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The line of Fire.
Over the years, trucking has dramatically changed. I have been a part of it. So my credentials are known, I was out there during deregulation in the 80's. I participated in, I drove through and, I drove around strikes. Even when it would of made my life better in the long run to sit or join in. Like everyone out here I needed to keep moving. Now, where are any of us moving too? We run and run for less and seemingly less. We get a surcharge mandate and it worked, then it's repealed. I feel I bailed at times on my fellow Truckers, it was my CHOICE, always was and will be.
We do our job, we are safety conscious, we know mostly what is expected of us to provide this service; promptness, run legally, safely and hopefully profitably. The question as it has always been. Profitable for whom?
What was once a great business to be in, one that people, most people, respected as a trustworthy profession and one which required integrity and professionalism is now depleted. I am not stating that there are not any good or great truckers out there anymore as I meet them everyday. Are we clear on that? We are still here. What's not here anymore is the opportunity. The chance to do what it is we do. We are not mindless, un-knowledgeable individuals who
can only ride, shift and steer. Yes we wonder sometimes because we can acknowledge that these other types are out there. The tailgaters, the lane changers and lane hogs and the list goes on. Some honestly don't know, the rest just don't care. And this brings the rest of us to The Line of Fire.
Everything, that reads EVERYTHING, is governed by the bottom line. The mighty DOLLAR, all that is, was and could be is tallied by the damn DOLLAR. It really has too. Because, that is what makes this world go round. It makes mine go easier at times, it also makes it near impossible to continue at times. Has it all been my fault? Well, I decided that I didn't want an office or industrial type job after graduating High School, so yah, bottom line, my choice. Something my parents distilled in me at an early age. Choice, we make them everyday we wake up, when we put on our clothes, open our mouths and when it's time to shut them. I also knew the value of a trucker, he brought good things to everyone almost like Santa. No, I didn't believe in Santa at the time of my graduation. But it got to where it needed to be because of Trucks. Some Loud; some not, some LARGE; some not, some Stylish; some Not. I was nearly mesmerised by them everyday. I still am and I own one! They flick my bic man. It's why I'm compelled to write this. The better part is A LOT OF YOU KNOW WHAT and WHY I am WRITING IT.
I for one am tired. I want us all to be what we want to be and have all that we deserve. We get this by Choice. I am not nor have I ever been greedy. I share, nearly everything. I PAY IT FORWARD. Watch the movie, if you don't get it, you never will.
There are unexplained things in this world, not just my little peice of it, that have to happen and they aren't. Why? We have all become greedy in one way or another. Not to point any fingers, that's just too many fingers. It's all our fault. Choice.
It's starts when people believe they deserve more than they are worth. Not as a human being but what they DO and what they expect in RETURN. This --> is what you are. What you do is not what your job requires, or your job period. It's not your education level nor your lust to succeed. It's what you provide so that others than yourself are better than they were before you put forth your effort or even your attempt. This --> is what a person is. It is what I have done my entire life. Yes, I have made many errors, bad judgments, said and have done the wrong thing at the wrong time, who hasn't. There is NO perfection. None. In reality nothing is.
Trucking is a business. It's a job for some, Full or Part time. It's also a lifestyle for others. And, it's all some people want to do. That's great because it can be rewarding in areas that are truly more important than money. I know this to be fact. I live it, I learned it and damn it I love it.
Areas that don't support us now are the ones that thrive on us being there! Make sense? Think about our nations highways for starters. What really pays the way for that pavement? Taxes, Tolls. I don't understand how it has come down to the conditions they have. Somebody did not Pay It Forward!
How about the warehouses we deliver the goods that make these businesses run? We are mostly just pawns because someone else greed will provide and deliver Drop & Hook. Use it at your disgression. No need to make sure these other trucks get to their next destinations on time. Forced Lumpers, wait a second. You want ME to load this (or my) trailer, secure it thoughout the trip, Insure it and drive how many miles and make sure I'm on time even in unforeseen weather and then PAY someone else to unload it at a rate I DON"T EVEN SEE. Forget YOU! Don't want my load, or won't pay that Lumper? You won't see me here and I will share that with EVERYONE possible. CHOICE, get it?
Nobody likes to be taken advantage of, but if it starts with me, it ends with me; Period.
Parking a problem? You bet it is, and it's Everywhere, or Not; actually. Cannot show up early to deliver, can't park on a ramp and IF there is a truck stop, it's full at 5pm! Rest areas are closed, cannot afford the maintenance. Again, my tax dollars must have disappeared because that's what I was told I am paying for.
