Band Together???!!!???
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Rich M,
I didn't mean to insult Boxtruck 6 for his spelling. I was just my way of pointing out that I that I don't like bias against foreigners. Everyone of us with the exception of Native Americans was an immigrant or a decendent of immigrants. Immigration is what built this country. These great people came from many different countries speaking various languages. Some learned
english well, some did not. Their children did, however.
Immigration isn't hurting this country. Illegal immigration is. That is the fault, not of people who only want a better life for their families, but of the elected officals in this country.
People who speak Spanish in McDonalds aren't the ones responsible for the troubles we as truckers have. Part of the blame lies with ourselves for not "banding together" to solve our problems. Part of the problem lies in the underlying cultural values inherent in our egocentric society, which pits management against workers,and workers against managment, in a struggle to grab everything for our side, irregardless of the consequences to the other. Part of the blame is with a government that cares more for the affluent, the educated, and the powerful than they do for the working class people.
Yes, many of the elite in this country must love to hear foreigners blamed for our woes. It sure takes the heat and the attention off of them.
I didn't mean to insult Boxtruck 6 for his spelling. I was just my way of pointing out that I that I don't like bias against foreigners. Everyone of us with the exception of Native Americans was an immigrant or a decendent of immigrants. Immigration is what built this country. These great people came from many different countries speaking various languages. Some learned
english well, some did not. Their children did, however.
Immigration isn't hurting this country. Illegal immigration is. That is the fault, not of people who only want a better life for their families, but of the elected officals in this country.
People who speak Spanish in McDonalds aren't the ones responsible for the troubles we as truckers have. Part of the blame lies with ourselves for not "banding together" to solve our problems. Part of the problem lies in the underlying cultural values inherent in our egocentric society, which pits management against workers,and workers against managment, in a struggle to grab everything for our side, irregardless of the consequences to the other. Part of the blame is with a government that cares more for the affluent, the educated, and the powerful than they do for the working class people.
Yes, many of the elite in this country must love to hear foreigners blamed for our woes. It sure takes the heat and the attention off of them.
Lostmarbles
Expert Expediter
Hey as far as a Union shop gose. Yellow raised their rates 14% this year and has been hard pressed to keep up with demand. WHY...? BECAUSE they are an LTL freight hauler! We all gotta keep busy to the point that we won't need freight that won't pay the going rates. I don't know if it's true for the"leased to" guys but I have never been treated wrong for takeing some Brokers LTL load. Sure has gotten me back to the busy areas lot since I've started as an O/O.
The guy that run with and has been teaching me the ropes belongs to OOIDA also. Thats MY next move. To join their Assoc.
Hay I"m going to have surgery on the 12th. so wish me luck.
And have a good Holiday.
Life is what happens to you while your busy makeing other plans.
The guy that run with and has been teaching me the ropes belongs to OOIDA also. Thats MY next move. To join their Assoc.
Hay I"m going to have surgery on the 12th. so wish me luck.
And have a good Holiday.
Life is what happens to you while your busy makeing other plans.
All OOIDA members have the same benefits, regardless of what type of vehicle you run- you don't even have to be an owner/operator to join! Many members are company drivers, company owners, etc. It's been the best thing out there for a while now. I'd much rather lie down in my sleeper and read "Land Line" than play video games in a truck stop.
I'm not sure how to handle this "global economy" BS thing. I for one am totally convinced the USA can be completely independent from the rest of the world, but that's not ever going to happen, period.
There is this private high school in CA that is supposedly the "place to be" for kids to go. I think there is one in NYC too. They now have to racially discriminate on the enterance exams. Why? All the Chinese kids taking the exams were beating out the kids of other races by a big margin, and they didn't want the school to be all Chinese kids. Is that right or wrong? Hard to say.
How about this? I picked up some injection molds for Valeo at DHL the other night that came over from China. I had to drop them at a tool and die shop in Rochester. This shop gets upset at Valeo for throwing these Chinese molds to them expecting them to make them work, instead of just letting them fabricate the molds to begin with. You have to wonder who is putting who out of business there- Valeo, the union machine shop, or China? The American consumer will pay the same price for the product regardless of what goes on with them friggin molds!
