Container Surge Presses Virginia Harbor Truckers

[BB]

Container Surge Presses Virginia Harbor Truckers
William B. Cassidy | Jun 24, 2010 1:45PM GMT
The Journal of Commerce



Demand outstripping diminished dray capacity, says Wyatt Transfer’s Rosemond

A steady increase in container traffic is putting pressure on drayage operators at the Port of Virginia, including Wyatt Transfer, a Richmond, Va., port trucker.

Container traffic at Virginia’s ports was up 14.2 percent in May and 12.5 percent for the first five months of 2010, the statewide port authority said.

The state’s ports handled almost 780,000 TEUs in that period, compared with 693,600 in the same five months of 2009.

Drayage companies serving the Hampton Roads ports and Richmond are struggling to find the drivers and equipment needed to keep up, said Charles G. Rosemond.

“I’m concerned we’re going to start having service failures,” he said Wednesday.

Business is “ramping up” toward 2008 levels, “but we don’t have the drivers we had in 2008,” Rosemond said in an interview at the SMC3 Summer Conference.

Wyatt Transfer has had to turn down requests for trucks from some of its local distribution partners, he said. “I could just sense the frustration in their voices on the phone,” said Rosemond. “Everyone’s saying they’re just totally slammed.”

The same pressure is being reported by drayage operators at ports across the country, as harbor truckers that downsized operations last year, laying off drivers and cutting owner-operators, suddenly face double-digit growth in cargo volume.

“The Virginia market is just a part of other markets,” Rosemond said. “What’s happening at my company is just a microscopic picture of what’s happening at other carriers over the last two weeks,” when he said volume picked up considerably.

“There’s not a real easy answer to this, because drivers are going to follow the best paying jobs,” said Rosemond.

[concreteman]

yeah i am going to follow the money alright. these cheap bast@rds are going to have to get off some $$$ to get the freight hauled this fall by me. my two trucks were parked end of last year so i am looking to see who is going to be paying real $$$ before i buy tags again. in the meantime they are not getting wore out working for diesel fuel. i will just continue work temporary in construction until the agents around here decide they need good drivers over cheap steering wheel holders.

[why]

Finally , there is intelligence out here.

[HardTimeTrucker]

Imagine what would happen to rates this fall if shippers suspected that the majority of drivers may park their trucks for an undetermined amount of time in the middle of the peak Christmas freight

Imagine what would happen if O/O truckers had a plan of action that would make such an incident legal (even under federal antitrust law) to obtain a contract with the carriers before moving the first box?

Yes, imagine what would happen if truckers would actually UNITE for once to carry this out.......

[shortcircut]

we need to come together to stop these crooks we call agents and sorry trucking companies who are claiming their rates are still being cut .

[NOMORE]

Drivers, until you are the person picking up the phone to give a price to move that container from point A to point B the money you make will never rise in your favor . You cannot and will not ever make good money when you pull for these placard holders who slash rates just to move that container, thinking they are gaining a customer by under bidding all the other placard holders. Shut that truck down and stop working for pennies! I did and it was the best thing I ever did.

[tainerman]

If your talking about applying for rights that's not the answer for everybody. I have my own authority. I've had it for many years. It's great for specialized moves where every Joe doesn't have the proper equipment needed to haul certain freight but not the everyday average containerized moves. To move general port freight most every customer out here wants discounts not service. If single truckers had the authority it would just make matters worse not better. Just look at exempt commodities. What we need is a way to legally sign a collective agreement among o-o/s in this area. To do that there must be someway to get around the antitrust status as independent contractors. I have seen some good ideas posted along that line right here on this forum. If carried out correctly I believe they are sure to work. The problem I see is this. You guys have to get the majority of port haulers together to carry out any plan no matter how great that plan may be. My opinion is I think you should pursue this hiring hall arrangement. This could include drivers & o-o truckers alike. I would join something like that myself. This would even benefit the motor carriers in the long run by stabilizing terminal rates. Once motor carriers got over the shock of actually having to pay out truckers under a signed contractual agreement everyone would make money. I'm not talking about just another meaningless truck lease paper to stuff in the glove box of your truck. The leasing agreement you dudes now have is little more than a joke. With a legally enforceable contract between you, the hiring hall, and carrier they'll have to go back to making money the honest way. That means off the customer-not under bidding the work while stealing the rest from you. It works for dump truckers, why not truckers at the port?

[B Hendrix]

I'm down with this. How soon do we start?