Trucking gone mad

[dthmstr254]

Ok, I maybe young, but even I remember when diesel prices were lower than other types of gas. Diesel is the least refined and cheapest gas, but taxes have made it so much more expensive for the trucker that it costs near 1500 dollars for some to tank up. I don't happen to know who voted this absurd law into the legislation, and I don't care.

My biggest problem is not that, but the fact that the truckers are not allowed to have a union to support them and represent their wants. The association they do have is not allowed to declare a strike, and the strike that was heard of this past April never did anything. This country was established to avoid this very thing, among others. For a country based on avoiding over-taxation, this is preposterous. Every worker should be allowed to have proper representation. The backbone of our economy is the trucker. Even France has better support for their truckers. The truck drivers there are considered low upper class, and don't need to work more than 30 hours a week. The independent drivers here, which comprise 90% of the industry, are working 50 hours a week and are barely able to cover the cost of fuel.

Now, don't tell me that this is not an important issue, because according to my knowledge of recent history, the last time truckers called a strike, it nearly brought the country to its knees. But the truckers have since been treated like the less reputable white man treated the slave prior to the civil war. My dad has lost count of the number of times hot rod drivers have cut him off in their expensive cars and nearly got run over by the truck because they hit the breaks (the car ahead was, on average 60 feet forward of his and the hot rod's position) for no reason. He even once had a guy tailgate so close that when my dad went to turn into the weigh station, he clipped the front of the car. The driver, of course, wanted my dad to pay for the damage incurred, to which he replied:

"sure, go ahead, I already called the police and you can explain to them what you were doing so close to my backside."

People hear all about how the truck driver is a self-serving egotistic person who will try to get your money in an accident. The majority of accidents involving semis would be avoided if you paid attention to your driver's handbook and all the signs plastered all over the semi. Everything is in there. Driving 5 feet forward of a semi is a poor idea, because 70000 pounds of steel, aluminum, and cargo doesn't tend to like slowing down. They can't stop in 60 feet like your little Mustang.

So why the disrespect of the truck driver?

[Jack]

For the same reason most drivers don't respect motorcycles. They've never driven a big rig or bike and they presume they handle just like a car. They have no awareness of the differences between an 18-wheeler or motorcycle and their car. (Oh, and because a lot of drivers are outright morons who shouldn't be allowed to be pedestrians let alone drive a car)

[lsbskins1]

Well, the tax on diesel thing is because the trucks do the most damage that requires up keep. As for not respecting truckers, that does truly suck. And they should be able to strike. That is the power of the strike for any organisation, the ability to make others hurt so that they feel your hurt. That may be too plain and simplistic, but it is essentially true. They are simply making you understand their importance in the market place. It should be a right that is unquestioned for at will employees. If your power as a member of the market is your labor, withdrawing that labor is your voice. No reason in the world that voice should be silenced.

[commonsense]

I guess I'm one of the hated morons who like to "draft" behind trucks in order to save gas when driving my van, and use their windblock to keep warm when on the motorcycle in winter.
Of course I know better than to cut one off, though... i've seen people cluelessly do it just to get ahead of one at a stoplight, forcing the driver to really clamp 'em down.
As far as the price differential btw gasoline and diesel, aside from the taxes (dont know how different they are between them) I do know that most diesels will burn almost any kind of oil, and that commercial diesel as well as its cousin, home heating oil, should be far cheaper to produce b/c it requires far less refining.
I've read in a car magazine that explains the illogical pricing of diesel vs gasoline as a result of limited refining capacity that requires refiners to dedicate more resources to making the more ubiquitous gasoline, making the high price of diesel a "supply and demand" issue b/c it is only made in shorter spurts of periodic runs monthly instead of the otherwise constant flow of gasoline production. That seems dubious to me b/c it seem severything shipped in this country runs at least partway over the road on trucks running diesel...even if there's more car miles driven you'd think that the diesel supply would rival it, no?
Who knows... one thing you can be sure of, is that "they" are screwing us again!
If only we were more diligent in not allowing our govt to overstep its constitutional proscriptions in order to collude with perpetually re-elected pork-barrel politicians and restored a cultural climate that recognized the spiritually-transcendant humanitarian virtue of our founding libertarian principles, blah blah blah blah
LOL ! ! ! !
Happy New Year everybody ! ! !
Hope all is well in the new year ! ! !