Is a made in Mexico Ford Focus cheaper made in Mexico? Yes the labor is cheaper there, but then all the parts have to be shipped down there, and then the cars shipped all the way up. Look at the price of a Focus. Is it cheaper than a Chevy Cavalier made in Lordstown, OH? Nope. They just replaced the UAW workers with truckers, and it all balanced out. Of course, if there are any additional profits they go right into the pockets of upper management. This scenario actually works out better for the American trucker.. so stop crying!
-Weave-
I'm not sure how to handle this "global economy" BS thing. I for one am totally convinced the USA can be completely independent from the rest of the world, but that's not ever going to happen, period.
There is this private high school in CA that is supposedly the "place to be" for kids to go. I think there is one in NYC too. They now have to racially discriminate on the enterance exams. Why? All the Chinese kids taking the exams were beating out the kids of other races by a big margin, and they didn't want the school to be all Chinese kids. Is that right or wrong? Hard to say.
How about this? I picked up some injection molds for Valeo at DHL the other night that came over from China. I had to drop them at a tool and die shop in Rochester. This shop gets upset at Valeo for throwing these Chinese molds to them expecting them to make them work, instead of just letting them fabricate the molds to begin with. You have to wonder who is putting who out of business there- Valeo, the union machine shop, or China? The American consumer will pay the same price for the product regardless of what goes on with them friggin molds!
Is a made in Mexico Ford Focus cheaper made in Mexico? Yes the labor is cheaper there, but then all the parts have to be shipped down there, and then the cars shipped all the way up. Look at the price of a Focus. Is it cheaper than a Chevy Cavalier made in Lordstown, OH? Nope. They just replaced the UAW workers with truckers, and it all balanced out. Of course, if there are any additional profits they go right into the pockets of upper management. This scenario actually works out better for the American trucker.. so stop crying!
-Weave-
Corporations are made up of Stockholders who expect a return on there investment. The stockholders elect a board of directors who in turn hire the Executives. If you own stocks or have a Mutual Fund that invests in the stock market you may be supporting the idea of factory jobs leaving the U.S.A. We want our investments to grow, but we get upset when the people we have indirectly hired look for cheaper and more economical ways to produce goods.
I agree that executives in some corporations make excessive amounts of money that they do not deserve, but some sports stars, entertainers,and union members {Some United Airline Pilots make $ 300,000 a year for 80HRS.per month work} also are paid to much.
I recently lost a contract to another individual because he is willing to deliver the material cheaper. They are new to the business and will work for wages and are happy doing it. The owner of the company that gave the contract to my competitor was not wrong in doing this he just wants to increase his bottom line.
The Government is made up of people that are elected by the people who vote. If we want change we either elect different people or we run for office ourselves so our ideas can be expressed.
I agree with you GROUNDHAWK that if your van can pass a DOT and is clean and rust free, and dependable who cares how old it is.
ACTION is right in suggesting that we can have more influence if we get all expediters to join an organization so we speak as one. {My preference is OOIDA}
We can be PARTNERS FOR SUCCESS.
ACE
I agree that executives in some corporations make excessive amounts of money that they do not deserve, but some sports stars, entertainers,and union members {Some United Airline Pilots make $ 300,000 a year for 80HRS.per month work} also are paid to much.
I recently lost a contract to another individual because he is willing to deliver the material cheaper. They are new to the business and will work for wages and are happy doing it. The owner of the company that gave the contract to my competitor was not wrong in doing this he just wants to increase his bottom line.
The Government is made up of people that are elected by the people who vote. If we want change we either elect different people or we run for office ourselves so our ideas can be expressed.
I agree with you GROUNDHAWK that if your van can pass a DOT and is clean and rust free, and dependable who cares how old it is.
ACTION is right in suggesting that we can have more influence if we get all expediters to join an organization so we speak as one. {My preference is OOIDA}
We can be PARTNERS FOR SUCCESS.
