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Truck Drivers Block Freeway Traffic Across the U.S. to Protest Soaring Fuel Prices

By Barbara Ehrenreich, Barbaraehrenreich.com. Posted April 8, 2008.


Faced with $4-per-gallon diesel fuel, truck drivers -- who deliver 70 percent of the nation's goods -- are hitting the brakes.

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Until the beginning of this month, Americans seemed to have nothing to say about their ongoing economic ruin except, "Hit me! Please, hit me again!" You can take my house, but let me mow the lawn for you one more time before you repossess. Take my job and I'll just slink off somewhere out of sight. Oh, and take my health insurance too; I can always fall back on Advil.

Then, on April 1, in a wave of defiance, truck drivers began taking the strongest form of action they can take: inaction. Faced with $4-per-gallon diesel fuel, they slowed down, shut down and started honking. On the New Jersey Turnpike, a convoy of trucks stretching "as far as the eye can see," according to a turnpike spokesman, drove at a glacial 20 miles per hour.

Outside of Chicago, they slowed and drove three abreast, blocking traffic and taking arrests. They jammed into Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; they slowed down the Port of Tampa, where fifty rigs sat idle in protest. Near Buffalo, one driver told the press he was taking the week off "to pray for the economy."

The truckers who organized the protests -- by CB radio and Internet -- have a specific goal: reducing the price of diesel fuel. They are owner-operators, meaning they are also businesspeople, and they can't break even with current fuel costs. They want the government to release its fuel reserves. They want an investigation into oil company profits and government subsidies of the oil companies. Of the drivers I talked to, all were acutely aware that the government had found, in the course of a weekend, $30 billion to bail out Bear Stearns, while their own businesses are in a tailspin.

But the truckers' protests have ramifications far beyond the owner-operators' plight -- first, because trucking is hardly a marginal business. You may imagine, here in the blogosphere, that everything important travels at the speed of pixels bouncing off of satellites, but 70 percent of the nation's goods -- from Cheerios to Chapstick -- travel by truck. We were able to survive a writers' strike, but a trucking strike would affect a lot more than your viewing options. As Donald Hayden, a Maine trucker put it to me: "If all the truckers decide to shut this country down, there's going to be nothing they can do about it."

More importantly, the activist truckers understand their protest to be part of a larger effort to "take back America," as one put it to me. "We continue to maintain this is not just about us," JB -- which is his CB handle and stands for the "Jake Brake" on large rigs -- told me from a rest stop in Virginia on his way to Florida. "It's about everybody -- the homeowners, the construction workers, the elderly people who can't afford their heating bills... This is not the action of the truck drivers, but of the people." Hayden mentions his parents, ages and 81 and 76, who've fought the Maine winter on a fixed income. Missouri-based driver Dan Little sees stores shutting down in his little town of Carrollton. "We're Americans," he tells me, "We built this country, and I'll be damned if I'm going to lie down and take this."


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See more stories tagged with: new jersey, oil prices, truckers protests, fuel prices, diesel prices

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of thirteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Nickel and Dimed. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Harpers, and the Progressive, she is a contributing writer to Time magazine. She lives in Florida.

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View:
Do you have sympathy ?
Posted by: compu on Apr 8, 2008 1:04 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It were the Cubans truckers that first riot
in Miami not long ago.
It was them who did listen to the wqba,and
radio mambi,the Miami noise machine equivalent.
All they voted GOP,and then want cheap oil?
The same the rest of the country,those truckers
are nascar,nra,and xtrians,they deserved all
this,they earned it well.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» The NASCAR demon Posted by: andabottleof_rum
» RE: The NASCAR demon Posted by: karyse
» RE: The NASCAR demon Posted by: brock_samson
» RE: The NASCAR demon Posted by: bornxeyed
» RE: The NASCAR demon Posted by: EdinIowa
» RE: The NASCAR demon Posted by: hogtowner
» pfft! nothing like missing the point Posted by: KaptainSpiffy
» I don't hate NASCAR Posted by: drmeow
» RE: The NASCAR demon Posted by: TheJibreelaMonsters
Lock Them Up
Posted by: NoPCZone on Apr 8, 2008 1:04 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The truckers do not own the US highways and do more damage to them than the taxes they pay. Blocking or slowing traffic is a public hazard and they should be arrested and the trucks impounded.

