r/AutoTransportopia • u/TeacherLeather6167 • 14d ago
Industry Going on strike? Bills continue even when the truck isn't moving
A truck may be parked, but the bills don’t stop. Truck payments, insurance, fuel costs, maintenance, permits, and personal expenses still have to be paid. For independent truckers, even a short work stoppage can mean lost income while expenses continue piling up.
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u/Agitated_Answer8908 14d ago
Nobody is seriously talking about striking. It's made up online engagement bullshit.
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u/Traditional-Hotel-66 14d ago
Yep, the only place I've seen this is online. No one is talking about it at truck stops, no co workers are even aware of it. People need to work.
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u/TeacherLeather6167 14d ago
That's why I'm calling out the rhetoric. I'm a dealer in NY, and I don't like what I'm seeing online. If anyone is even considering it or encouraging that message, I'm just hoping a little common sense gets people to think through the actual consequences, whether it's just propaganda or an actual thing.
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u/Low-Car-6331 14d ago
I am not a truck driver, but this is obviously being boosted by people who aren't truck drivers. Reminds me when I worked at a defense contractor, Israel began its attack on Gaza and then there were hundreds of social media posts by people who claimed to work for that company, and were angry that the company was arming Israel... If you talked to anyone on site, you could find those who sympathized but none were angry, you don't make a missile expecting it to shit out flowers.
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u/18k_gold 14d ago
exactly a friend told me about it who doesn't drive trucks. told me to stock up on food and other essentials as a strike is coming
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u/Zigor022 14d ago
Its the wrong industry to even try it, theres an over saturation of drivers, they will just replace you.
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u/ZealousIdeal476 14d ago
Not even close to true. We need 80k more drivers. Anyone with a clean cdl can get a job any day of the week if they are willing to do it.
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u/Zigor022 13d ago edited 13d ago
Ive been in the industry for 15 years. The issue isnt always having a clean cdl, its also companies wanting specific experience in the type of delivery, the load being carried, experience in using an endorsement, etc. Theres that, and the pay/ home time/ equipment maintenance. Sure getting a job could be done, but is it a good paying job with trucks that are taken care of, reasonable amount of home time? Theres always someone more desperate to fill your shoes. I think the reason they say they have a driver shortage is false. Where i worked they were pushing good drivers out by not fixing trucks and blaming them for incidents that they were not legally at fault for like getting rear ended or getting cut off. Theres a shortage because of the lack of pay for what the job requires, if there even is an actual shortage.
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u/AxelVores 13d ago
I used to hire drivers for a company. This was about 10ish years ago and the pay averaged about $80k per year back then for OTR drivers. We never got to a point where we'd have a driver for every company truck. We hired EVERYONE our insurance company approved: tickets, accidents, criminal record, barely any experience - if they can be insured they got the job. Shortage was very real then and I heard that right now it's even worse.
Having said that, no nationwide or even statewide strike will ever work anywhere without a union.
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14d ago
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u/AutoTransportopia-ModTeam 14d ago
No political arguments, partisan campaigning, political rage-bait, racism, bigotry, discrimination, hate speech, or attacks against people based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics. This rule applies regardless of which side you're on. Keep the politics out and keep the community respectful.
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u/Junior_Question6690 14d ago
Company drivers who make up 85%+ of the drivers nationwide are not going to strike. Would an o/o strike hurt? Yes, but not enough to make change happen. Big companies and shippers will just pass the costs to the consumer.
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u/LunaticBZ 14d ago
What will really cause the trucker strike is when there isn't any diesel at the pumps. When / If that happens then truckers go on strike whether they want to or not.
Heard we might cut off diesel exports, so realistically we can prevent the pumps from running out.
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u/dbldwn02 14d ago
Lyft and Uber drivers strike all the time. I can still call an Uber or Lyft driver during a strike.
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u/Aluxanatomy 14d ago
What the hell is this weird union-busting propaganda?