Violations. Okay, I over ran my hours (Log Book), ok, fine me, sit me and let me go. $150, $350 WHAT? That was probably my profit to get from point A to B. Reality check here. It was a mistake, my family didn't get what I have a duty to provide. Is that amount suppose to scare me into running legal or around the block, REALLY?
Permits? Yes of course, bigger, longer, heavier loads cost more to move it's true. I got a permit at 4:30pm, didn't look at it entirely and crossed a scale. THERE WAS NOBODY INSIDE THE SCALE HOUSE however, a sign stated all permitted loads must stop for validation. I pulled around back to an officer nearly completing a Level 1. As it turn out, my permit wasn't issued correctly for the highway I was on, an interstate where if the issuance was correct I was perfectly legal. It was too late in the day to get it changed even if I had the time and even if I had caught it before I left my 4 mile trip to the truckstop it was getting dark, time to park soon. Get it, if I had any chance of getting a load on Friday to remain profitable, I needed to be empty Friday as early as possible. Was NOT happening now, I had the hours left. I was less than 1 mile from 3 major truckstops, hadn't had anything real to eat most of the day and was told to park it behind the scale and await 7am to get the permit replaced and YES I am being fined. I was allowed to drop trailer and go get food and even shower if I wanted to 1 mile down the road. I also bought other trucks who were parked for the night burgers since they were told they could not leave. My Violation, how much? Don't know, call in 10 days to find out. Fine, did what was required the next morning and ran hard, delivered later in the day Friday and because I wanted to and because I didn't want to spend the weekend where I was, I bounced home MT.
The OUT OF ROUTE TICKET was $450! Let's quickly review: BOUGHT a permit, IT was incorrectly entered for another highway, I was 4 miles from load point, 1 mile from the permitted highway and I guess I didn't really have to stop at an empty but OPEN scale house, BUT, I did. Think the Judge would grant me some sort of right of passage when it was detailed to him what had transpired. NOPE, pay IN FULL or have your Driving privileges suspended. Just great. No profit now for the week, not for me anyway. MY CHOICE again. I stopped because I tried to be legal. Not even a discount.
I am even more tired now. I am not alone, not by a thousand drivers that this happens to EVERYDAY. What do we do about it? I know most of us do nothing, we bitch and complain. We may even argue with the authorities till we are blue in the face, just before we sit it out and pay the fine. How did that work out for us? I bet if 100 guys read this they too would have an instance or MANY JUST LIKE THIS.
Bottom line, the Firing Line. Be ready, be Cocked - Locked and ready to Rock because it's coming to you in a fast way. If we continue to let everyone dictate our livelihood to us, then we have no one to blame. You know you will fight if it's in your face, guess what....HELLO !!! It's here.
Today, there are still truckers out there making a good living, damn proud of you all. We all are. You are to be saluted because you stuck to your trade and made CHOICES to succeed and did.
There are others that have sold everything, let it go back to the bank, hell I'm sure there are some who set fire to it because they may not have had any CHOICE. Or did they, way back when. To speak out, if not with words but with ACTIONS.
Years ago I ran around with my name on my shiny hiny and a large sticker that displayed STOP THE GOUGE. I had many printed for those who were interested. Then sadly, I had to terminate my business because I was required in another place to care for another. It was my place and CHOICE to do so. Many thing could of transpired during that era, but in all reality it was possibly the beginning of the end or the sight of it for the American Trucker.
Im back in business the last few years, I speak my soul but I don't preach it. We all have voices, opinions LIVES to improve upon. What are we going to do? Oh, I hear it again and again, you will NEVER, EVER Unite. Okay..Pay it Forward..I'm doing my part, again.
We make other countries understand by sanctioning, by limiting that which they counted on US providing. We don't have to strike to get things moving in the right direction, shit, we don't even need solidarity. But we DO NEED to magnify our points. We need to collectively BOYCOTT what is keeping this industry down, say NO TO LOW PAY FREIGHT and RETURN LOAD Rates. It's not always a return load for somebody! It's not working the way it is, are we going to let it ride out so that it is completely broke and FUBAR? Not if I have my CHOICE and nobody can take that away, ever.
STOP THE GOUGE!
Share your Voice, start here on W.O.T. They ARE watching..VOTE, VOTE & encourage other to do so.
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