OK WHATS THE TRICK?

[Bedbug]

OK drivers, I have been living around Savannah now for a little over two years. In that time I've leased to five different trucking companies. Yes that's right five companies. I rate them from bad to very bad. Every one promises good pay, treatment, plenty loads, you know the pitch, the works. I have reached the conclusion that every one of these companies pays about the same thing. The only difference I see between them is how fast they produce your money without me having to constantly b#t%h each week. Between all of these outfits we're lucky to average a $1 per mile. That's best I've calculated so far. A $1 per mile doesn't cut the mustard Jack. That doesn't even cover fuel combined with driver pay. Living from one check to the next is the norm here in Savannah. Thankfully my truck was paid for a few years back before moving here with my wife. My living expenses are low. My wife works and she has good medical insurance for us both. If not for that we would be out of business hauling anything at this port. No wonder every driver around this port has a bad attitude. There has to be a better way. I'm one who would like to see something happen here. I think the meeting I keep hearing discussed would be a good start. Just don't talk about it call one. I volunteer to help out if that ever takes place but I'm not the type to initiate the first step. I can run my own trucking affairs but I wouldn't know how to translate that to others. It sounds as though there are several more capable on this site to take that position. Don' take this in a bad way bur please do something even if wrong. JT

[johnboy]

u speak the truth driver. everything has to be paid for to run a truck from this port. no major break downs. this is good job for someone with retirement money who is bored. retirees would do better as door greeter at wally world.

[nightshift]

yeah we need a driver - get to the facts meeting called.
how bout that?

[deckhand]

please i would like to come also. bring many drivers.

[ilovdieselsmoke]

I would like to do something soon. I am thinking along that line but it will take a more bodies than just myself and my few friends. There was once a strong trucker association in Savannah but that got hijacked and died a slow death many years ago. Well I have a date and a place in mind to hold a meeting. Any suggestions or any one wanting to volunteer a little of their time drop me an email. A lot of you older truckers on here would be a great help to the younger ones.

We have to do something because trucking here is increasingly getting worse around the Savannah area. There's No doubt about that. I believe calling a general driver-owner/operator meeting would be a good start. I'm talking a sensible meeting with a clear direction where everyone can have serious questions answered in an orderly fashion. A meeting where we can come to an agreement on what we should look to accomplish as a group. Everyone wants to see something happen but that takes more than just talk. It takes more than a dozen people to get it started. Nothing worthwhile happens overnight. Everyone knows we need numbers to gain respect. It's taken twenty-five years to get us into the sad situation we are in now. If you think everything is great in our local area than you don't need to worry about attending a meeting but for others here reading this we should be taking action..

Like I said drop me an email with your suggestion, gripe, questions, whatever. I will be happy to respond back.. Maybe you'll like what I have to say, maybe you won't but you'll never know unless we start a conversation. I haul freight like everyone else so don't expect to hear back from me within minutes unless I happen to be at the computer but I will respond. Have a nice day everyone.....

[e-mail]

[david]

u call it . i will bring others to the meeting. i wish i could do more. i will email u also.

[crtt1]

i am willing to come if you guys hold a local meeting. yes i believe that would be a swell idea to get everyone together. i do not see the teamsters doing anything for drivers who own trucks. there is something fishy about them. it appears some drivers on this forum know a few inside details. i think holding a meeting may get some ideas on the table.

[wildman]

ILA is also fishy--lot of them are former drivers and not give a rats tail about you--but some of the former drivers do. If you are fairly new you not know one from the other
Everyone at port (GPA Employees & ILA) get paid handsomely by the hour and a lot of them know the truck driver is paid by move and sort of giggle--that your problem.
The whole problem is our inability to organize by law to gain respect. Thanks to our former President Jimmy Carter and the knucklehead legislators at that time, deregulation of trucking should have come with abolishing unions. Now the present politicians are worse yet--support the world, screw the general US population-----and our infrastructure.

[wildman]

I take my remark back about Unions. It is just a fact Owner/Operators are being Butt Diddled--within the law.

[jody]

we r doomed to repeat this over unless drivers revolt. that not likely. this is worse i have ever seen truckin. very few i work with give a crap. i will come to meeting but i think useless. only small few care to get off there ass. we r in a state of denial. no one wins. not even the companies who helped it get this way. now they cannot find anybody dependable to move the port cargo. soon the mexicans will take our place driving for ten bucks a day. when they do god help the public on the highway. it will be a kill zone.

[fox]

yeh working around paid on hour workers means no one cares if we wait all day. what will solve this? who knows. the teamsters don't care about o-os so where do we turn?

[peterbuilt500]

Drivers care at least I do, and many more like me. I like to introduce you to PIER PRESSURE lets apply and coin it. I truly didn't create the term but I frickin love and I'm running with it. Nationally so lets get it fellas, its simple we are getting raped because we won't scratch their eyes much less get them off our asses and out of our pockets! We stand as truckers period, independent and other we got divided way back when we are Truckers your O/O status should mean just more in your pocket. The ILA represent a united INDUSTRY we are declassified economic bunch of pier rats and we are stating to feed off each other. Turn the keys off at the PIER GATE. Money is what they love, its what they have, its what we generate and we can't have any? THEY CAN'T MAKE ANY!
Where the f_uck is our container royalty check for tonnage, or health benefits. Let's discount our wives and husbands that may by gods mercy save some of us with benefits. This is the safety standard of container hauler, low pay, frustration, hopelessness. They move the sh_t on and off the ship, and around a contained environment. My point is do we do any less than that. This is GLOBAL freight and this is what its compensates the skilled driver charged with getting it to the American public. PIER PRESSURE!

[peterbuilt500]

P.S the teamsters and the I.L.A are not our allies in this. This is a TRUCKER problem, we throw some of our sh_t on every one first to help us clean up the s#*t, is who we BEGIN to work with!
Gentleman all sarcasm aside where would the I.L.A be with out trucking.