ACE
Hello expediters. In response to banding together the concept of collective griping only can limit what we perceivre we a losing out on. More money, less expenses, etc, ad nauseum. The only way we could possibily do what we all would like to see in our statements is to form a employee owned company. Yes we do the work, yes we get crumbs. Now let us change the scenario. We own the company, we run under one authourity, we broker our own loads, we do our own sales work, we get our own contracts. Yes we would need office people, payroll, dispatch, lawyers, etc. But if the premise of the company is reduced costs than the costs go into our rates as drivers. There are many ways to accomplish this. The bottom line is reduced administrative costs, high paying contracts, which all equal to higher pay. On the statements the costs of administration per vehicle would be calculated and legitimate gripes could be made if necessary. Of course the admistrators would have to make money, but if we as drivers got 70% or higher of the line haul we would profit tremendously. I have looked and researched all ends of this business that have been available and with the right people it could be done; If the are any pragmatists leave me a message, and let us walk the walk instead of being complacint. sincerely, Schpanker e-mail: [email protected]
Schpanker makes an excellent argument for an employee owned company but how do you get the funds to start the company. O/O who want to invest would make sense but it would take a lot of start-up money. Banks won't loan money to a rag-tag bunch of independents who are fed up with the big companies. Each O/O could be issued stock depending on how much he or she invested and profits would be divided up depending on the amount of stock owned by each investor. But that still would not raise enough start-up money. The organization would need business investors who see the potential in an idea like this. UPS, FED-EX, SWIFT, HUNT, PANTHER, LANDSTAR, didn't all make it big overnight. It took years of hard work and mistakes. We can provide the hard work and hopfully we have learned from past mistakes. I don't know if there is really a future in something like this but it certainly merits further discussion. It would need to depend on more than the automotive industry and E-units would play a big role in the makeup of the company to maximize profitability. Also think of the buying power this organization would have with truck and van parts and tires. Truck stops might even be more cooperative with a large group like this. These are just some rambling thoughts from someone who just wants steady work, fair pay, and respect for what I do.
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!
I offer to the cause
1 new computer,
1 fax machine,
1 scanner,
2 printers,
1 case paper,
1 5-line telephone,
1 desk,
1 chair,
3 months of my time
and a line on a building in NW Ohio, The owner of which is an retired driver.
I have a dream.....
WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
JUST DON'T JUST SIT THERE DO SOMETHING!
I offer to the cause
1 new computer,
1 fax machine,
1 scanner,
2 printers,
1 case paper,
1 5-line telephone,
1 desk,
1 chair,
3 months of my time
and a line on a building in NW Ohio, The owner of which is an retired driver.
I have a dream.....
WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
JUST DON'T JUST SIT THERE DO SOMETHING!
paperback1
Expert Expediter
well, i could offer
2 computers
1 fax
1 printer with about 2000 pages of paper
maybe $5000-7500
and 3 months of my time as well:+
2 computers
1 fax
1 printer with about 2000 pages of paper
maybe $5000-7500
and 3 months of my time as well:+
We all obviously have computers,and we all have TRUCKS!! We all know where the freight is comming from and going to. If operating under one authority, the expense would not be that great. We are already spread out all over the country. If I understand correctly there is a lot of freight bid on over the internet. At the start cell-phones,which we probably all have, can be used to communicate. Whats needed is a few people who can moniter the freight on the internet and match that info to where trucks are known to be. With a small network of people sitting in thier home offices, there may not be a need for a bldg. No one would have to quit their current lease, just remove those huge signs from the box of your truck. The door signs are much easier to cover! At the Chrysler plant I see a lot of conway trucks.I haven't hauled any chrysler freight in quite a while. I believe a network like this will have a much lower over-head than Conway. We could bid the freight cheaper and still make more money. It wouldn't take long for this to take off. Word would travel quickly,and the bottom line for shippers is the same trucks are hauling thier freight,cheaper! Does any one think this may have a negative effect? Such as The larger companies,with deeper pockets, discounting freight to the point nobody is making money,and when we are all through they can raise thier rates again? Or is there enough freight out there that they wont be able to cover it no matter what and we will still get the big piece of the pie? I don't think recruiting trucks,especially on a trip-lease basis would be a problem if we could provide more freight and more money!! TIme to Brainstorm!!! I'm in! KG
treeman, this sounds like a conversation i had with a group of drivers at the detroiter a while back. but our theory on rates was to stay close to what the established carriers were charging and concentrate on service. and a concept like you are talking about has a distinct advantage in that while the big expedited carriers will sign most anyone with a truck or van, expediters signing other expediters would be able to choose the cream of the crop. you probably know from meeting other drivers in truck stops which ones are professionals who take pride in being on time, personal appearance, vehicle maintenance, etc.-likewise, you have no doubt met drivers who drive junk, look like bums, and could care less whether the customer is happy or not. if only the best of the best were to drive for this "company", you would only have to price the same as your competitors, not underbid them. this may be a big advantage when servicing smaller customers, in particular, where the person who calls the load in actually has contact with the driver. it might start out slow until a customer base is established, but once your foot is in the door you should have a loyal customer. just my 2 cents.
