If the PAY was HIGHER…who the heck would drive Over Hours? The Teamsters make PLENTY..and Do Not violate hours of service rules…they make Good Money too. The Gov wants all this tighten up…shippers and American Consumer can start PAYING MORE for shipping..end of Problem. Teamsters have LESS accidents and you dont see them driving like Maniacs to get somewhere..they are a good model for highway safety AND Higher Pay….Operating an 18 wheeler on THE CHEAP is a recipe for Disaster.

Government freight is among the cheapest around. Let the government of the people take the lead and pay a fair price for freight. Put a limit on the fistfull of cash brokers skim off the top too

Not to be a smart-ass but, if what we’ve always done isn’t working out, why are we still doing it? You mention “UPS and Union companies” (drivers) who obey the rules and are making ‘union scale’ wages, doesn’t that tell you that there is no reward in breaking the rules. This essentially is what the Governmment is telling us with these new rules.

what makes you think they obey any rules,,,mst dont drive 150 mile radius so there are not any for them,,,,You sound like somene that just got his diploma from acme driving school.

Its not the goverment calling the shots its the lawyers and the corporations and the driver is in the crossfire. We should shut the country down so that we real drivers (not the brown noser drivers) have a seat at the table and demand pay by the hour! Not just hourly dock pay but all tye time we are sitting behind the wheel. The large companies block any attempts for us to do that because that would mean the end for them because drivers would be able to afford their own trucks.
Every group has protested and got what they demanded, yes even homosexuals have gotten what they wanted yet the American truck drivers sitting behind the wheel cracking gay jokes? Makes me wounder if the gays crack jokes about the limp wrist truck drivers?

Tell you what,I would like to see anyone explain that if all this crap is so important then how to you explain us old school truckers who have put in millions of miles w/o hurting anyone?And take into consideration we NEVER obey stupid unsafe laws.Why are all of us held responseable for others behaviour and poor hiring policies?Apprenticeship period for new drivers,then leave them to hell alone.I want my LIBERTY back!

What they call a lobby in this industry, is an ambulance chaser, and a government “yes” man.

That is exactly wrong! I have been a Teamster employee driver and a Teamster o/o. I have NEVER seen any govt subsidy to the Teamster contract. IT’S thee NON_UNION employers that live off govt subsidies! I’Ll bet 955 of new drivers come through some kind of govt subsidized driver training program. The govt pays or supports for their tuition, lodging, transportation, supports their families while they are in school with food stamps, rent, transportation, medical, dental,etc. ie. welfare. Then the non-union truckload employers rip the govt off some more in their phony further training programs that pay a percentage of the newbies pay and get tax credits from Uncle Sam and the have the ordacity to complian about govt interfering in their business. Fact is, the non-union truckload mgt wouild have nearly no drivers if it weren’t for govt subsidized training/family support (welfare) programs!

UPS develops and trains their own (ever see an ad or recruiter from UPS) In the past many unionized companies did the same. It wasn’t till deregulation that allowed the bottom feeding non-unionized truckload management to gain a foot hold, buy over working and under paying their drivers.( and if that isn’t true then why over 100% of non-union drivers quit their jobs and only 4% of union drivers quit) did the “driver shortage ” and the need for truck diver training occur. To this day many union locals have driver training programs PAID FOR BY THE UNIONS and UNIONIZED EMPLOYERS, NOT THE FEDERAL GOVT!

Tim, I have to disagree with you. We don’t need the govt to force anyone to pay detention time. This is something this industry needs to do itself. It’s the cutthroat nature of the van’ reefer segment of the trucking industry. Too many big companies and bottom feeders willing to undercut everyone else. I’ve been pulling a tanker for 10 years and detention time isn’t a issue for us. Customers have 1.5 to 2 hrs max to get us loaded or unloaded, period. It’s the comp anies’ decision to give away your time to these people. They’ll keep doing it as long as you’re willing to put up with it.

its real obvious that no one here has ever owned a trucking company. A company can only pay what the overhead will allow according to the market rates of the cargo, otherwise the trucking company will surely go out of business. Cutthroat brokers and large companies are the ones driving down freight rates in order to force out the smaller companies. Additionally, why do we convert miles to time in the first place? That has ALWAYS been stupid. How bout something simplier like what is your starting and ending mileage each day with being allowed to drive say 600 miles or something per day, or whatever. The time vs mileage conversion is apparently thought up by a government person.