Put the stuff on the trains where it belongs.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: Joe
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: J_Mo
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: Aimleft
» RE: Trains are more economical Posted by: sasquuatch55
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: VZEQICVA
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: peacefullaim
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: chaoslegs
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: peacefullaim
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: audiodef
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: metryjen
» RE: Lock Them Up Posted by: andabottleof_rum
The progressive fascists are coming out.
Posted by: andabottleof_rum on Apr 8, 2008 2:15 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Here they are, trolling the comments section with their bile to put down any effort at labor organization.

I've come to see that progressives are no friends of working people. They are a faction aimed at supporting the interests of the upper-middle class, whereas the Republicans are the faction in support of the wealthy. It's a power struggle between these two groups, the latter feeling always entitled, and the former feeling thwarted in recent decades.

For the working class and lower-middle class to identify the progressive cause with their self-interest is no less an instance of false consciousness than such people identifying with the Republican Party. Progressives can whine that, "Oh, it's just a few so-called progressives who have that snarky attitude toward non-elites," then accuse me of grabbing a few offensive comments to smear the cause of progressivism altogether.

I say bullshit to such a defense. This attitude is all too common among progressives for me to give the progressive movement any credibility on labor and class issues.

May the progressive movement rot!

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» How clever. Posted by: andabottleof_rum
Driving our Way through the Maze
Posted by: Kafwood on Apr 8, 2008 3:43 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Truckers are proud members of the rifle belt voting block and have voted against their own best economic interest for years - though they weren't alone in doing this. Progressives are well educated - upper middle class is a bit of a stretch bottleofrum- and yet don't know a hoot about pulling swing shifts. And both groups are motivated, like any demographic, by self-interest.

Aren't we all trying to hang on to life as we know it? Truckers want to keep trucking; progressives want to keep their phones untapped and their prospects a comfy shade of green.

But things are changing. This will become more apparent as the country works its way through the labyrinth of social and economic decline in progress. Blaming each other ain't gonna solve the problems before us and is the social equivalent of bumping into blocked walls - the larger issue is getting out of the maze altogether.

Relocalize food, energy and services...now!

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» RE: Driving our Way through the Maze Posted by: andabottleof_rum
» RE: Driving our Way through the Maze Posted by: boydranchitos
» RE: Driving our Way through the Maze Posted by: andabottleof_rum
» RE: Driving our Way through the Maze Posted by: peacefullaim
Look's like a "Convoy"....Rubber Duckie here
Posted by: Babygoat on Apr 8, 2008 3:51 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Most of us get by with a little help from our friends. You can always trust a trucker. I support their effort and since we can't seem to get the public off their butts to protest...I'll support the truckers, hopefully, I will not get cought up in the traffic jams but it's refreshing to see Americans start to protest. I suggest if you do get caught up in traffic, take a book with you,
turn off your engines and take a break.
The mega industrial complexes, the very wealthy CEO's and "Wal-Mart" types refusing worker's the rights to form uniions, etc...Hey, the country doesn't move if the trucks don't move...
and this country needs to move!-do a u-turn!- and come back home! Everybody just slow down and think about it. DON'T BLAME THE TRUCKERS! EVERY REVOLUTION STARTS WITH THE UNDERDOG GETTING RIPPED OFF - TICKED OFF- AND LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD.

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» Re- Knights of the Road Myth Posted by: NoPCZone
» RE: e- Knights of the Road Myth Posted by: peacefullaim
Terrorist
Posted by: HeKnew on Apr 8, 2008 4:30 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Long live the international Socialist revolution!

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Trucks or Trains
Posted by: xvictor on Apr 8, 2008 4:33 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Truckers shouldn't feel so singled out. Everyone is experiencing the rise in fuel costs. My skyrocketed electric bill alone serves as a painful reminder. I'm going to have to look for those multiple double window fans for the summer because I don't want to deal with high triple digit electric bills resulting from air-conditioner use.

I live in New York City and this is one of the very few major metropolitan areas that doesn't have an established freight train service in the city. It's a big reason why there is so much traffic congestion due to the overwhelming numbers of trucks roaring down the streets here. Giuliani, when he was mayor, spoke about a need for freight train service in the city. He spoke about it for maybe two days and that was that. 99% of the time he wasted his time and efforts in a vain attempt to move Yankee Stadium to Manhattan. Some mayor. He deserved to have lost the primaries.