It's interesting to see this issue rear it's head now. About a year
ago I made a post here, asking if there were any interested partys
wanting to be more independent in this business. My idea was to
"select" what the odds would prove to be "the cream of the crop" and
begin a cooperative effort providing equipment and personnel to take
care of freight from the areas of each cooperator. In other words,
say ten folks (or more) from any part of the country that could provide
a few customers from their area and equipment. I had anticipated it
would take about ten percent of the gross to administrate the effort.
(Staff, billing,etc) an estimate. Obviously, that would leave 90% for
the cooperator to operate on. The rates would be then, whatever the
cooperator had negotiated from their area. I recieved very poor response. And, the response I did receive sounded like this- -
1. Wait 30 or so days to get paid???????
What?? Are you crazy?????????
2. I live in podunkville there is no freight here!!!
(how many times have you picked up freight in
podunkville)
And, a number of like "follow the herd" responses. Nothing from
any, what I consider a "cream of the crop" candidate. I however,
will entertain any effort from anyone wanting to attempt this type
effort. I have the Authority to get started.
ago I made a post here, asking if there were any interested partys
wanting to be more independent in this business. My idea was to
"select" what the odds would prove to be "the cream of the crop" and
begin a cooperative effort providing equipment and personnel to take
care of freight from the areas of each cooperator. In other words,
say ten folks (or more) from any part of the country that could provide
a few customers from their area and equipment. I had anticipated it
would take about ten percent of the gross to administrate the effort.
(Staff, billing,etc) an estimate. Obviously, that would leave 90% for
the cooperator to operate on. The rates would be then, whatever the
cooperator had negotiated from their area. I recieved very poor response. And, the response I did receive sounded like this- -
1. Wait 30 or so days to get paid???????
What?? Are you crazy?????????
2. I live in podunkville there is no freight here!!!
(how many times have you picked up freight in
podunkville)
And, a number of like "follow the herd" responses. Nothing from
any, what I consider a "cream of the crop" candidate. I however,
will entertain any effort from anyone wanting to attempt this type
effort. I have the Authority to get started.
Ok, for anyone keeping track
We have several computers, some money ,people willing to give their
time to get this thing organized, a building in the works and if anyone has been paying attention a person willing to share their authority.
We need a company name. "INDEPENDANT EXPEDITORS,INC" ?
Colors...RED, WHITE, BLUE?
Logo...we need a design
Come on guys and gals...are we going to do this thing or just "VENT"????
Chat tonight 8:00 est ??????
JJ
PS.Remember......... BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
We have several computers, some money ,people willing to give their
time to get this thing organized, a building in the works and if anyone has been paying attention a person willing to share their authority.
We need a company name. "INDEPENDANT EXPEDITORS,INC" ?
Colors...RED, WHITE, BLUE?
Logo...we need a design
Come on guys and gals...are we going to do this thing or just "VENT"????
Chat tonight 8:00 est ??????
JJ
PS.Remember......... BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME