out there…

including all the truckers striking , demonstrating the high price of fuel

Here’s the link to “The Trucking Brand”

: trucking, trucking life, trucking video