Transportation and its workers, now have a long overdue spotlight upon us due to the recent cov-19 pandemic. I myself have 21yrs of service To the American supply chain. Company drivers and owner operators are the actual blood running thru the blue and red lines of a map in the U.S.A. (veins&Arteries). Companies for both have operated in the gray areas of labor laws, lease agreements, theft of pay earned for decades. Firing without justification, stranding drivers roadside, not paying drivers. Sometimes not having money on the road due to starting a new job. This is not your conventional job. You dont punch out and go home or pack a lunch to keep cost down. Your on the road for weeks even months at a time, we are paying inflated amounts at truckstops nationwide for no real reason other than greed.
We tend not to have access to dental or healthcare services due to the size of our equipment. Alot of drivers cannot afford the healthcare cost. like myself. despite the federal government In its calculations saying i can afford it. The systems that are in place are stretching the limits of what is an acceptable living vs cost of living. yes most can purchase insurance we just cant afford to maintain it. There are alot of issues too many to list. Do your research and you will be surprised and you should be ashamed at the number of drivers that die in their trucks, bathrooms, showers, and grounds of truckstops and roadways alike. This is a blue collar industry of workers that in my opinion have been outcasted, overworked, underpaid, grossly abused. Some wont agree. I attribute that to Stockholm syndrone.
What do we want.
● Rates- no less than $4.00 per mile.
●Brokers- cap how much they can keep from a shipment. Flat rate of no less than $200 no more than $500.
●per diem of $100.00 per day for drivers period. Regional and otr.
●An additional 8% tax break and more robust ways and programs to clear up tax debts with forgiveness programs specific to our industry.
●Leave eld mandates the way they are during this pandemic. Let the driver have control and not the machine. We can still use elds, but run how you want just do it safely. (Negotiable) just didnt want this to run on because we all know it's a little more complicated than just "Run how we want". But more room for driver input and not input from just the mega carriers. The Mega carriers have their own nefarious agenda.
● Fuel cost to stable and mandatory fuel surcharge on every load brokered or direct contract. This cannot be put into the rate it has to be separate from the rate.
● Very affordable vision, dental, and healthcare cost.
● mandatory detention pay, after 2hrs.
●overall a sustainable better quality of life.
These things are all doable, sustainable, and really will not affect others bottom line. It will simply alleviate some stress for your American back bone. To not strongly consider and make these very simple demands happen just tells me you just dont want to do right by the blue collar workers of America.
Thank you for your time!!
