We really need help in Virginia start over

[makintime]

so what's next step to survival here in tidewater? we are in bad need of someone to represent our issues. i don't mean this oocva driver discount club we have here in norfolk. we need strength from serious truckers willing to stand together. i have not spoken out before but have been in this business for tweny four years now. little has changed other than gotten worse. i remember the ucma chapter formed here in 1998 after the april 1st shutdown. old man jack valenti who was elected president turned out to be a nut but he would stand up against the port authority. what we have now is 0. any suggestions?

[classicride]

i would say first step is to locate a place to meet. next call a meeting by word of mouth or handing out a few leaflets to help spread the word. use the space provided on this trucker web forum by handing out the link to the site. when folk show up have an orderly exchange of ideas. from the start someone or a few individuals must assume leadership for order.have someone take down names, phone numbers, and general minutes of this meeting. ask for volunteers to help seek answers to what issues are discussed at this meeting and what if anything can be done to correct these issues. if enough interest generated in the first meeting set a date while everyone is still at this meeting for the second allowing time to prepare an agenda. chose those that are willing to find out info or be speakers on the problems discussed at the next meeting. once this meetingg schedual becomes a reality ask for volunteer contributions from those attending to pay for expenses. do not ask for membership dues. most folk like to be asked to contribute not forced to pay monthly membership dues until you have established a track record of benefit to the members involved. study past or present driver associations to avoid repeating mistakes they have made.

[shortcircut]

we have tried over and over to do this. there are not enough drivers in this area , who believe a change can be made and are willing to stand up.

[Bullislander]

don't expect miracles. start out small but you may be surprised how it builds. i know several right now that are willing to attend a meeting that makes some sense out of this mess. i like what the poster above listed as meeting guidelines. i have been reading in silence this forum for months but now it seems to be picking up some direction.

[onestackmack]

never know till you try. i say call a meeting to find an answer to how many are serious about doing something productive. i would wait til after this crazy weather breaks.

[shortcircut]

Well get people to sign up here on P-T.com . If we can get a signifigant number of people , I will get a place for every one to meet . I know enough people and have enough resources to make arrangements

[oboy@ivorva]

Remember, not everyone has computer access. The word still needs to get out around the port if there is to be a successful turnout at a meeting. I think drivers will show up willing to listen to something new. There sure isn't anything going on now to brag about.

[moparman]

OK listen up. I don't care what we do because it has to be better than what we have now. Let's make it happen guys. If ten drivers show fine. If more that's great. The first one starts talking about running a stupid discount club or collecting membership dues I'm going to smack them. We don't need any cute little feel good driver publications handed out. What we need is a group with real teeth willing to do exactly what it takes to make change happen. Once assembled this group needs to stick to a clear cut plan of action. We don't need endless committees to report back what's going on at the port. The Virginia Pilot can do that. Everyone out here already knows the problems we have with the trucking companies and the ports. It will take real guts by a large group of determined drivers to get the job done right. These people have run over us for years and will continue to do so until the day we stand together. It's time to start something cooking for this area now and build on that.

[hustler]

i/m with you guys. what do we have to lose? i bet the companies threaten to fire a few but are we men or p%$$y$? i hear the constant b*t@hing everyday on the childrens band so let's see how many have the ba##$ to show.

[hustler]

guess the computer police got me on the "constant b*t%hing everyday on the childrens band"

[doublestacks]

Yeah "OK" guys.

I just joined this forum and spent a lot of time reading over the posts. Everyone is crying for some meeting to happen. VA drivers aren't gonna band together and shut her down. Put down the pipe.

First, I am a member of the organization you are trashing. Anyways, it's not monthly dues. It's $65 bucks a year. After I signed up I got $100.00 free fuel, plus a decent discount on what I buy. Since the beginning of the year, I've already put over $640 bucks BACK in my pocket after buying some tires and a few misc. parts. As the year goes on, my pocket will get even fatter with savings. I get an excellent return on my $65.00 investment. Thanks OOCVA!

I want no parts of your pro-union ILA crap. ILA doesn't care about me. Think I'm wrong? GO to NIT and ask one of the checkers who are not working and instead talking on their darn cell phone right this moment.

You wanna be a union man, GO WORK FOR UPS! You wanna be an owner operator, it's time to step up and be a business man. That's what this is. A business. You think a union is gonna come in and fix all these issues? Right.

Even through the recession I still made money. I watched my expenses, saved a lot of money (OOCVA again), refused cheap loads and did as much of my own service as I could. When I got stuck at the port and dispatch could not help me, the coalition did! When my old carrier tried to stiff my escrow, I got it back. Seems like they are doing something right.

FYI- two other drivers I work with just joined last week. I get sick and tired of all the idiotic talk on the radio, this place is just more of the same.


Good luck with your union.

I'm deleting this account now.

