want to help me make a change?

[wrfaircloth]

I am a driver with 22 years under my belt. 18 of those years being in containers. I have come up with a plan to make things better but I need help. Please contact me at wrfairclothatyahoodotcom.

[casey]

this dude is wanting to become an agent for trucking company. hope he remembers how he got started. most out here that started this way seem to forget within a year or two when they find how easy it is to screw over the truckers working for them.

[wrfaircloth]

Driver.....Ask any driver that knows me, I do NOT put up with ripping off drivers! I have quit many companies for that very same reason. But you are right about one thing, I have become an agent and I am looking for trucks. BUT I only want one or two to get started. I assure you, I will show any invoice to any driver so they can see what is being billed. And like any other driver and company....If you don't like it you can quit you know. But Once you see what I'm trying to do I think you will be happy. As far as forgetting.....RIGHT. As long as I've been a driver, And as long as I've been hauling containers and dealing with people like US Intermodal and a few others.....I'll NEVER forget!

[retired]

Say what you will Mr. Agent you may start out right but you will be pushed into acting like the rest. You won't make enough money for yourself so you will cut the first corner it's all down hill from there. I tried and quit because the Co. you broker for will kill you once you think you got things going. A charge for this and that and then where does it come from the driver, if you think you are the savior, everyone should just stay clear. I hope I'm wrong but I will bet I'm not.

[Fasttruck]

US Intermodal That was Peter Hogan's company. He's the GOD father of the crooks in Savannah. Wonderful teacher for those who want to learn screw the trucker101 from the professor.

[wrfaircloth]

You know what?...I don't understand at all. Everyone wants a change but instead of trying to change things you say "if you think you are the savior, everyone should just stay clear." What are you waiting on? Some hotshot to come down from Chicago swinging guns? Not going to happen driver. Do you think by having this forum and so called meetings every now and then, things will change? NO. It will not. Faith with out works is dead. You should know that. We've had the Teamsters (sp) in Savannah, We've had little truck convoys here, so called strikes, The hardtimetrucker, and few other things that haven't made any difference at all. I'm here to tell you driver, If we can get ONE company here, Agent or not, That is driver owned AND operated, AND get enough O/O's to lease on, There could be a major change. We can't get enough O/O's together for a strike because everyone lives check to check and can't afford it....BUT......If enough O/O's worked for ONE company THEN you could make changes WHILE getting paid. Think about it driver.

[Retired]

I have thought about it, I tried what you are trying and spoke from experience. I just chose to shut down before I had to screw the O/O working with me. You are not big enough to make a difference, the guys here trying to make things better at least have a chance, maybe slim but a chance. If an only if they can raise the numbers too make a statement. The only thing you will accomplish is to line your pockets. The smart thing you should have said is with the organization going on and with you doing what you want you could work together. Instead you take a shot at what is being done. Talk about showing your true colors.

[wrfaircloth]

Driver, You are a lost cause. Bye.

[hammerdown85]

HY, TO EVERY ONE THIS IS THE HAMMERDOWN85 FROM MIAMI I,BEING AWAY FOR A WILE I GUICK CONTAINER ,DRIVERS NEED TO BE ALL TO ONE CORNER SO THE WEIHG WILL TILL THE BOAT, IN OUR DIRECTION A LOT OF PEOPLE WAITNG FOR THE CHOOSEN ONE TO COME AND FIX THIS.WE ALL ARE THE CHOSEN ONE THIS PERSON MR WRFAIRCLOTH LOOKS TO ME TO HAVE AGOOD IDEA.THIS IS WHY I GUICK CONTAINERS THE U CANT DO NOTHING MENTALITY.THAT MAY TRUTH IN CUBA WE WE ARE ALL IN THE BLESSD UNITED STATES ANG WE CAN GO ON AND ON AND ON ,I HAVE APORT 10 MILES FROM MY HOME AND CANNOT MAKE A LIVING . IF I LIVED SAVANNA I PROBABLY TRY IT WITH YOU IF IT DON WORK I GUICK. BUT GUYS DO SOTHING I KNOW I DID I DONT PULL THE S H I . FIGHT.

[kw900]

what does hardtime trucker have to do with this? the second one who's held that handle is one of several moderators on the pt forum. i know the original ht who started this forum a few years ago. he has made a tremendous difference for many of us myself included. the holding of driver meetings and having a place to express ideas is without a doubt a tool that should be expanded not switched off if drivers expect to educate many others. first get the facts straight before bashing the few people who have given much of their time to make things better for each of us. how many drivers do you know that would give up fifteen minutes of their time to do something for others? i bet you cannot find a handful. that is one of the biggest problem in savannah. no unity between truckers but hundreds willing instantly to do whatever the company demands at the drop of a hat or will work for the cheapest rates anywhere around. you have a good idea starting a oo company but that idea has been tried before so don't expect everyone to be over excited to join with you at the start. if anything is to grow permanent roots in savannah this forum is a good place for that to start. you may be surprised who hangs out here and how many on a weekly basis.

[tom k]

hey mr. agent that's what i like about this site. ideas posted equally by everyone who wishes to do so. please tell me where in savannah can drivers communicate with other drivers.
i am not talking about the cb radio. if you want bs that is the correct place to go have a conversation. that's not the choice for me.
there is a record of these post for anyone to review on this forum. my advice would be change minds starting on here. as far as meetings. if i had my say there should be one each month. i attended the last couple meetings at the farmers market. i have not seen one advertised lately but i hope that wasn't the end of them. we need to ban together and grow stronger. the trucking companies have there meetings and there groups who look out for there interest. we need to be doing the same on a much larger scale by taking advantage of this web site someone was good enough to put together for us. there is much to be done. your idea is only one small piece of this so hope it goes well.

