concerns the owner-operator trucker

[pacman]

i am posting this for the rest f you drivers on this forum. i was recently asked to join a port driver committee organized by the teamsters union. they call it stand up for savannah. now i find out we are being used. i never told anyone at the meeting i didn't want to remain an owner,operator trucker but now i learn the teamsters are wanting to make it impossible for drivers who own trucks to stay in the port hauling business. part of their plan is to go after older trucks in savannah using the environmentalist just like in california. this will hurt hundreds of truckers at this port. i cannot afford a new truck and i doubt more then a hadful of owner,operator truckers can so we basically will be leaving the business. they know this will kill the independent trucker in savannah. that is not what i signed up to be part of. please do not be fooled by their double talk abiut wanting to help savannah truckers. nothing they say is true. i see that now a made a huge mistake by trusting the teamsters. so did many of my friends. we need a rate increase. what we do not need is to have our trucks taken away by a dirty scheme to get rid of the owner,operator trucker in savannah.

[RBrown]

I thought the Teamsters gave up on port truckers long ago? Want's the point of driving the owner-operator trucker out of business? It seems to me they are gonna piss off a lot of truckers who own their trucks including me

[loadlock]

they want to help increase there membership numbers. yes just what we need hand.more government telling us what to drive or buy. well if you think dealing with the crooked companys is bad wait until the epa steps in to ban our trucks. we dont need outsiders telling us what kind truck we can drive at the port.

[sixtysixtrucker]

this is why we need our own local driver association in savannah, georgia before these paid union instigators botch everything up with their clean port trucking nonsense. that's a ploy to get rid of the independent contractor and replace us with drivers on company owned trucks. we can stop low ball trucking companies by banning together our self. the union isn't going to do that for us. educating new owner drivers on truck operating cost would be first step in the right direction. for that we need to go back to having some productive driver meetings. i'm not talking about those endless b*tc# sessions but meetings with a real purpose in mind. there are still a few people on port/trucker who know what i'm talking about so hopefully they haven't thrown in the towel on the guys here yet. at this date n time i couldn't blame them if they have. as a local driver i'm asking for their help. i don't have to print names. we know who is who.lol

[largecar]

Like everyone else I would like to see higher trucking rates at the port but I'm not about to sign over my right to ownership. Keep these tree hugging nuts in California with the rest of their weirdo cousins. All we need here in the east is help enforcing the trucker leasing regulations not more government red tape to strangle our livelihood.

[sixpack]

thanks for sharing this driver. this will be bad news for the savannah independent trucker if we stand by and allow this to happen. i own an older model kenworth which i guess these idiots would like to see gone from working the port area. fat chance of that happening. i think the word needs to get out what the teamsters are up to. dirty union business is what we have here. they may have just shot them self in the foot because of this dumb move. i am not going to give up my truck without a fight. screw them!

[cornflake]

we have had our fill of the teamsters promises to port truckers up here. please keep them down in georgia with you. there's no more trucker support left in norfolk for them.

[kerns]

so why do they want to get rid of us? btw- i'm an owner-operator trucker in savannah,ga so this does effect me. we do need to get better hauling rates at this port.

[ilovdieselsmoke]

May 18, 2013 19:17:57 GMT -5 @kerns said:

so why do they want to get rid of us? btw- i'm an owner-operator trucker in savannah,ga so this does effect me. we do need to get better hauling rates at this port.

Because in Teamsters eyes you are an independent contractor. You're the enemy until placed behind the wheel of a company owned truck. The Teamsters simply want employees to organize not owner/operators nor independent contractors. It's not that the union cannot unionize the lease / driver. They actually do have a few unionized lease/operators in other divisions and also in Alaska hauling containers.

Sadly however there is upper leadership within this union who doesn't care for drivers who own trucks because they feel ownership breeds dangerous independent thinking. Oh yes, they've held meetings and published papers on this very subject.

It also takes more effort on the Teamsters part to unionize the owner/operator because they must first remove our pesky independent contractor status which we are now classified under.

