CARRIER RATING SYSTEM NEEDED
I completely agree with Linda Longton’s editorial about acting like an owner-operator (Viewpoint, April 2004). I get so tired of listening to truckers who refuse to do anything about theircurrent situations. For example: It’s 6 p.m. in Amarillo, Texas, and someone is on the radio saying that they are getting messed around because the load they are delivering has a 6 a.m. window in Los Angeles. Who’s fault is that? I say, “You did not have to take it. You knew the circumstances when your fifth wheel latched around the kingpin.”
Kevin Rutherford’s comment about making the new hours of service work for us instead of against us is excellent. He suggests that if the rule does not work for us with our current company, change companies. But how can we know if the different company is really all they represent? What if we change companies and are not dispatched enough to keep the profit margin we need? We are faced with changing companies again and again and again.
I would like to see a comparison – like a Consumers Digest rating – that matches companies against a set standard of what they should be, not what they are. For example: Rate of pay should be $1 minimum. Companies should pay state fuel taxes. Base plates, either furnished or allowed to be paid out. Insurance either paid or offered through the company. Health insurance, life insurance offered. Rider policies provided. Assistance with break-downs. One hundred percent of fuel surcharge paid to the truck.
Is this a realistic objective or just a pipe dream? I am not talking about having the trucking companies give us everything and all we do is pay for a truck. A good idea would be to organize a roundtable to come up with such standards, then see how the companies compare.
David Watts
Amarillo, Texas
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
My husband has every single issue of Overdrive from its very first! He is celebrating his 70th birthday in June, and I’m asking truckers to send greetings and cards as a surprise to:
Gerhard Wetzel, Jr.
P.O. Box 9535
Boise, ID 83707-3535
Lorraine Wetzel
Boise, Idaho
NOT FOR YOUNG EYES
I am a 14-year-old girl whose father subscribes to this magazine. While looking through the April issue, I came upon an advertisement with a picture that, in my opinion, showed too much cleavage. In this ad for Long Haul truck polish, the waitress had a shirt that was cut a little too deep. I’m writing to give my opinion about putting pictures like that in a magazine that all people, even children, look at.
Heather Christian
Via e-mail
APOLOGY FOR AD
We at Long Haul are very excited about introducing our Heavy Duty Appearance products to the trucking industry. In an effort to entertain our target audience, we ran an advertisement in March and April that went over the edge of good taste. We apologize to any readers we offended. Sometimes when a business grows rapidly, things fall through the cracks. This was one of those cases.
We invite readers to watch our new ads and get a good laugh that we all can enjoy.
Bob Reifsnider
President, Long Haul
Send letters to Write On, Overdrive, P.O. Box 3187, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403, or fax to (205) 750-8070, or send e-mail to [email protected]. Letters are subject to editing for length or content.