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» RE: Trucks or Trains Posted by: TheJibreelaMonsters
» Tunnel btwn nj and brooklyn Posted by: xvictor
» RE: Trucks or Trains Posted by: Joe
» they can offer a service Posted by: xvictor
I wonder how the rest of the world gets by?
Posted by: dstauff on Apr 8, 2008 4:41 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I was just in Quebec a week ago where gas prices are about $4.50 a gallon and have been over $4.00 a gallon for a few years. Somehow their truck drivers get by. In europe where gas prices exceed 5 or 6 dollars a gallon, they get by. Of course they haven't abandoned their rail infrastructure and people don't commute 300 miles one way from their McMansion to their Job. I have no sympathy whatsover. Pass the added shipping costs onto the customer. $4.00 or even $5.00 a gallon gas is the norm for the rest of the world. Americans will have to adjust too. It's not the end of the world but it will force the people of this county to finally make changes the rest of the world made a decade ago.

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Considerthis
Posted by: BBurney on Apr 8, 2008 5:46 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
America will ultimately and finally be undone by internal bickering over whose political label should win. George Washington warned that this would happen as a result of the two-party system. Thanks to the insidious and omnipresent influence of money and organized special interests over the past 232 years, his prediction has come to pass.

But labels and the concepts they represent, while interesting, are relatively inconsequential compared to what these truckers are showing the rest of us, which is that a country whose economy depends so heavily on the movement and consumption of goods and products can be handily brought to its knees when the "cells" that move in the blood and through the veins of the nation, its interstate system, decide to form clots.

The truckers are demonstrating that the PEOPLE of the country ARE still in control of its destiny, perhaps less as informed citizens and more as informed consumers, but that doesn't make it any less of a core truth.

As dangerous and chaotic as a consumer revolution could become in terms of jobs, etc., it could achieve serious changes quickly if well organized. Inadvertently or not, the actions of the truckers are pointing in that direction. This is now the American citizen's most potent form of nonviolent protest and it is time to begin exercising that power.

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» RE: Considerthis Posted by: WILLYBILLO7
» Kudos. A voice of reason. Posted by: Ignatz deFyre
» RE: Considerthis Posted by: audiodef
» Thank you Posted by: djnoll
Re: "I wonder how the rest of the world gets by?"
Posted by: ebishirl on Apr 8, 2008 6:13 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Look at the other expenses "the rest of the world" doesn't have to bear: Canada, the U.K. and much of Europe have subsidized health care, so people aren't spending hundreds and thousands of dollars a year for school vaccinations, checkups, medications, insurance, etc. (And if you're self-employed, as many truckers are, you know how expensive health insurance is.)

Outside the U.S., you'll also find free or low-cost higher education, six to eight weeks of paid vacation a year, paid maternity leave, paid paternity leave, paid "special needs" (family emergencies, etc.) leave, efficient public transportation systems (so the rest of the family doesn't need a car and $4.50-per-gallon gas) and much much more.

All the above is sorely lacking in the U.S., which explains why "the rest of the world gets by" much more easily than truckers and other working-class/middle-class folks here.

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More Power to Them!
Posted by: aussidawg on Apr 8, 2008 6:15 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Okay, so far I have seen a lot of complaining about the truckers striking. Why? Beccause it causes a little inconvenience.

In my opinion at least, I think we owe these guys a bit of gratitude. Sure, the initial reason they are striking is that the cost of diesel is affecting them directly. To give you an idea of how much the fuel costs are affecting them, I saw a local news interview with several truckers at a truck stop outside of San Antonio and all of them said they were payng out more than $10,000 per month for diesel. As a result, most said they were having to take care of all of their maintainance personally and having to cut corners everywhere possible, and most said they were still losing money. These fuel costs also hit us as the truckers have to pass on some (no...not all) of the additional costs to us, the consumers. Look, I realize that slowing traffic may be inconvenient, but these guys have to make a living to feed their families and pay their bills just like the rest of us. Many independant truckers operate on a contract basis, meaning they negotiate a contract to move a product for a certain number of months for a given cost. If fuel prices rise past the point where they break even on trucking these products under contract, they lose money as they are oblligated to honor the contract regardless of inncreased costs. Instead of complaining, try to put yoursef in their position.

While we as consumers are being gouged both at the pump and at home through the cost of heating oil, Preznit Bu$h is giving the big oil companies, who by the way are setting new profit records every quarter, a $15+ billion break on royalties that they should be paying for drilling on public lands (Congress recently introduced a bill that would eliminate this, however Bu$h said he woud veto it if passed in both the House and Senate.) About all you and I can do is sit here at our computers and bitch about this gross injustice, or write our representatives (LOL) which obviously doesn't catch the attention of many of them. The truckers however, who move about 90% of the products in this country, can most certainly get the attention of these beloved public servants. Not only does it stop the delivery of the products we use daily, it gets others besides the truckers pissed off and therefore more likely to take individual action to encourage action to curb the abuses by big oil and may even help encourage our government to stop giving these crooks corporate welfare by eliminating the tax breaks they currently receive.