[KJ55]

either u didn't spend anytime reading all the information throughout this site or ur just another company lapdog. go delete yourself. i don't think the rest of these drivers care one way or the other. i have been reading these post for a long time without participation but u just struck a nerve today. that's the beauty of this site for me. it's about free speech because i very seldom see anything deleted even when their is total disagreement. sounds like several on here make a lot more since than the discounts your peddling.i also am in favor of having a meeting to try do something different about the situation we are stuck in. thanks to u i just made up my mind to help with that. i don't see anyone calling for union here on this particular topic posted about the driver meeting but if that is the case and that will get us what we need so be it. that's great you got some discounts and a hundred bucks since the first of the year. wow, doesn't take much to win you over double stacks. no thanks but i would rather purchase my truck equipment parts or fuel while making what we should be paid by the trucking company instead of being partially subsidized with discounts. talk is cheap. after all this time it appears the driver club u belong to may only be good at that. i'm curious if they feel the same way about the union or is that u running off at the mouth pretending to be their pr spokesperson?

[doublestacks]

Feb 12, 2010 15:56:42 GMT -5 @KJ55 said:

either u didn't spend anytime reading all the information throughout this site or ur just another company lapdog. go delete yourself. i don't think the rest of these drivers care one way or the other. i have been reading these post for a long time without participation but u just struck a nerve today. that's the beauty of this site for me. it's about free speech because i very seldom see anything deleted even when their is total disagreement. sounds like several on here make a lot more since than the discounts your peddling.i also am in favor of having a meeting to try do something different about the situation we are stuck in. thanks to u i just made up my mind to help with that. i don't see anyone calling for union here on this particular topic posted about the driver meeting but if that is the case and that will get us what we need so be it. that's great you got some discounts and a hundred bucks since the first of the year. wow, doesn't take much to win you over double stacks. no thanks but i would rather purchase my truck equipment parts or fuel while making what we should be paid by the trucking company instead of being partially subsidized with discounts. talk is cheap. after all this time it appears the driver club u belong to may only be good at that. i'm curious if they feel the same way about the union or is that u running off at the mouth pretending to be their pr spokesperson?

Sorry about your "struck nerve" buddy. Guess the truth hurts. Not my fault if you can't make any money because you can't run a truck.

And your wrong. Look at all the posts ILA this and ILA that.

Whatever.

[realowneroperator]

Listen, I respect the effort you men and women put in on a daily basis. Now sit down and think about what you do on a daily basis. You get up every mourning start your tractor that you own or making a payment on and proceed to beat the living heck out of it at your expense while the company or few people that issue you their little company placard sit back and say thank goodness for the man or women who is willingly ,volunteering to pay us for moving those containers. Think Think guys you are not OWNER OPERATORS until you have your OWN authority and Your OWN customers you deal with and not another company making the money you should be getting for your efforts. NOTHING WILL CHANGE OUT HERE if you keep thinking your an OWNER OPERATOR with someone Else's authority on the side of YOUR tractor. Keep Terran up your tractor for that company that thinks they OWN AND OPERATE YOU ,DRIVER.

[doublestacks]

Feb 12, 2010 16:13:24 GMT -5 @realowneroperator said:

Listen, I respect the effort you men and women put in on a daily basis. Now sit down and think about what you do on a daily basis. You get up every mourning start your tractor that you own or making a payment on and proceed to beat the living heck out of it at your expense while the company or few people that issue you their little company placard sit back and say thank goodness for the man or women who is willingly ,volunteering to pay us for moving those containers. Think Think guys you are not OWNER OPERATORS until you have your OWN authority and Your OWN customers you deal with and not another company making the money you should be getting for your efforts. NOTHING WILL CHANGE OUT HERE if you keep thinking your an OWNER OPERATOR with someone Else's authority on the side of YOUR tractor. Keep Terran up your tractor for that company that thinks they OWN AND OPERATE YOU ,DRIVER.

I can't say I disagree. If you are gonna be in the business. BE IN THE BUSINESS. Though, currently the cost benefit ratio of having your own authority may or not pay off. It boils down to an individual thing I think.

Though, I say you can still do "ok" as a leased o/o. that is if you watch expenses and stand your ground. I know what it costs to run my truck every mile.

[realowneroperator]

You can do ok out here but why settle for just ok . The next time your sitting in one of the ports transfer zones look around and find that tractor with his own placards on his tractor and you'll see a true business man or women who is making a real rate for his turn and not this smaller percentage that 90% of these drivers are making after everyone in the office is done getting their take.

[phantom309]

What an original concept. Everyone become a motor carrier to compete with all the rest out here. The port terminal is littered with those that headed in this direction. Some make it but the majority don't. That's all good for a few but not the answer for the masses out at the terminal moving these boxes. I'm sure glad you corrected me though. After owning trucks leasing to carriers since 1977 I thought that I was a true businessman but I see now I'm not according to you.

You boys have a good day.

[realowneroperator]

I am not calling anybody out or trying to disrespect anybody. There are a lot of good people out here that just need to step back and look at the big picture here. Is it worth your blood ,sweat ,sanity and above all money to own a tractor and lease it to one of these rate cutting placard holders that do not give a hoot what it cost us to do the actual work, to move that contianer from point A to point B and back agian .

