intresing reading from another site; In a letter dated April 7, 2005 in opposition to Mandatory Fuel Surcharge Provisions in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill, the following U.S. Senators were asked to oppose any provisions that would add a fuel surcharge provision to the surface transportation reauthorization bill:
The following are members to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation;
Honorable Ted Stevens (Chairman)
Honorable Daniel K. Inouye (Ranking Member)
and a member of the Senate committee on commerce, Science and Transportation, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine:
Honorable Trent Lott (Chairman)
It was stated that Section 4139 of the House-approved bill (H.R. 3) would reverse 25 years of free-market transportation policy and would lead to economic re-regulation of the trucking indistry.
Before deregulation the trucking industry passed on a fuel surcharge to its customers to offset the increase in fuel prices. This was done not using a governing body and it worked well.
The problem that exist today is that when the trucking industry was deregulated and the shippers, carriers, and intermediaries were protected by the antitrust laws that followed, they seized the opportunity to take advantage of the independent owner/operator.
This was done by not giving the truckers a fuel surcharge, recieving a fuel surcharge but not passing it on to the truckers who actually pay for the fuel, or giving the trucker a portion of the fuel surcharge and keeping the rest, also, inflated charges were implemented to increase revenue.
They say that the freely-negotiated prices exists today and works well. Of course it does, for everyone except the independent owner/operator.
FMCSA Administrator Annette Sandberg testified before the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Committee of the Senate Commerce Committee, Science and Transportation Committee on April 5, 2005, she stated:
The Nation has benefited enormously from our economic deregulation of the transportation industry. In the past 25 years, the free-market for motor carriers, service in particular has made important contributions to the growth and efficiency of our economy and helped sustain its remarkable ability to create new jobs.
This statement is so far from the truth. Deregulation has done nothing but put small trucking companys out of business due to the efforts of larger carriers who are able to stymie efforts to bring back collective bargaining, and a mandatory fuel surcharge so that they can be competitive.
Today, there is no such thing as a free-market in the trucking industry. By their campaign contributions and lobby efforts, the big trucking company's controll Washington, and some are positioning themselves to be on the side of the FMCSA, in regards to the new hours of service.
The bottom line is, that the independent owner/operator does not stand a chance, unless, we are able to acquire collective bargaining powers along with a mandatory fuel surcharge. We are dwindling in numbers every day. Washington knows it, the trucking associations know it, and especially the big boys of the trucking industry know it.
It is time for we (independent owner/operators) to exercise our constitutional rights under Article 1 of the U.S. Consitution and lobby our Washington representatives to exempt us from the antitrust laws and implement a mandatory fuel surcharge. Putting everyone on the same competitive page, otherwise, we are a dying breed and I predict within 10 years our numbers will be half of what they are today.
In closing:
What ever happened to "WE THE PEOPLEn
