Truckers are making a stand...

The dire straits most US truck drivers are in over fuel costs is coming to a head today... They are convoying to the Capital today. I hear on the news a few minutes ago, the convoy is over 5 miles long....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/28/AR2008042800787.html

 

dont truckers get paid like really well for what they do? an old friend's father was a trucker for walmart and if i remember correctly, did extremely well. so are they just getting really greedy or is this a real issue? i know diesel is exp, though i doubt its that much more than a year ago.

 

I would rather have a really well paid trucker on the road driving 8 hours a day comparred to an underpaid trucker working 16 hours a day making ends meet. Think about it.

 

It's about $1.75 a gallon more expensive than a year ago.

 

The cost of diesel fuel has DOUBLED in the last year. Established "company" drivers are not really effected by this, as they do not pay their own fuel costs.... But, they have seen a drop in per-mile pay. The drivers that are effected are the "Owner/Operators". These men and women own their own trucks.... this is the largest group of US truckers. They have a truck, insurance, tags, permits, and fuel to pay for... out of their own pockets... for every load they haul.

Think of this....

A driver gets paid to haul 2 loads (east coast to west coast, and back). This takes 5 days to complete. The pay for both loads is $5000. The truck, fully loaded at 80,000lbs, makes 6mpg (2 - 100gal fuel tanks). The driver will have to refuel 4 times during this round trip. The current diesel fuel price is $4.36/gal....

200gal x $4.36/gal = $872 per fill-up.

$872.00 x 4 refuels = $3488.00 for fuel

A owner/operator has to get the load from somewhere... That "somewhere" (either a large company they are leased to, or a Freight Broker) needs to eat as well. They usually take 7-12% off the top of the load cost... say 7%... or $350.

$5000 - $350 for broker = $4650 (net amount to haul loads paid to truck)

Average operating cost for a 18-wheeler (insurance, permits, loan payment) is about $350 to $500 per week..... let's say $350...

$4650 - $3488 - $350 = $812

This means your GROSS (pre-tax, pre-medical insurance, pre-food, pre-anything) pay for the WEEK is $812. :hypno:

30% for taxes
$70 for health insurance
$25 cell phone
$150 for 3 meals/day/week
..
..
..


You're looking at about $350 per week in the driver's pocket. ....



Now, would $350/week pay for your family to eat, the mortgage bill back home, and keep the lights on/water running for your family????

 

Can be over $1000 to fill up. Independants don't have the clout to get more money. They get more money, we pay more for everything. It will be huge inflation and resession.
The Feds need to contol prices. Exxon/Mobil is raping everyone.

No more food and medicine humanitairan help to any of these oil rich middle east countries charging us over $120 a barrel. Let them heal the sick with oil, let them eat oil.

 

I agree with Hal.

I mean when is this bullshi*t going to end?

Oil companys are blatenly ripping us off, that POS president sits there and puts $600 checks in the mail while Haliburton and that pond scum VP gets rich along with that big eared POS.

And please I don't wanna hear any liberal or conservative bullsh*t, George W stupid has run this country right into the ground it does not matter if he was a democrat he just happens to be republican, that pond scum is out for himself and his rich friends.

Mcain, Hillary or Obama it doesn't matter there all full of sh*t.

Maybe GOD has stock in Exxon right Georgie, if this was the 50's he would have been shot for treason.

Donkeys or Elephants your gonna take it right in the as* either way.

I mean can anyone really say big ears mcgoo has really done a good job as president, I got some cheap manhattan real estate for you too.

 

thanks for breaking it down for me. i had no idea they got paid that badly for each trip or that diesel was that exp across the country.

i pulled into a station this weekend and saw a sign that said 4.36 on the bottom of two others, i didnt pay attention that it was diesel that they were advertising. i had no idea california was the same or better price for diesel than the rest of the country, especially when its the most exp right next to the refineries....makes sense doesnt it???? :getlost:


maybe this will be enough to start getting trains into the mix a little bit more. i cant see how its more cost efficient to have trucks driving back and forth across the country when a train can be utilized.

 

It is definitaly not a good time to be a trucker...it costs 130+ just to fill up our F250 I can't imagine having to fill a big rig.
There are three reasons that oil prices are so high..and most have nothing to do with who is in office
Weak Dollar, Increased demand from China and other developing countries, and Speculators driving up the prices of oil futures
The problem we need to solve is the weak dollar...most of the increase in oil price is due to that fact.
For every 1% drop in the dollar oil goes up $3-4 per barrel. This is one reason why oil prices have risen almost 300+ % in the US while only going up half that in Europe over the same time frame.
Of course drilling in the US and buying less from the middle east would be a good start too, but until we stregthen the dollar oil prices will continue to rise. If the Dollar would rise just 10% Oil should come down 30-40%.
On top of that there is a huge bubble in oil prices due to speculation, eventually that will pop as well.

 

Trains are WAY more efficient but there are other considerations. You know how long it would take your headers to get to you? Trains are excellent for train loads of stuff. Not so good for less than train loads of stuff.

I used to drive in my previous life (almost 30 years ago?). Company drivers made the most money. Terminal-to-terminal drivers made even more. That was like Roadway and the likes. They have city/delivery drivers and road drivers. The road drivers go from one terminal to another. Usually about an 8 hour or less drive apart. That's the max you can drive without taking an uninterrupted 8hr break (supposed to take at least a 2hr break in there somewhere). Or 10 hours. And there is a max total for a sliding 5 or 7 day period. Terminal-to-terminal drivers get in the truck, drive it to the next terminal and get out of the truck. Those guys are usually not allowed to stray more than a mile or 2 from the prescribed route. Next is the point to point drivers. Mostly truck load shipments you pick up at one end and dive all the way to the destination. I did that. Drove a company tractor that was assigned to me. Often it was drop off a trailer and pick up a full one at the shipper. Irregular route, non-regulated (refers to the commodities the company was allowed to haul) carrier. I'd get a load and a delivery date/time and I'd plan my trip and route as I thought best. If I was going from Omaha to Baltimore it would be bad to get a speeding ticket in Florida but I could choose I80, I70, or I40 depending on my mood. I had one of the "cream of the crop" jobs. I was often home on weekends. Partly since I lived in Columbus, OH -- center of the universe.

