Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

At least these guys are “striking” for the right reason and not for fuel to go lower like some have tried in the past.

Truck Drivers Ask For Raise
Some Eastern Kentucky independent truck drivers say they’re parking their trucks and not driving because they can’t afford it anymore.
About 50 independent truck owners in the Big Sandy Region parked their big rigs on Route 7 in Magoffin County. Truckers say they’re only making about 76 dollars a load, and by the time they pay for their gas and insurance, they can’t afford the drive. Many say they can’t support their families.

If your house is in order you can do this and survive. But you have to know you’re not going to get the rates we got last year or even the year before. Tough times are coming if you haven’t already noticed. Fuel is only a piece of the puzzle.

Trucking is cyclical, this downturn will force some out of business, but trucking companies have gone out of business during good times and when fuel was less than $2.00. Trucking companies going out of business isn’t news. What will be news is how the others will survive and come out of this on the other end.

We always hear, “say no to cheap freight”. I know what cheap freight is for me, I’ve taken an expensive LTL instead of a cheap truckload to prove a point. But what if your truck and trailer are paid for, they’re older so insurance is less, your version of cheap freight isn’t going to be the same as the guy next to you and you’ve got a family to feed? Is it cheap freight or is it – Doing the best you can with what you have? Then what?