To characterize all truckers as fools who sit behind the wheel all day listening to Rush Limbaugh is like characterizing all progressives as chronic South Park addicts...it just isn't that way! These guys are simply business people trying to get by from day to day, just like you and I. Their protests are a very effective first step toward curbing the abuse by big oil and cutting the welfare being given to them...so maybe we should be thanking the trucking industry for helping al of us rather than complaining about them protesting fuel costs so they can make a decent living.

Finally, lot of companies, such as some of the large grocery chains, own their own trucking fleets. In this particular instance, the increased costs of diesel go entirely to us as consumers. This ripple effect is already hitting, at least in my area, by MUCH HIGHER grocery costs. If the trucking strike helps force the price of fuel down, we will all benefit through lower food costs as well as costs elsewhere.

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» RE: More Power to Them! Posted by: audiodef
the end of cheap energy is here... NOW
Posted by: toddcory on Apr 8, 2008 6:45 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
These are the early signs that the days of cheap energy are now behind us. It should not be "rocket science" to realize that you cannot have unlimited growth on a finite planet. Add to peak oil, climate change, overpopulation and economic bankruptcy and we have a perfect storm here at our doorstep. Fasten your seat belts, we are in for huge changes.

Truckers, get a clue. Energy prices are NOT going to come down. Get a more efficient rig, drive slower, or get another vocation. Same goes for the airlines.

The good news is you CAN mitigate the impacts from depleting fossil fuels and other non-renewable commodities by becoming super efficient. That means reducing your waste and unconscious consumption and becoming lean and green. Super insulate your home, close off unused rooms, upgrade to more efficient appliances, take mass transit/carpool/drive a small efficient vehicle, grow a garden, plant an orchard. Be the change you wish to see in the world!

ST

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» Its about justice Posted by: sheena2u
If every worker in the USA agreed to stay home for 3 days...
Posted by: veggiegrrrl on Apr 8, 2008 6:47 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If every worker in the USA agreed to stay home for 3 days...we would bring George Bush to his knees.

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Nowhere in this essay did I read the word "Teamster"
Posted by: sausage on Apr 8, 2008 7:06 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I gathered the impression from the essay that the truckers involved in the April first job action, or inaction, are, or were, all non-union, independent, owner-operators, children of the Reagan-Bush I round of union-busting, deregulation fever that swept the Eighties.

Where I was on April 1, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas a heavily automobile-dependent area, nothing changed. Trucks jammed the highways, byways and city streets like any other day. A real job-action could have resulted in chaos along Expressway 83, the traffic clogged main artery of The Valley, but traffic moved along normally, in other words fast.

Donald Hayden, quoted in the essay, is right, truckers could shut down the country. However the operative word in the quotation cited is "If". In this Randian-free market hell we Americans have created for ourselves in the last forty years there will always be Quislings and scabs who will backstab their brothers and sisters for a few extra dimes. There can never be solidarity of action among a group of rugged individualists who've drunk deeply from the fountainhead of Ayn Rand's bogus mythology.

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» RE: andian-free is right. Posted by: peacefullaim
If only there was biodiesel from hemp.
Posted by: maxpayne on Apr 8, 2008 8:16 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Prices would not be so OBSCENELY expensive. Frankly though, I actually sympathize with the truck drivers for forcing the American public to give frugality even a remote look. I mean let's face it. All this consumer over-spending of junk materials, 9 out of 10 petroleum manufactured let alone the transportation, has gone out of whack for the past 3 decades. If hemp were used for fuel, people would have been forced to conserve from the start because like other alternative renewables such as solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, you can't take it for granted.

P.S.: For anyone riding a diesel powered vehicle, you can fill it with cooking oil, honest.

Fill your tank with vegetable oil - MSN Money

Make your own biodiesel

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10-4 Good Buddies!
Posted by: Grey666 on Apr 8, 2008 8:41 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Actually the truckers do own the highways... they paid for em.

Do you honestly think you own the highways, so you can go on vacation twice a year to Disneyland?

The taxes on diesel and gasoline pay for the highways.

The truckers are on the road 6-7 days a week, delivering goods across the nation. And now gas prices are wiping out independent truckers - those who worked hard for years and saved to buy their own rigs.