Here's a factoid: The reason Columbus, OH is such a HUGE distribution center is because it's located within 500 miles (remember the 8-10hr drive thing above?) of 80% of the population of the country.

This was over 20yrs ago. I think I made about 25K. I think Roadway drivers made about 30-35K. It was a solid or very slightly above middle class income. Of course you were working 16 hours a day and many were only home a few days a month. Owner operators had fancy trucks but made a lot less.

and yes, my 318 was "tuned". With the hammer down it would smoke like a steam engine and at night you could see flames coming out of the stacks. Had to be careful when in the vacinity of company garages and main terminals.

 

I am an owner operator.This is a very good discription on what the costs are involved with trucking.The only thing that is not listed is maintence.IE,Tires,oil changes etc etc.The average tire on a truck is $300.00
That does not include a road service call or an after hours call if your in BFE somewhere @ 3:00am..I used to own 10 trucks.I am down to one.It just wasn't worth it anymore

 

Thanks, Scott... I kinda "fudged" a few of the numbers, but I figured it was close. I didn't want to add any of the "bad day" variables (ie: blown steer tire, air leaks, hydraulic leak, tickets, DOT inspections (they are giving out Level 3's in FL like crazy right now! :mad2, tickets :grin:, etc. :bigwink: )... it would have muddled the point of The BEST case scenario isn't even good anymore, for our nation's truckers.

I don't own any trucks... I'm just a glorified dispatcher. :grin: I'm an agent for Landstar Ranger. :king:

 

Trains don't work for Point-to-Point shipping very well.... EXAMPLE:

CSX (train) shipping from Columbus, OH to Titusville, FL = 8-10days transit
Truck shipping from Columbus, OH to Titusville, FL = 1 day

Plus, train company's still have to employ TRUCKS (called "Drays" in the industry) to both pickup the product and deliver the product, to and from the actual train yard. :bye:

 

Ahh I see..I also see your in florida.So you are familar with Rooms to go Furniture.I have been a sub-contractor for them going on 14yrs.We are starving over here No ones buying,too worried about mortgages I assume.And with it being slow the routes spread out.So with the price of fuel,Im sure you get the point..You folks doing any hiring??

 

Yea, same point. I was trying to say that for trains to be practical you have to be shipping something that takes up at least an entire train car and then more like a number of train cars. For raw materials that are usually moved in huge bulk like coal, grain, etc., rail is the only way to go.

Routing and sorting packages, drop shipments, etc. are not the railroads core competency...

 

More factoids:

It was the trucking industry lobby that brought about your fine interstate system. Yes, there was the "national defense" thing but that was more a convenient (and somewhat valid) front.

In order to get federal funding for your interstate the minimum bridge clearance has to be 13'6". Why is that? That's the clearance needed when transporting a minute man missle by road.

A few years ago here in the bay area they wanted to change state hwy 17 into interstate hwy 880 to get federal highway funds for it. It was held up because of clearance issues on a couple of bridges. I think they were originally OK but after a few repavings (usually adds 3") they weren't.

 

Now we know why the roads are so crappy in NYC.Most of the bridges are under 13'6.NYC is the truckers night mare.$20-$32 bridge tolls,and we can't fit anywhere..lol

 

When I was driving, NY (and especially NYC which is truly a nightmare -- Chicago comes in second if you get off the interstate) was the worst. You could use a bridge book but those only get updated every so often. It only takes once to become very aware of resurfaced roads. I had to turn around on a 2 lane (no easy feat) in upstate NY and go back 20 miles because of that. Procedure is creep up on bridge, if it looks like it's only 2 or 3" too short then let half the air out of your tires, try again, and creep the rest of the way there.

In the city you're stuck there, all the idiots in the cars have pulled up to your back bumper so there's no chance of backing up and turning around and while you're scratching your head the punks have your trailer doors open and are running down the street with whatever they can carry. (actually that last part is just as likely to happen at a red light -- always use padlocks in the city just in case they forgot their bolt cutters).

 

having more dist centers would fix that issue though. just need storage.

yeah, i already thought about the "drays" but they wouldnt be much of an issue because they wouldnt have to fill up as much. less trucks, less cost, more money for the few that would work fast.

 

This is why the worst is yet to come. I deal with independent truckers that haul fuel. They have not yet raised their rates to where they need to be to make a living. When they do, we will pay even more for fuel as well as everything else that is delivered in trucks.

We need to stop growing corn and soybeans to turn into fuel. We will starve the country to get some miniscule amount of ineffiecient fuel. The hog farmer cannot afford the feed an 85 cent per pound hog with 6 dollar per bushel corn. Hog farmers are just going out of business. Cattle farmers will be next. Watch and see what meat prices will do. Watch and see what a simple pizza could cost by the end of the year.

We need to be subsidizing the construction of oil refineries not corn and bean farmers. We have to suck it up, these refineries need to be in my backyard and your backyard. For those who think that the oil companies are raping us, then go out an buy their stock. Don't cry though when it does not perform. I have major oil company stock that I need to grow but believe me, it has not been a good investment. Record profits and poor return on capital employed = big oil. I will take the high return on capital employed and average profits any day.