24 March 2008
Truckers are Hurting
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: World Economy .
Truckers ‘going broke’ and threatening to strike
By Barb Ickes
What started as a small, online grassroots effort now appears to have the potential for something bigger.
Dan Little, the owner/operator of a livestock hauling company in Carrollton, Mo., estimated Tuesday that at least 1,000 other truckers from across the United States have committed so far to joining him in a strike on April 1.
“Everything in the world is going up (in price), except for what we do. I lose money if I start my truck, and that truck is paid for — free and clear.”… As far as I’m concerned, the gas prices are driving the economy.“It might be a good thing if the drivers strike. They can’t make payments. Maybe if the oil companies bought all the trucks, things would change. Everything in this country is trucked.”
Hills then removed his wristwatch, using it to explain his point of view: “Every piece of this watch was trucked from somewhere. If you can’t keep up with the trucks, we’re all screwed — not just this country, but the world.”
Keith Deblieck, the owner of a trucking company out of Geneseo, Ill., said that, for many drivers, the time for a strike has come.
“They ought to strike,” he said. “We all ought to. They lose money every day they go out.”
“It’s hurting these people who are living paycheck to paycheck,”… “People are upset. What can we do?”…“It’s the only thing I know how to do, driving a truck. But I sold my trailer the other day, and I’m not buying another one until something gets done.
“In no way, shape or form do truckers want to hurt this country. My whole deal on this thing is that I’m shutting down on April 1. Call it a strike, a shutdown or just flat-ass going broke.”
9 Comments so far...
Cameron Says:
24 March 2008 at 9:00 am.
I just read an update on this story. It’s gaining steam and could have a serious effect. I feel bad for the truckers and I know they need to take action but this could really hurt food prices even more. What a mess.
Terrie Soberg Says:
24 March 2008 at 10:47 am.
Some truckers in Georgia are getting ready to strike now. I remember the trucker’s strike when I was in 9th grade. It sure didn’t take long for the grocery store shelves to be empty. I can’t really complain about a strike, because I think if I were a trucker, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Matt Says:
24 March 2008 at 11:32 am.
I’ve got a good friend who is a trucker and he is hurting. He thinks big problems are coming and they’ve only begun. I guess there are a lot of rumors out there and he doesn’t want to spread them but he is sure worried.
jobob911 Says:
24 March 2008 at 11:39 am.
If the truckers go on strike then we are in a lot of trouble. Prices on everything will go up. Everyone will hurt from it.
Mac Says:
24 March 2008 at 12:32 pm.
I have a couple of relatives and some buddies who own trucks. I am very worried about them. I hate the idea of government controls and I don’t know the answer but something has to change. Oil is driving most of the economy. Oh hey, that was clever but I didn’t realize it. So I’ll finish the thought knowingly being clever…so if the driving stops, so will the economy.
T. Fan Says:
24 March 2008 at 1:04 pm.
Some truckers are striking today to bring attention to diesel prices. Clever or not Mac, you are sure right.
Jan W. Says:
24 March 2008 at 1:47 pm.
Why do you guys think that our government won’t drill our own oil fields and build more refineries? I really don’t get that.
Bryon Says:
24 March 2008 at 9:55 pm.
Jan w. If they build more refineries and drill more oil wells then they would have to lower oil prices. That would not be acceptable. I don’t think the oil companies could stand not taking every penny they could possibly squeeze out of the people in lower classes who can’t even afford all the other bills. That would be crazy.
Have you heard the rumors of really fuel efficiently cars? The oil companies are said to be buying all the patents on fuel efficient cars. They will let nothing break their boa constrictor grip on the economies of this world.
Jesse Says:
24 March 2008 at 11:12 pm.
You are so right Bryon. And in addition to that the global market place wants America to be interdependent with other economies to force total globalization. One of the keys to making this happen is to make the U.S. dependent on foreign oil. This brings the middle east into the global community and that is crucial since they would otherwise be the big hold out. The one thing they didn’t forsee with this global interdependence was the domino effect if the economy went bad. Dumb dumb dumb.
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