It's downright madness. And if you can't purchase toilet paper next week in the grocery store, then you deserve it.

I've had some pretty damn good trucker friends over the years, and these people work as hard or harder than anyone.

I stand behind the truckers 110%. In fact, they make me proud - always have. Good luck to the truckers, I hope you get somewhere.

Exxon - 38 billion dollar profits... 18 billion in tax credits, now what's that about? If this makes sense to you, then your a damn monkey.

The top 5 gas producers made over 100 billion in profits last year... and truckers are paying $4/gallon of diesel? Does this honestly make sense?

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» RE: 10-4 Good Buddies! Posted by: djnoll
You Have To Get The Attention of Those in Power
Posted by: Southern Gal on Apr 8, 2008 8:49 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The truckers are protesting for the rest of us. They are important to the present economy and their actions are visual, real and will impact the economy. Do we need alternative sources of energy and transportaion? Of course we do. However, we are working within a current system that relies on oil and gas. These truckers represent the people in the US who are paying high prices for gas and heating oil and trying to keep their families afloat, while the oil companies reap record profits. More power to the truckers. Let's see some other members of this country make statements as powerful as these truckers.

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Maybe this is what needs to happen
Posted by: wheresarah on Apr 8, 2008 9:02 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's tricky, but maybe this is the beginning of a much-needed paradigm shift for this country. We should go back to being more local, more community based. I love eating Washington apples, but maybe living in the southeast, I should be eating what we grow here instead.

I realize this is about much more than food, but it's just an example. We are far too wasteful and polluting. Perhaps we should choose our battles more wisely and start only trucking cross-country those things we really need to be trucked cross-country.

What can I say, I'm a hopeless optimist.

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It's like complaining about the weather.
Posted by: JoeZ on Apr 8, 2008 9:33 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I feel bad for anyone trying to earn a living when conditions turn against them, but the rising price of fuel has become an unstoppable force. Complaining about it will not solve the problem.

The complete mismanagement of our nation's finances has resulted in a weakened dollar. As a result we have to pay more for all imported goods - and we import a large percentage of the oil that we use.

Crude oil production has not increased for a number of years, while demand in the US, Europe, and the developing countries of Asia has increased. The only thing preventing shortages has been the worlds poorest countries getting priced out of the market for petroleum products.

Protests against the high cost of diesel fuel are unlikely to help their situation, except to temporarily reduce the taxes on fuel.

The increasing cost of fuel will make more and more trucking uneconomic. This is not surprising because shipping goods by truck is not energy efficient. Shipping goods by rail is much more so, but rail lines need to be extended and rebuilt to reach more areas.

As energy becomes more scarce and fuel prices rise, hopefully we can undertake the project of rebuilding the nations rails before we get priced out of the market for petroleum products.

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Truckers are not a monolithic, homogenous group...
Posted by: phatkhat on Apr 8, 2008 9:38 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Truckers come from every state in the union (not to mention many other countries). They are men and women of every race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. They range from grade-school dropouts to college grads - even some with advanced degrees. They range from Christian Fundies to Muslims to Buddhists to Atheists. Some are Democrats, some Republicans, and some are Libertarians - some are even Greens. They run the gamut from Limbaugh followers to socialists. Some like NASCAR, some hate it.

In other words, the world of American trucking is simply a microcosm of the rest of America.

My husband was an owner-operator leased to a company until a few months ago. Freight was slow, fuel was high, and he couldn't get enough miles to make a living. You can be a good businessperson and still go broke. We were careful, frugal, and he stayed out weeks at a time. But without enough miles (you are paid by miles, and then by HHG miles, not "hub" miles (actual miles), and HHG is usually about 10-15% less. In essence you drive a lot for free.

For the guys who find their own freight, it can be even harder. They don't get paid for any deadhead (empty) miles. If you have to drive 300 miles to pick up your next load, it's on you. Most rigs get around 6 mpg, so that is a lot of money you are not recouping.

As to safety issues, yes, there are some aggressive drivers out there. ("Billy BigRiggers" is what they are called.) But most drivers are very careful. And if a lot of fatalities involve big trucks, it is not necessarily a causal relationship. I think you will find that statistics show that in most cases, the 4-wheeler (passenger vehicle) was at fault. Don't drive in a blind spot for the trucker, don't expect them to stop on a dime, and yield when they have the right of way!

Oh, and truckers can be some of the most generous people alive - even when they don't have much, themselves.