This can be done but takes effort on both sides to accomplish. It's actually much easier for them to rid the industry of the owner/operator completely. Right now they're using a coalition of green environmental allies to do that dirty work while standing back pretending to help the owner/operator trucker.

This type of help we certainly don't need but there are owner/drivers out here who really don't see what's going on right before their eyes. These truckers are in a desperate fight to survive at the port and think the union has extended a helping hand to keep them in business. It's quite the opposite. The union wants to throw the owner/operator under the bus. How many owner/operators do you know that can afford to purchase brand new or late model EPA approved trucks if environmental laws are changed?

OK driver, get the picture? Now without individual drivers who own trucks the intermodal trucking companies will have to purchase those new government mandated trucks hiring you as an employee to drive for them. This clearly opens the door for the Teamsters to step in with part two of their clean truck organizing campaign. They now can freely rally the new company employees to vote union.

BTW--Most of these new employees are the very same drivers (you) they succeeded in putting out of business with the new environmental laws! In the meantime , no more choice of ownership, everyone now supposedly is a happy company employee. I call it the "Teamster one shoe fits all campaign."

Well I don't buy it. I hope hundreds of you don't either.. I plan to fight this communist extortion. The number of owner/operator truckers who now realize what's really going to happen is growing.

Hopefully drivers banning together as well as speaking out will shut this madness down in the southeast before big government along with the powerful Teamsters union destroys the entrepreneurial spirit that America was founded on.

[classof66]

a-men brothr. u said a mouth full. savannah divers better be careful what they wish for. sounds like teamsters are taking a page outa the motor carrier manual on how to screw over owner=op's. no thanks sir, i don't need help going outa business. the port gives lessons on that everyday. free this , free that, one would think we are in this for the joy of hard work. i make a decent living with my own truck but i watch every dime,every gallon of fuel. no, i don't need the teamsters help[ if this is what they are offering. we have enough crooks in our pocket out here without some union leaders pretending they are looking out for our interest while they too want to stuff their own pockets with more membership dues. sure makes me wonder who is worse, at least the companies are up front about screwing us in the ground but the teamsters union? well that just sucks people. please don't ask me to sign a pledge card anytime soon bubba.

[localdray]

trucker to trucker: here's my take from listening to them.
I'm not interested in talking with clergy or participating in social justice events. i want answers to my trucking questions. i operate my truck to make money. bottom line. are we going to do something about some of the open company stealing from o/o or play word games. if the teamsters want to organize local truckers why is it so hard for them to understand our needs at this port? well for one thing truckers are not running their program. the ones who ar get a nice weekly paycheck for blowing smoke up our ass. i see this june 1st stand up savannah meeting is another load of crap. i see no purpose in this event except a wasted weekend. i won't be there. no group speaks for me unless they can first show me a good plan where my truck will be making more money. i have not heard that from any of them. now they announce to the news drivers want to drive new clean enviro friendly trucks. who are these drivers? i don't know any of them. i want to drive a decent tractor i don;t owe thousands on and make plenty money. every trucker i know wants the same. this environmental garbage will bite us all in the ass. there is no good reason for teamsters to be taking a stand on this. at least no good reason i know of. if true i am done with teamsters. something is already beginning to stink about this deal and it's not diesel fumes.

[artbaby]

hello boyz, i looked on that teamster facebook page. now that is a waste. it's nothing more then a few inside stooges doing lip service. i see no facts on anything constructive. one of the teamster organizers looks just like the same goof ball that used to be president of the united container movers association. that's an old savannah driver association long ago disbanded partly because of the few idiots in charge. i hope he's not running the savannah teamsters port soap opera. if so they better get some bread crumbs so he can find his way home after each episode

[pkd5757]

You guys need to go to that meeting and stand up to those idiots. If you don't the make believe port drivers will say all the things the Teamsters tell them to say. Go there, Speak up and don't be told to shut up! Put these jerks in their place....back at Teamster HQ in Washington. It's your port and your truck, make sure you get to keep both!

