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May 18, 2015

TRUCKERS' PROTEST & DEMANDS * USA: “None of the panelists on this stage sit behind the wheel of a truck..."

* Virginia - Truckers demand about the port congestion strategy


... At the Virginia International Trade Symposium, truck-driving men and women in shirtsleeves marched in protest on the streets outside...   Truckers told that the port is taking the wrong approach and they’ve been left out... Their sense of exclusion has escalated in recent months as the port has experienced off-and-on near-unprecedented congestion, when the port shut down for four consecutive days after a winter storm. Productivity on the Virginia waterfront since then has dropped 50 percent, by some estimates... Despite the port authorities claims that congestion has been easing, truck drivers said they still wait in hours-long lines at terminals port-wide. While average times have improved, John Andersen, an independent owner-operator protesting with fellow truck drivers says, wait times and turn times are now exceedingly variable, six hours at some terminals, two hours at others. It makes planning a day and running a business nearly impossible, he said... Some drivers have pushed for an hourly surcharge for owner-operators — what stakeholders at Thursday’s symposium called “impractical” ...   “But none of these drivers got into this to work for free,” George Berry, the founder of grassroots group For Truckers By Truckers told a panel "Be warned, the shippers and carriers sitting on the symposium’s panel that they would only see more truck drivers leave the industry altogether if something were not done. Aging drivers, tougher government regulations and waning interest in the industry among younger Americans have fueled an exodus of sorts from the trucking sector"...  Driver turnover rates — the rate of drivers changing companies or leaving the industry altogether — was as high as 90 percent in 2014... Berry add,  “None of the panelists on this stage sit behind the wheel of a truck... If we’re as important as you say we are, we need to sit on every panel you have.” ... 
 (Photo: Truck drivers frustrated with Port of Virginia congestion protested on Thursday outside the Virginia Internaitonal Trade Symposium)  --  Norfolk, VA, USA - J.O.C., by Reynolds Hutchins - May 14, 2015

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posted by Unknown @ 6:21 AM  0 comments

May 26, 2009

A Heavy Load * USA - Long-distance truckers don't get paid if they aren't driving

... and they aren't driving as much these days

Winston Sakem-NC,USA -The Winston Salem Journal -May 24, 2009: -- Don't be fooled by Odell Haggerty's serene gaze and placid hazel eyes. The past month has been awful for the long-distance truck driver from Texas... Haggerty, 43, is paid 36 cents a mile, but when he isn't driving his company's big rig -- when he's laid over awaiting a new load -- he doesn't get a dime... And lately, with the recession hammering freight-haulers, he has seen far too much of random truck stops and not enough of the open road... (Los Angeles Times Photo: Odell Haggerty, 43, a long-haul driver from Texas, said he and other truckers have to have patience while awaiting work)

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posted by Unknown @ 3:51 PM  0 comments

Dec 3, 2008

TRUCKERS' REQUEST * Canada - Union demands action from Vancouver Port Authority

Vancouver,BC,CAN -Truck News -2 Dec 2008: -- Frustrated owner/operators formed a noisy protest caravan Tuesday, as their union demanded action from the Vancouver Port Authority and the federal and provincial governments to enforce an existing agreement on trucking rates...   Members drove their trucks from the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition to the Vancouver Port Authority at Canada Place to draw attention to issues they say are hurting their ability to make a living, says VCTA-CAW Local 2006 president Paul Johal...   The failure to pay agreed-upon rates and a moratorium on additional owner/operators at the port are squeezing independent truckers badly, just as union collective agreements are about to expire, said Johal, whose union represents more than 750 truckers hauling freight to and from the port...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:29 PM  1 comments