I am proud of my trucker husband (who has a college degree, and is a progressive), and I am proud of these guys who are protesting. Shame on the elitists here who are blowing it out of their backsides.

And BTW, those who advocate a return to rail transport will find many truckers supportive of that, as well. But the rail system is NOT what it used to be, and we cannot depend on it for all the transportation needs of the country.

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» Thank you! A voice of reason... Posted by: henderson
» Solidarity with truckers. Posted by: Coleman
Looks like crows coming to roost
Posted by: SteveO on Apr 8, 2008 10:06 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
For my entire adult life, the good solid working class people of the USA have been voting against their own interests. They have voted for supply side economics, NAFDA, offshoring and impotent government.

So what do you expect the government to do for you? You have elected people who think you should be able to "drown the government in a bathtub". Do you want price controls? That worked well for the Russians didn't it. How about elimination of the fuel tax? Great! That will save you a giant 18.4 cents per gallon. Open strategic petroleum reserves? That will be gone within a year, then what?

Regan told us "the American way of life is non negotiable". We have been dumb enough to believe that. We could have changed slowly over the last 30 years. Now we are going to have to change all at once.

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Deb
Posted by: debmcd on Apr 8, 2008 10:18 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This is why we should be proud to be Americans. I hope they do shut down the country. I hope they get the greedy bastards in Washington to listen and if it takes making sure the fat cats don't have toilet paper all the better. Most Americans have had to do with less and less, so it will be extremely entertaining to see how the Bush's of this country will handle not having everything at their finger tips. I love it. Anything to make them suffer like we have been suffering for seven extremely long years. And every person who plans to vote for President in November should remember that McCain is one of them. He doesn't want to help us only himself and his ilk.

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MOST PEOPLE ARE BLIND
Posted by: astralman on Apr 8, 2008 10:38 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
we're moving into 1970's energy crisis part II. and this time there will be no recovery because we're running out of cheap fossil fuels GLOBALLY. why do you think people have been cheerleading "sustainable" lifestyles for the past twenty years? Because we don't have the required energy to support our auto-dependent consumer lifestyles. We are running out of oil and that means change is coming wether you think it's a neo-con conspiracy or not.

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» RE: MOST PEOPLE ARE BLIND Posted by: HANGTRAITORS
THE ENERGY NON CRISIS
Posted by: HANGTRAITORS on Apr 8, 2008 11:48 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
PEAK OIL IS A GLOBAL RAPE SCAM... CHECK OUT WHO SETS THE OIL PRICE... THE IMF AND THE WORLD BANK... ITS A TAX FOLKS!! HERES THE MOVIE GO TO 7:40 TO SEE THE FACTS YOU DIM WITS.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbwMOvV6ctg

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» RE: THE ENERGY NON CRISIS Posted by: SteveO
» RE: THE ENERGY NON CRISIS Posted by: peacefullaim
Duhhh... Why not just raise rates
Posted by: DocKunda on Apr 8, 2008 12:01 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
In every other industry and with all successful business models, when your material or fuel costs go up, you MUST raise your rates. Raising hauling rates to adjust for increases in fuel will cause the cost of most things which are transported to increase. Do we want this to happen, of course not, but it is the reality of the marketplace. To not pass this cost on to consumers conceals a hidden cost of cheaply freighted goods, the loss of many independent trucking companies who cannot absorb these costs for very long.

If large commercial companies in cohoots with teamsters union are shipping at below cost to drive under the independents, then they should be investigated under antitrust and maybe even Rico laws.

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Good for the Truckers
Posted by: debjbaba on Apr 8, 2008 1:06 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I admit, I did not take the time to read all of the comments made already to this article. Perhaps some of my points were already made. I just drove 1500 miles from Tucson, AZ to Tacoma, WA. Trucking is a big business and if they are able to take a stand and make change occur, I am all for their efforts. Everyday I see ships come into the Tacoma port, laden with containers that go either onto trains or trucks. Trains do not go every where though so some of our goods need to be transferred to their destination via truck. Give these guys a break. Yes, some of them are pig-headed jerks. Some of all ya'll are just as judgmental and pig-headed as they are. And as for them hogging the road with no concern for "the little drivers"...we made the trip up here in June driving a 26 foot Penske truck, small in comparison to one of the big rigs. We gained a new found appreciation for what it is like to be driving something that big on the interstate, especially hard going up or down inclines. Momentum is everything in either case. So, have heart, they are not trying to run you off the road or cut you off, they are trying to maintain safe driving habits in a vehicle that weighes several tons more than you do. These men - and women - are trying to take back our country. What is wrong with that. Do not look a gift horse in the mouth! There is enough of them to make a difference and to have influence on our government.