I agree with Bob, we are wasting our time unless we find unity among ourselves.

Where can I get a copy of the publication? I would like to read up on it and compare it to the one we have (are using).

Jerry,
how do you get over 100% of drivers to quit their jobs?

You are absolutely right Bob. We all need to stop hauling for 3 days and America will collapse. We all can afford to loose 3 days worth of this shitty pay anyway.

How did you figure that. Why is the unions stands right there beside their Socialist President I promise they are getting their share of tax payers money.

m.j.

Tell me what has not been working. The trucking industry is the safest it has ever been. I have been driving for over 32 years. Thats the problem with every thing in the USA Govt regulations You got men and woman making all the rules and regulations that has no reason to be involved in the trucking industry.They has no idea what works and dont. You got all these public groups trying to run the trucking industry trying to tell us how many hours you can drive before you get tried. The hours of Service is the worse its ever been. You got 14 hours to do what ever you got to do no matter what. What happens if you get tried in the middle of the 14 and you want to take a nap and you cant because the clock wont stop.This makes the driver to push his or her self knowing they cant shut down causing a driver to drive tried. We used to be able to stop the clock for rest and sleep you cant now.Like the sleep apena deal they are pushing men and woman to be required to be tested. if their BMI is past a certain number.I am a big guy and been tested and dont have it. Its been proved that some who has interest in selling the cpap machines is the ones who has been pushing this new regulation.this is just not right.How much reg and rules can we handle.

I agree buddy I miss my Liberty

If you just think how much we are getting paid. We are moving 25 tons one mile with $100,000 piece of equipment for less then you pay for a candy bar Now everyone just think are we getting what we deserve heck no.

as a driver, a minister and a lease operator, there are good and bad with the proposed regulations. I belive that Drivers should have a say in this as well as companies and the government. in the past the 5 hours on and 5 hours off for a team worked and worked well and that was before the 70 hour rule and the 34 hour restart. i belive there has to be a better way that everyone can live with instead of being just one sided. When you thing about other professions they work 9 hoursw a day and go home, for us thats not a choice, or we make no money. so with that in mind i dont think that the 70 or the 34 hour restart is fair. a model we could look at would be 12 on 12 off or 8 on and 8 off and 24 hour off after 14 days. One thing I feel is drivers have no time personaly with the 14 hour day and 10 hour break. and that just isnt good. in a 10 hour break we are expected to shower, eat and relax and sleep for 8 hours. a little tought to do.
I agree we need a new system for sure. Now for shippers and recivers, there is a major problem there for sure, along with time delays and being treated like animals most of the time. and no parking and sometimes its a city ordinece that does not allow overnight parking. My sugestion there is we stop picking up or delivering to those cities, and I promise you in a couple of weeks that will change. It unsafe in many towns to park and thats if you can even find a spot. I hear all the complaints everyday form my drivrs in my church and it gets depressing to say the least. bottom line something needs to be done to the whole system ….Pastor B

I have yet to see OOIDA do any thing to curb the errosion of the trucking industry and stand up and lobby on behalf of the drivers. I have however seen them side with the ATA and push for legislation that doesn’t do a darn thing for the benefit of higher wages, or control of the gouging brokers impose on the trucking industry. I would like them to push for better working conditions, better wages, and compliance by the major trucking companies with the rules and regulations that are already pushed on the drivers..

In the old days we could keep our logs legit, work (5 & 5 )never spent way to many hours at the docks.The shippers were glad to see us , they helped us with the freight (on or off ) in a timely manner because they really understood that we were working for them. When we unloaded the freight we were thanked with a real thank you.Fuel was reasonable compared to the rate to haul the freight, and we made money,had our small places that we stopped at to eat and fuel,and we knew lots of drivers and waitresses by name. ( We used to wave to all those we knew) When on a trip alone you could drive till you got tired , short nap, back at it for a few hours, stop and eat ,fuel etc.and another sleep time.Up early and do it again.The ICC, PUC, dot pretty much left things alone until the 70s , then some gov. , officials figured they needed to get involved.Glad I am done. Never totaled all the miles (1964 till 2010 ) It’s a brand new way of life now..The people involved were the salt of the earth,most knew how hard it was to drive hour after hour, stop and help each other in times of trouble,etc..(Knights of the road ) now it’s just a lousy job, lousy pay …keep the shiny side up..GOD BLESS