National Truck Strike
Posted on May 30, 2008 - 7:31pm by Everitt Mickey in Hours of Service, News, Trucking
Certain folks want to strike. Well they are about to get their wish.
There are two ways to interpret the word “STRIKE”. One, the way that our little buddies who could NOT understand supply and demand were advocating has to do with work stoppage. Our little buddies figured that if we stopped work then all our “demands” would miraculously be met.
What they failed to understand, what they apparently REFUSE to understand, is that we live in a global economy. Oil is traded on the global marketplace. (they shouldn’t feel TOO bad because apparently the US Congress doesn’t understand that either, sue OPEC indeed!!) Oil is a fungible commodity. If the US doesn’t buy the oil, why, Russia, China, India, Europe, or any of a whole lot of OTHER countries are in line to buy that same oil. If we don’t buy it then, on the Global Market, the demand falls. If the demand falls , and the supply is constant, THEN the price also falls.
SO. What are little buddies are advocating is that by “striking” we, the TruckDrivers in the USA, lower the price of fuel for the Russian, and British, and French, and Indian ( you get the idea.) truck drivers.
I know our little buddies are generous, kind, gentle and have the whole world’s best interest in mind, BUT, somehow I don’t think that’s what they had planned. It’s called the “Law of Unintended Consequences”, and like Murphy’s, it WILL bite us on the fundament. Every. Time.
However. They want a strike? They’re about to get one.
Another definition of “STRIKE” has to do with violence. As in strike someone. You know, whack ‘em on the head.
Next week we’re going to be struck. By the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Yes indeedy ladies and gentlemen I’m talking about RoadRage 2008.
er…wrong name. I meant to say Road CHECK 2008.
“The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced the dates for Operation Roadcheck 2008. The annual three-day inspection blitz will be taking place June 3, 4 and 5th this year.”
National Truck Strike. All the states, all the time. 72 hrs of fun and frolic.
I had a bad experience in a RoadCheck. I remember it well, it’s seared into my memory. SEARED. I was hauling a windmill tower north on Hwy 287 near Childress Texas. The scale was open. The RoadCheck was in full fury. Cops were everywhere. Trucks were backed up both ways on the highway. Four wheelers, being four wheelers, were impatient, this “mess” was interfering with their WalMart run. The way that scale is set up is that NorthBound trucks have to pass the scale, make a U-turn across 4 lanes and go through the scale, then make a U-turn across 4 lanes and head on back the way they were going. Since I’ve learned, the hard way, NOT to pass an open scale, and since there was no one there to tell me otherwise, I did that.
Lines of trucks….making U-turns across a busy four lane.
And then it was MY turn. I was a hundred plus foot long and fourteen foot wide. It was an adventure.
Safety? Riiiiiiight.
I don’t want to do any such thing ever again. I don’t like to take risks such as that. I just about blocked all four lanes of traffic a couple of times while making that U-turn. Suppose a young mommy had come barreling down the highway about then, barely paying attention to driving. You know how they are, just today I saw one talking on her cell phone, drinking coffee and swatting the kids in the back seat , all the time trying to put on makeup, and she’s in a HURRY. Suppose one of them had come barreling up…
…and had run under my load.?
It would NOT have been pretty.
That’s the WORSE scale I’ve ever seen for a RoadCheck. They used it anyway.
Nope. Not worth the risk. Too much congestion around scale houses.. Too many trucks blocking traffic. For 72 straight hours. What are they thinking?
Rather than take the chance of BEING struck, I’m going ON strike.
I’m heading to La Casa. I’m going to put the truck in the shop, get a lot of “stuff” fixed. Then I’m going to put ME in the shop (dentist) and do some “fun stuff” like a root canal I’ve been putting off.
Yep. Having a root canal is more fun than risking a RoadCheck Wreck.
See ya’ll
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I’m not sure who you are reffering to as “little buddies”,i would like you to clarify that.
NO ONE CAN AFFORD TO STRIKE…instead why not slow down?..say from 70 down to 62…it sounds rediculous but think about it…drop your speed by 7%…which should drop your fuel consumption by 7% should lead to a 7% drop in fuel demand from 21 billion now consumed in the USA every day!…that works out to somewhere around 140 million barrels of oil…in one day!I’m not trying to be a smart ass but think about what we as truckers can accomplish just by doing that?!…wouldn’t that speak louder than a STRIKE?
My apollagies in advance if my numbers(and spelling) are slightly off…i hope my point was made.
“Little Buddies” is my condescending and derogatory term for those people who are crying to “mommy” (the government) instead of looking out for themselves. They’re the one’s who want to strike so that the “gubment” will pay attention to “us” and then magically fix all the problems.
Regarding slowing down. Why stop at 62? I drive between fifty and fifty five. It’s relaxing. Another reason for that speed is that rolling resistance peaks at about that. Beyond 55 or so all the extra energy, decreased fuel economy, is spent in pushing the air out of the way. As much as “hot rods” and “super truckers” hate it, 55 is actually a pretty good speed.
I’m always fairly heavy. Usually over a hundred thousand pounds. I drive slow cause it takes a while to stop and people always seem to be acting stupid. If someone hits me in the rear it’s their fault….and I have many thousands of pounds behind me for protection. If I hit someone however it’s my fault. Consequently I drive slow, particularly and especially thru cities, so that if someone pulls out in front of me I have a better chance of stopping. Added fuel economy is just a bonus.
And think about it. eleven hours at fifty five miles and hour. That’s far enough in one day for anyone.
Fuel prices are not easy to control now. India is also knowing the heat of it. Last month there was a strike for fuel prices by commercial vehicles. Now there is a rumour here that oil prices are going to be hiked.
The truckers really DO need to go on strike. As a recipient of what is unloaded from your rigs, it is in my personal interest that you guys get adequately paid for your expenses!!
Based upon the yawn seen in Washington thus far, slow downs will not have any impact except to conserve a few extra gallons. In an election year, only a strike will do.
Yeah, I know… easy for me to say since I’m not the one with the rig and the bills at home. But if you guy don’t stand up for yourselves, nothing will change. Your customers do care, but they are not the ones to make the changes…
Customers care? The loads I’ve been turning down show the opposite. It shows the “customer” wants cheap shipping prices. Two different brokers have been telling me – I know it’s too low, but the shipper won’t put more on it and you should turn it down, but I have to ask.
The only customers that care are the ones that will pay a fair price to ship their stuff.
I’ve given a very fair price and told that it’s too much. Then I see the same load a week later while the customer shops for a cheaper truck.
The only strike that works is against “customers” that don’t pay enough. Any other strike is useless.
Hi. I should have specified “Customer”… I am not the one who contracts for delivery. I’m the guy at the grocery store who is picking up dinner, the guy who gets gasoline before hitting the road, and the one who is ultimately counting on the success of the truckers.
No matter how much food the U.S. has, it’s a famine if the truckers are too broke to get it to the store.
@Trucking Dude
The fuel prices in India may be slashed soon bcoz of the upcoming elections. The government will be forced to reduce the prices.