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Staying on topic
Posted by: EJW on Apr 8, 2008 1:49 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Is it possible for us to confine our arguments to the main points of the article?

The article wasn't about whether or not independent truckers are good guys or bad, whether or not they own the roads, if hauling by rail is a better option or any other side issue.

Please, please stick to the point, to do otherwise only shows ignorance.

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» RE: Staying on topic Posted by: tornadorider2002
An Early Harbinger of Things To Come
Posted by: tornadorider2002 on Apr 8, 2008 4:18 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Protest is wonderfully American tradition and more power to those truckers.

I remember taking a philosophy class in college back in the 1980s, and the professor said that, despite any wrongs done to Americans, we won't fight back because as long as we have our homes with television and beer inside, and our trucks and cars parked out front, we are placated and afraid of upsetting the status quo.

He said, when Americans start losing their homes, televisions, creature comforts and that truck out front, is when we'll see the beginnings of the next civil revolution.

Stay tuned, folks.....while you can.

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I WANT THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Posted by: Longdream on Apr 8, 2008 5:19 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I want trains to carry food and goods, and trucks to carry food and goods, and local trucking, and local eating. WE ARE TOLD THAT THIS IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. WHO WILL TRUCK THE FOOD FROM THE TRAIN STATION TO THE STORE???

I want railways in this country the way they used to be, so we can go by rail where we want, stopping close to where we need to stop, on decent tracks, in good trains. I AM TOLD THIS IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. ALL THE TRACK HAS FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR OVER THE THIRTY YEARS WE HAVEN'T HAD TRAINS.

I want freight trains to have passenger cars, so we can travel anywhere our trains go. I AM TOLD THAT THIS IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. THE TRACKS ARE A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRACK, AND THEY CANNOT BE REPLACED.

I go to Washington DC by train often. I go to Santa Fe by train at least once a year. I go to Chicago by train whenever I feel like it--it's my favorite city outside of NYC where I was born and raised. I go to NYC every couple of weeks. I LOVE TRAIN TRAVEL! I want to go to Grinnell, Iowa and San Bernardino, California, and Clearwater, Florida by train. I want to revive all those railway stations in all the towns that are now used as craft shops and galleries and restaurants. I want to travel my country by train, for business and pleasure.

Why are we putting up with being told that repairing the railways and having trains just as good as European systems is IMPOSSIBLE?? The airlines are going bust. Now is the time.

PRESIDENT OBAMA! BRING BACK THE TRAINS!

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I have no sympathy at all
Posted by: Aussie Kim on Apr 8, 2008 5:40 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How ELSE do the drivers expect the government to be able to fund the war they created in order to guarantee their supply of fuel in the first place?

How thoughtless these truckies are!

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» You're full of shit. Posted by: andabottleof_rum
» What's with all the capitalization? Posted by: andabottleof_rum
The first paragraph
Posted by: tjg1984 on Apr 8, 2008 6:56 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's not really clever hyperbole, and yet it is completely inaccurate.

-"You can take my house..." - Didn't Alternet feature a story about people trashing houses before leaving them? And aren't many of these people responsible for their own foreclosures because they chose houses larger than they could really afford?
-"Take my job..." - If by "slink off somewhere" you mean place a burden on government programs, protest very vocally, and/or commit crimes... there is a definite cost to higher unemployment; I don't think the government desires it, even if they do place a higher priority on bleeding the economy to pay for war. Perhaps we could increase employment by getting rid of some of the bureaucratic hoops through which prospective job-creators must jump.
-"...and take my health insurance, too..." - It seems to me that whether they are insured or uninsured, and no matter what kinds of poor health decisions and frivolous purchases they make (often exceeding the cost of a health insurance plan), a significant portion of the American population has been complaining for some time about not having all of their healthcare needs provided for by the government at the expense of others.

So Americans have said and done a lot of things in response to their perception of the economic situation; the problem is that much of it has not been constructive.

With regard to the truckers: I understand that they play an important role in our economy. If they no longer wish to drive their trucks, or cannot afford to, they can and should stop, and the rest of the country will notice. However, obstructing those who are still willing and able to operate their vehicles is unethical, even if the government and/or the oil companies are also behaving in an unethical way (and they likely are).