[kooler]

not worth my time. drivers involved with them are losers not leaders. i see they have convinced catfish to join. he will learn the hard way. a few years back we shutdown outside this port & catfish tried to sneak past to keep his truck working for atlantic trucking so the teamsters group is a good fit for him. he can be their towel boy.

[david]

here's my two cents worth. take it or leave it. i looked at their goofy facebook page. i can tell each of you now this group is phoney. i hate people that think drivers are to d**n stupid to spot a scam. it's even worse when they claim they're here to help the trucker solve problems. when they start talking about social justice, church involvement, community relations those are key words to hold on to your wallet. no i won't be attending any more meetings. at least not called by this group anyway.

[lowrider]

i have been keeping up with articles in the trucking magazines on the teamsters west coast port truck driver fiasco. they are behind this push to get rid of older trucks. look what has happened now in california. you cannot go into any port with a truck older then 2007. what good comes of this other then running the independent trucker out of business.why would any trucker want to join up with a group that is determined to run everyone of us out of the ports. they want us in company trucks not our own trucks. this is the teamster plan. they are lying about helping the owner-operator truck driver. they cannot be trusted so why the hell does any savannah driver want to attend any meetings they hold. i don't. we are done with this crap. i would like to see the older guys on this forum start another assoc in savannah. we need something badly in savannah but what we don't need is teamsters help for sure.

[twistlock]

This makes my blood boil drivers. Anything we can do as a group to put the brakes on this should be considered top priority. Be it writing to legislators, the media or whatever. This doesn't need to spread along the Atlantic. I've been watching owner/operators truckers over on the left coast struggle with having to purchase those expensive dpf filters and scrap perfectly good trucks when there is no need for this. We don't need those foolish anti trucker ideas gaining traction here in the east. I have no respect for the Teamsters any more after what they have done to try destroy my livelihood.

[sinbad]

yes,inform every driver in sav what kinda fool the teamsters are making of them with this stupid push to make us a compeny employee. i was around when we shut down the ports in savannah fifteen years ago. this teamster local 728 never did anythig then for us or other times but stand in the way. now they suddenly wnat to be our friend. yeah sure. that should tell you something stinks.all i know is i love owning my truck even in the bad times. they will make that dream impossible.

[HardTimeTrucker]

It's very sad they don't want to step up to the plate and do the right thing for truckers at this port. Truckers must suffer because of greed on all sides. We certainly don't need the local, state, or federal government making any more rules for truckers to abide by. We don't need air quality controls mandated on us. Trucks are not the major source of pollution in this area. We are surrounded by huge heavy industrial sites along the Savannah river front. I'm afraid this whole tactic by the Teamsters union has nothing to do with air pollution in the first place but individual truckers will become the sacrificial lambs. This is just an excuse to go after independent trucker status claiming we each are horrible air polluters which is absolutely false. Only a very small percentage of trucks around here would fit the class of polluters spewing excessive exhaust emissions.

With enough $$$ you can have a professional environmental study published that will say anything you desire in it. The Teamster strategy that began in California works to their advantage to rid the industry of as many independent truckers or owner/operators as possible at the ports. Under federal labor laws unionizing a workforce who strictly drive company owned trucks is much simpler then dealing with a large number of drivers who own their trucks. Everyone should be aware of this because you will lose the freedom of choice between owning your truck or choosing to drive company owned trucks if they are able to manipulate these laws. The price of new equipment will be extremely cost prohibitive to the majority of truckers out here today making it all but impossible to live the ownership dream. I know of only a very small handful of drivers who would even consider giving up the opportunity of one day owning their own trucks. No matter how good they make it sound this is the Teamsters long term goal for you...

[greg s]

this is one driver who wont be attending the stand up savannah meeting. i guess there are a few on here who do not know how bad the teamsters screwed over the savannah and charleston drivers but i remember. no sir they will not get a second chance to do me.