[lsbskins1]

Living in a moutainous area, I will say, however, I do truely wish the truck that wants to go 40 on the upgrade would not move into the left lane because the truck in front of him is only able to go 35. If the truckers would observe that little bit of "other-side" ettiquite, I would be truely happy.

[dthmstr254]

Quote by: lsbskins1 Well, the tax on diesel thing is because the trucks do the most damage that requires up keep. As for not respecting truckers, that does truly suck. And they should be able to strike. That is the power of the strike for any organisation, the ability to make others hurt so that they feel your hurt. That may be too plain and simplistic, but it is essentially true. They are simply making you understand their importance in the market place. It should be a right that is unquestioned for at will employees. If your power as a member of the market is your labor, withdrawing that labor is your voice. No reason in the world that voice should be silenced.

You know that the tax for diesel is inflationary beyond proportions? At 50 cents a gallon, that would be 75 dollars, per tank, per driver, assuming the average 150 gollon tank (that is the size of my dad's tank)

With the difference being around 50 cents less to make diesel, the highest the tax should bring it to is around 20 cents higher than the price of regular. But the price of gas is sitting at near a dollar higher on average (based on prices seen around Duval, Bradford, and Alachua Counties, FL)

That means they are taking a little less than a dollar for every gallon, almost half of the current Florida prices of diesel is pure and utter price gouging tax.

If someone can get me a list of the people who voted yes to these taxes, I would appreciate it.

I think that this is not only stupid, it is ludicrous and a blot on what is supposed to be a free market economy (ok, the bailouts are another blot, and not what we needed, I propose they should have been required to submit a plan of action and show steps of enacting them BEFORE getting money for the program. I am amazed that did not make it on the political blunders list on the Hannity New Years show. Anyways, back on topic.). I know this is prolly heard from several sources, but if we want the economy to stabilize, we need to take steps to alleviate the financial stress on the backbone of our economy. The owner-operator of an 18 wheeler is not just a big part of that backbone, he/she is the main way we transport things to our stores, where the government gets another good portion of money from sales taxes, especially in high-traffic seasons like Christmas and New Years.

Given the April event, this could balloon. In Jacksonville, Florida, Triple Crown, a company with mostly independent owner operators, has seen a triple growth in resignations from those independent drivers. According to my dad, the number one reason is financial difficulty. The Jacksonville station has lost enough drivers that they have to pay more for people to come in as long range regional drivers, which means the company loses more money and prices for transportation of goods must then go up. Triple Crown services goods for companies including Wal-Mart, GM, and several other big name companies. When their prices for transportation go up, those companies effected must then up the prices of their goods, costing us, the consumers, more money. Soon enough, freight companies who can't afford to continue business close down, lowering the market availability of jobs and services, thus decreasing supply and increasing demand, driving prices still higher.

This continues until we again see prices at the pump and in the store that are huge, except we can't blame OPEC or Iraq situations anymore. The blame can only be put upon our government, because they are not taking care of their economy. Where do you think Obama will look to get his money? The public isn't in the mood for more taxes. So the government looks at workers, instead. They aren't going to target unionized workers, because of the possibility of a strike. No, the first thing he will see are a neglected group of unrepresented people, shunned by society and a target of many stereotypes (The big fat drunkard who has no decorum ring a bell to anyone?).

The other option is that the truckers DO strike, without a union. This WON'T be pretty. You won't see a gradual increase in price anymore. No, it will rocket upward in a fashion to make the air traffic controller's strike look pathetic. Stores will be forced to close down. Big names might go bankrupt because they can't sell what isn't stocked. Our entire country will come to a grinding halt if the people of the trucker's association strike, because the independent contractor is 90% of all regional freight. Sure, trains get the stuff to the cities, but truckers make sure they get to the stores.

I don't want to sound like a doomsday preacher, but anyone with a pithy knowledge of the economic system knows that with drivers resigning, it increases workload and thus prices. If the drivers do strike, we are in trouble.

So, what do we do?

The only thing we can do. If that person can find a list of the voting politicians behind these taxes, then we start flooding anyone in our district, town, region, or state with letters for a reversal. The public has a right to propose a bill to lower those taxes.

Heck, we have a responsibility of our own. We are the voters. Without us, there would be no them. Call me radicalist, I really would not give a flying hoot. our responsibility to ourselves and our families, as well as this country, is to try to set this right.

good luck.