[bullislander]

Feb 12, 2010 16:13:24 GMT -5 @realowneroperator said:

Listen, I respect the effort you men and women put in on a daily basis. Now sit down and think about what you do on a daily basis. You get up every mourning start your tractor that you own or making a payment on and proceed to beat the living heck out of it at your expense while the company or few people that issue you their little company placard sit back and say thank goodness for the man or women who is willingly ,volunteering to pay us for moving those containers. Think Think guys you are not OWNER OPERATORS until you have your OWN authority and Your OWN customers you deal with and not another company making the money you should be getting for your efforts. NOTHING WILL CHANGE OUT HERE if you keep thinking your an OWNER OPERATOR with someone Else's authority on the side of YOUR tractor. Keep Terran up your tractor for that company that thinks they OWN AND OPERATE YOU ,DRIVER.

This I can't figure out guys. I own my truck but I am not an owner operator? I am beating the living heck out of and terran up my truck because I am leased to a motor carrier instead of beating the crap out of it hauling to my own private customers, and those customers would be loyal to me for what reason? Because I cut the rate to get the business from Evans, RailDispatch,ATF,HUDD,BTT,Henry,ICS,etc. Then I can wait on my money for 60,90,120,days or get some factoring company that will pay on reciepts or will they with the reputation that the shippers around here have? I think I'll just leave their stinking name on the door. Actually if I am making money who cares what name is on the door except for the realowneroperator.

[realowneroperator]

That is the respose to many of you guys have and is why nothing will ever change in this industry . who cares what name is on my door as long as I am making pennies and the placard holders are buying toys that are worth more than the tractor you sweat in every day to make a living. Don't get angry get smart.

[shortcircut]

funny , I thought that guy was going to delete his account ? If you don't like what is said here , go to the OOCVA site, that way they can censor what is posted on their, oh I mean YOUR site. EVERYONE has a right to their own opinion. you may not like it, I may not either, but, THEY HAVE THAT RIGHT SO GET OVER IT !
Speaking of the other group ,, other than have a discount club , what have they done to shorten the lines at the ports ? what have they done to decrease the interchange times at the gates , what have they done to increase the number of repaired chassis that the drivers have to choose from ? WHAT ABOUT THE LINES AND TIME IT TAKES TO GET INTO THE TRANSFER ZONES ? NOT A D*#N THING THAT I CAN SEE. I AM NOT SAYING THEY ARE BAD PEOPLE, JUST THAT THE VIT MANAGEMENT DOESN'T TAKE ANY ONE OR ANY THREAT SERIOUS, AT LEAST NOT YET !

[chickenhauler]

not to sound like a smart a$$ but is this your plan or that of your Norfolk driver association to create more motor carriers? this is one of the main problems ever since deregulation. anyone can become a rate cutting licensed motor carrier with a few hundred bucks. i can tell you that's no solution to this problem of instability in rates at the port and isn't going to fix our waiting problems or solve any other issues we have. the motor carriers around here are their own worst enemy. in fact joining their ranks as just another competitor makes the process of doing something as a group all but impossible. what i have read here on this sit about collective bargaining when applying for your own rights will snuff out any labor rights you may have now as a lease operator. just count me out if that is the plan of action for oocva. i think a few of these guys have a much better understanding of what legally can be done to make this a better system we work under. we don't need to compete for customers along side the four hundred carriers that are already doing pier wk, we need to be able to negotiate as a group.

BTW: I wouldn't mind one bit becoming ILA or any other union member if that means i'm able to operate under a good haul contract for my truck, a good paycheck for myself and benefits for my family. it may always be someone else's name on the door but the title will remain the same(mine)and i don't think we would be working for pennies if we have the support of the longies behind us!

[realowneroperator]

I am affiliated with no organization , just simply trying to give my point of view on the heartache I feel for the people that are getting no where but rundown and not paid for what they do . Those carriers are the first bit of representation we get and thats not good.

[chickenhauler]

oh, one more thought. i am a dues paying member of ooida, have been for many years, receive land line and respect the independent driver association for their work but there is only so much a trade association can do for us. this is something we as drivers have to put together for ourself because involvement by a group like them could lead to major legal difficulties. they know this so they will never support any type port trucker job actions which at some future date may become a necessary evil to show these companies we mean business. i talk with the truckers here who are from several different ports by phone and email. i believe they have put together a real strategy that i am now committed to 100%. maybe you guys had better take a little more time to think about what's best for the whole and not just the few. placing every truckers name on the door claiming this will solve the severe problems we have in Hampton roads will not work.

[chaickenhauler]

Feb 12, 2010 21:39:33 GMT -5 @realowneroperator said:

I am affiliated with no organization , just simply trying to give my point of view on the heartache I feel for the people that are getting no where but rundown and not paid for what they do . Those carriers are the first bit of representation we get and thats not good.

sure that's not good but the current system is set up for trucker failure. the motor carriers and their agencies control everything now but that can change overnight if the majority want to make it so. this is why this group of truckers here are so involved trying to help the majority with a plan that will work. they have impressed me with their sincerity so i am willing to do what it takes as long as it takes. hopefully not much longer for everyone out here.