[oboy@ivorva]

Well this sucks! Please keep us posted.

[bigbird]

i own my truck also. sounds like they will stoop to any level to snag paying members. if i had been interested in joining the union i am not now. this turns my stomach.

[dieseljockey]

I've heard this before. California ring a bell?

[ricky]

i was going just to see what they had to say but after giving it some more thought changed my mind. i feel they are making fools of everyone who will be attending so count this driver out.

[doggie dog]

ok boys & girls. thanks to the teamsters may soon be coming to savannah georgia.

The California challenge
Kevin Rutherford | May 27, 2013


Owner-operator Chris Thomas
California’s aggressive regulatory climate provoked this sentiment, which has circulated online in different forms. Chris Thomas, leased to Minnesota-based Autumn Transport, made stickers of this version he planned to offer up to anyone who wanted one. He’s also set up a page on eBay to sell them here.

If your current truck is not California Air Resources Board-compliant – meaning (among other things) that you do not have a diesel particulate filter – devise a strategy now if you plan to operate in California.

With few exceptions, most Class 8 trucks operating in California will need to have some sort of approved DPF installed by Jan. 1, 2014, to meet CARB regulations. (Find a full list of upgrade-requirement schedules by engine model year in this story.)

If you derive only a small percentage of your revenue from California, consider no longer operating there. This may sound drastic, but weigh the costs and risks associated with having a CARB-compliant truck.

Engine-related problems are frustrating to get repaired and many times cause a loss of fuel economy, on top of the costs for repair and downtime. Some of the most common calls I receive on my radio show are complaints about loss of fuel mileage due to an emissions-related issue that shops can’t fix.

If your truck is model year 1996-2006, you potentially can add a DPF to achieve compliance; CARB-certified filters cost $15,000 to $20,000. On top of that, you will see a loss of fuel economy – as much as a half-mile per gallon – due to the increased back-pressure created by the DPF; that will add $3,000 to $5,000 in annual fuel costs. Periodic DPF cleaning will cost several hundred dollars every year or two. Most DPF installations require hookups to both the electronic control module and fuel supply, which can lead to even higher maintenance costs and downtime.
More technology, more problems
With every new round of emissions technology, emissions-related engine problems get more common and the engines more expensive. Here are the latest results from a J.D. Power survey of owners of heavy-duty engines that meet 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.The study finds that 46 percent of owners of trucks that are one model-year old report an engine-related problem, up from 42 percent in 2011. The most commonly reported problems involve electronic control module calibration (23 percent of owners), exhaust gas recirculation valve (20 percent) and electronic engine sensors (16 percent). In addition, the average number of engine- and fuel-related problems has increased to 81 problems per 100 vehicles from 71 in 2011.

You would need to generate $30,000 of revenue from California loads just to break even in the first year, and at least $5,000 of revenue from California to break even every year after that. Would you want to spend that much money and take that much risk just to break even?

Your other option would be to upgrade to a 2007-09 or newer model truck, which would require no further emissions-equipment investment until 2023. In addition to your upfront trade cost, expect higher maintenance costs and downtime on newer trucks. In my experience, it’s not hard to operate a pre-2004 truck for 6-8 cents per mile in maintenance. I’m finding that the 2007 and newer trucks are costing 12-14 cpm in maintenance.

Those who need to operate in California might have some other options. If you go there only to satisfy a good customer, is it possible to set up a rental arrangement for a CARB-complaint truck? Leased operators should ask their carrier about plans for California. I have talked with carriers that plan to have some CARB-compliant trucks and allow other owner-operators to stay out.

We have little data on the effects of a DPF on a pre-EGR engine. We have some data available on the costs of operating a 2007 or newer truck, but we don’t have a lot of long-term numbers as far as engine life and rebuild cost. If you can avoid rushing out and spending thousands of dollars to become compliant, you will gain time and the likely advantage of learning more about options and outcomes. In the meantime, evaluate your own situation, and do what’s best.