Letters from Readers

LOT LIZARD ARTICLES A GOOD START IN ADDRESSING ‘SERIOUS PROBLEM’

I have been trucking since 1955 or so and married for 40 years to one lady, and until now my wife never got so excited over a magazine as the September issue of Overdrive. I told her the authors of these articles were a lot better at expressing the facts than I.

Prostitution is a serious problem, but so is the gay life in trucking. There are truckers out there who are transvestites or outright gay, and some have some of the strangest perversions, such as paying $50 for a prostitute’s underwear after a night of sales.

I applaud Overdrive for using a whole issue to discuss this subject rather than a page. The articles were strong in thought and well done. Prostitution is not just a lady selling herself, but an ugly background waiting for robbery, theft or murder to follow.

A follow-up issue on the same subject would be applauded as well. The truck stops are cleaning up, so why not show and tell what it took to clean them up. Then maybe vandalism and destruction will come to a halt, and I won’t find any more needles on the ground, and we can live a good life as truckers again. Even if you cannot stop completely what is going on, your articles could clean it up a great deal. This is a good start.

Alvin Lee Catron
Roseburg, Ore.


DRIVER WARNS OTHERS ABOUT POOR COVERAGE

In February 2000 I was involved in a no-fault accident with an uninsured motorist, which caused the amputation of my left leg above the knee. At the time I was just glad to be alive and thought that the trucking company insurance would help. Wrong! After more than two years in court, a judge ruled that neither the trucking company nor the insurance had to pay me anything. Please warn other drivers so this doesn’t happen to them. Don’t trust that your company will take care of you if something like this happens. Get your own insurance. Protect yourself.

Lloyd S. Chase
Flushing, Mich.


WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

I empty at 10 a.m. and drive to the next load with a noon appointment. The shipper has me loaded by 5 p.m. I drive for four hours to a truck stop close to the receiver because the receiver has no overnight parking. I have a 7 a.m. appointment for a lumper. I beat the morning rush and arrive at 6 a.m. I am assigned a door at 7 a.m., and unloading starts at 8 a.m. Unloading is complete at 10 a.m. I must wait for the receiver to check the count on the load. At 11 a.m. I have my paperwork and am on my way.

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My truck is tied up for more than 24 hours with this load. My net income is less than $100.

The lumper fee is $100, which I must pay before I can receive my signed bills. I must wait at least 30 days to get paid for the load and to receive a refund for the lumper fee. I make less money with my truck in more than 24 hours than a lumper does in two hours. The lumper is paid when the job is completed. I must wait to be paid.

Donnie Norman
Horse Cave, Ky.

The Business Manual for Owner-Operators
Overdrive editors and ATBS present the industry’s best manual for prospective and committed owner-operators. You’ll find exceptional depth on many issues in the 2022 edition of Partners in Business.
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