[factsheet]

the problem with holding driver meetings in savannah is the drivers i see hauling out at this port are not interested in anything constructive. your time could be better spent organizing crack heads for distribution center labor as the local temp services do. they make an exceptional profit from human slave trafficking. at least total brain dead zombies without a cdl license are easier to work with. truckers are never going to do anything for them self but gripe about their job.

[ilovdieselsmoke]

Hey Faircloth, are you or your company willing to trip lease. I know a few guys who would be interested in doing that with you a couple days a week but they have no desire to fill out anymore applications or do permanent company leases. They have TWIC credentials and DOT medical cards. You can run their license MVR through the company if your interested. That would give you a few extra trucks...

[wildman]

Hey DieselSmoke--thought you were going to call me 2-3 wks ago. I know what I am doing in the port--first is do not run the road, none of the thingyroaches running agencies seem to have a clue about cost. It does not take a Rocket Scientists to figure this out.

[ilovdieselsmoke]

It's not that they don't know about cost. (Of course I think your right about some agents who really do seem dumb as dirt) It's just many don't care what it cost their owner-operators to make customer deliveries. Why should they? They're all making money regardless if the trucker makes money or not. However there are a few responsible companies out here that would like to see this system change if one day we could possibly get our own act together.

I hope this new guy on the block stays the course he claims he wants to be on but sadly how many times have we heard or seen this before? OK, let's give him a few months and see where he stands. Email me and give me your # again. I was searching for it the other day. A few of the guys are working on calling another meeting before Thanksgiving. OOIDA leadership has expressed an interest in attending bringing some of their regulatory folks down. That certainly will be well worth listening to.

[rex]

inviting someone to speak from the owner operator independent drivers association for sure will raise a few eyebrows. will they come? you can count me in. please let us know when this meeting is to take place.

[wildman]

DieselSmoke--My computer crashed a while back and your e-mail was one of addresses that disappeared. I gave my phone # on the sign-in sheet at last meeting, figured you had access to it, or you may still have my e-mail address.

[ilovdieselsmoke]

Wildman, I got your message. I will be out of town all day today but will call you Friday morning when I return.

[wrfaircloth]

ilovdieselsmoke....Sorry, This company doesn't trip lease. Trip Leasing is actually old school, Which I do like, But they will not do it because of insurance reasons. And to the guys that keep talking about agents making all the money....What you don't understand is the company takes out a big % to cover insurance, accounting, employee's, and all their expenses. And not to mention the actual customer's are only paying about $1.20 a mile! Not counting fuel surcharge. Think what you want to, But there's not too much left. As long as drivers continue to haul freight at their rate why in the hell would they raise their rate? Think about drivers.

[wrfaircloth]

Sorry, That last statement was supposed to be "Think about it drivers."

[Retired]

Mr. Faircloth,

This is what I tried to tell you before and you said I was a lost cause. You aren't trying anything others haven't tried, you may be the most honest man on the planet, I am not calling YOU out it is the system that is flawed. How can you pay an O/O a fair rate pay yourself and stay afloat when you only get a cut of that rate. Even if they give you 1.20 per mile plus fuel. Rightfully 100% of the fuel should go to the truck and do you expect them to run the load for under a 1.00 per mile so you can have something left for your self. I respect what you are trying to do, but the math just doesn't work. Again I am not attacking you but no matter how you cut it 1+1 only equals 2.

[2stick]

to many cooks in the kitchen. that;s the problem with the sav port business. we need to thin out a few hundred of these work for nothing dipsticks. without doing that the weekly freight auction continues. if anyone figures how to make that happen let the rest know. a driver shutdown is not the answer because support for that is not out here. the ones that do have the balls to do it will be back working in a matter of a day or two. without at least eighty percent participation by sav truckers there is not much GOD could do. the companies know this-the port knows this-the customers know this. right now sav is safe from disruptive drivers. trucking needs to increase two fold above where it is now or low rates will be the norm long into next year. many truckers that i know who had a truck are driving for someone else. now more then ever companies are making owner operators out of nitwits that can't tie their shoes so it's gonna be a long cold winter in the coastal empire.

[wrfaircloth]

To the person I called a lost cause...Thank you. I know others have tried what I'm trying to do, And I know I'm not the smartest one out here. But I do know what I have seen. I have seen drivers open up agency's here in Savannah, Seem to do pretty good the start with, Then next thing you know they bought a couple more trucks! They got greedy. So far every driver I know that became an agent bought at least one more truck. Why? Because they wanted to put a driver in it and make more money. Can't really blame a man for wanting more money, But when you see the agency isn't making enough money you don't go buy a truck. And if the agency seems to be making real good money then you give the o/o's some more. Kind of like profit sharing. That's what I would do. I had a dispatcher/ Agent tell me the other day, "If you're going to be an agent, You have to stop thinking like a driver and think like an agent." To me that sounded like...."Now you have to steal from the driver." Don't think so! NOT going to happen!

[wildman]

Nothing to Waste Time Thinking About. Do not run road. You got in the business to solicit drivers and now saying nobody pays.
Somebody flush the toilet and lets start over!

[jay]

hello.this post is for the ones on this website who truly care about other truckers in savannah,ga. please hold another driver meeting if you can do that soon. i know who you are. i am talking about the small handful who are trying to make this a better job for every one. i congratulate each of you for doing what you have done so far with very little help or thanks from the ones that need this the most. i know a couple of you that have been at this for years and never gave up. how you have stuck with it i do not know. that should be a shining example for other drivers at the port. i am tired of hearing the jerks who are b#tc#ing the loudest cut the few down that stick their necks out for every one of us. please don't give up because no one else will take your place.i would like to see a meeting one time each month but i know that is not practical. if at all possible a meeting before the holidays would be great for drivers who are interested in making this job better. have a nice day.