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In solidarity
Posted by: chlamor on Apr 8, 2008 6:59 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Are there any truckers posting here that can tell us what we can do to help?

My thoughts are that the truckers need to head to DC and shut the city down. That would be very easy with a few hundred trucks jamming up a few of the spokes on the concentric design that is the D.C. layout.

In addition let us all draw attention to how these things are connected to the US War Machine (how much diesel fuel is used in Iraq each day- and all of the sundry military operations and exercises?) and to the numerous other financial burdens placed on us all.

A one-shot affair is not enough and the ills that are pressing the truckers at present are heading towards us all if not already upon you.

Stop being polite people. Get off your computer and into the streets. Make demands. Be stubborn.

And get with these truckers and other allies in solidarity.

We have all been thrown under the bus by Congress- K St.- The Pentagon and the entire political apparatus of the US. No election will change this fact.

Again.

What can we do to help?

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» RE: In solidarity Posted by: Aussie Kim
They're getting squeezed
Posted by: frantaylor on Apr 8, 2008 10:47 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Truckers and trucking companies often have to sign long-term contracts at locked-in prices. They are disorganized and compete against each other so their customers take advantage of this. Whenever the price of fuel spikes, the truckers get screwed because they are under contract to deliver the goods at a previously-agreed upon price that does not account for the increased costs. Like I said, if the truckers were organized, they could cut better contract deals with fuel adjustment clauses so they don't get screwed by sudden rises in fuel prices.

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Truckers rule!
Posted by: georgiaorwell on Apr 9, 2008 6:43 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
At least the truckers have some spine - unlike our Congress and the majority of Americans who are sitting back and waiting for someone to come rescue them from the big bad wolf fascists who have hijacked the country.

Why isn't every person in the country picketing Congress and the WH? The economy is in the tank, the war is a big lie, healthcare is in a shambles, society is commiting every kind of sick act, and people have become so weak-kneed and apathetic = pathetic. Where are the protests? Where is the outrage? Everyone should be demonstrating about China and its human rights' violations in addition to the human rights' violations going on here.

In the end, it will be on the people of America who were too weak-willed to stand up and find their voices. You reap what you sow.

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112$ per barrel of Oil...
Posted by: Bearzerker on Apr 9, 2008 1:08 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...is now a reality, oil is going up even more...

and they say we don't have inflation!
food prices are going through the roof... fuel/energy prices are rising as fast...

the oceans have no fish...
freshwater is disappearing faster than oil...
and the planet can't grow the food we need to survive!

thanx BushCo...
a mighty fine leadership/stewardship/presidency you've had...
bahhhhh... hang the asshats... all of em!

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fire storm
Posted by: wittler youth on Apr 10, 2008 1:35 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
man i knew this post would set off a fire storm..hey you got 2-80 gallon tanks and deisel going for 4 bucks a gallon? go figger fool..it dont pay to haual that cabbage from bakersfield to iowa city let alone any thing east of the mississippi..wheres the $$$$..these guys gotta eat too..

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What is it...
Posted by: jvaljon1 on Apr 12, 2008 6:48 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
70,000/bbl A DAY that Bush is taking off the American market--shoving it in the Oil Reserves with (as they say where I come from) ten fingers on each hand?

And then there's Sen. Byron Dorgan, who dragged that Peters bitch, what's her name, Mary head of the Federal Motor Safety etc, Commission--in front of the Senate last month, to explain to her YET AGAIN why Mexican trucks shouldn't be allowed past the 50-mile limit, to take work away from American truckers?

That's why all this is happening, I think. Since the deadly enemies of America were allowed to take over this country 8 years ago, things have gotten steadily worse. Just as an example, it's well known now that Bush lied us into an endless war in Iraq--a country as innocent of 9/11 as if it were Belgium--and yet we are told by our elected representatives, when we bring up the subject of Bush/Cheney's well-deserved impeachment, words to the effect of: "A-w-w-w-w...what for?
Bush is almost gone--WHAT MORE HARM CAN HE DO??" 70,000/bbl OIL A DAY, more harm is what Bush can AND WILL do. How much oil is that, kept off the market from now until Election Day this year? No wonder Bush goes before Congress asking TO INCREASE THE PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE OIL RESERVES...! What more harm can he do? LOL! ROTFLMAO!!!

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When U.S. truckers go on strike, Mexican truckers will be allowed
Posted by: kellysgarden on Apr 25, 2008 8:37 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
to cross the border with their trucks uninhibited. The NAU will then be one step closer to reality, and our truckers will simply be up a creek without a job.

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