The Source for Trucking News, Opinions and Trucking Jobs

Trucker’s Rock has an article about a revolutionary new concept to fix the driver shortage. The title of the article? Higher Pay May Help Trucker Shortage. What? Besides me, who was the genius that thought of that one?

I like the more pay idea a lot better than this one -

Overseas manpower company-trained truckers likely to fly to US
P. Sujatha Varma
Four-month training in left-hand driving, spoken English
VIJAYAWADA: Over 200 truck drivers will swarm the world-class driving
school at Ampapuram from July 2 to be part of an unique training
programme, which will include classes in left-hand driving and spoken
English. The four-month training will equip truckers with driving
skills and English-speaking ability. The trainees are part of the
Overseas Manpower Company Andhra Pradesh Ltd. (OMCAP) floated by the
Government to find employment opportunities for Indian workforce
overseas. This will be the first batch of workers, trained and sent
abroad under the protective wings of OMCAP.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, I’ll believe there’s a shortage when store shelves are empty. So far, when I go into a store, any store, shelves are pretty full. I was going to say I don’t understand it, but I suppose I do. Why is it all about greed? The economy is booming, almost everyone that wants a job, has a job, we can afford to pay the people a decent wage. If the price of lettuce goes up a little and the economy slows a little, so be it.

Lots of good news for trucking.

Durable goods are up (here), truck tonnage is up (here) and there is a

From www.H1b.info

This summer, legislation has been introduced to repeal the H-1B visa program and close the L-1 visa loophole.

Recognizing that science and technology workers can’t find jobs, longtime H-1B critic Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has introduced legislation HR 2688 to terminate the H-1B visa program.

It goes on to say

Additionally,Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has introduced HR 2702 to close the L-1 visa loophole and “ensure that Americans are given opportunities to work.” Safeguards of her proposal include capping L-1 visas at 35,000 annually, ending blanket applications and preventing laid-off workers to be replaced with L-1s. [Press release]

Don’t be fooled by the Congressman John Mica’s (R-FL) L-1 visa “vaporware” bill HR 2154 that lacks enforceable worker protections.

The common perception is that this only affects computer, technical and some health care jobs. But if trucking companies can convince Congress there’s a driver shortage, this could affect us, if it hasn’t already.

Do I really have to say I’m not against legal immigration? If there truly was a driver shortage I would not be against allowing anyone that wanted to drive. There’s enough freight for everyone. Trains didn’t take freight from trucking like people thought it might. The economy is on it’s way up, but until freight rates go up, I won’t be convinced there is a real driver shortage. Blocking visas would force trucking companies to deal with the “shortage” by raising rates and salaries and not just importing cheaper drivers so they could continue to undercut each other.

While we’re talking H1b -
Also from H1b.info

Know Which Senators and Representatives are On-the-Take, and Get Rid of Them

On March 10, 2003, TATA Consultancy Services (TCS), one of the largest India H-1B bodyshops and offshore outsourcing companies, announced that it opened its newest North American office in Buffalo, New York. As stated in TATA’s press release, the deal was the brainchild of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), and was facilitated by the Confederation of Indian Industry. TATA does not hire US citizens or green card holders and actively lobbies clients for offshore contracts. New Yorkers need to act now or their esteemed senator will sell them all. She is not the only one, however, nor is one party the sole villain. The corruption crosses party lines. As Deep Throat advised, “Follow the money.”

To obtain an in-depth and chilling understanding of the corruption, read Dr. Norm Matloff’s (Computer Science Professor, UC Davis) congressional testimony and commentary “Debunking the Myth of a Desperate Software Labor Shortage” at http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/itaa.html. Remember, what has happened in the tech sector is the model for what will happen in the rest of the US economy unless we stop it now.

One of the problems that truckers have is image. We

Usually I rant about foreign drivers, mostly as cheap labor, but this is just as bad.

DenverPost.com – LOCAL NEWS.

The Somalis came to Colorado by the dozens over a three-year stretch, seeking something they were having trouble getting in their home state of Minnesota: driver’s licenses.

Colorado has a serious problem with their CDL schools just handing out licenses. I honestly don’t think Colorado is alone though. The school I went to in Kansas allowed the school to certify the driving test was completed. I thought my school was pretty good. Cindy’s school on the other hand, three weeks of driving and the school was allowed to perform the driving part of the exam. Which only the owner was supposed to administer, but the instructor gave the students the exam because the owner was busy. After they had her money, the owner washed his hands of her when she needed some help with her paperwork. It was clear he’s a scumbag, the instructor’s a functioning alcoholic and was late every day.

I know the article mentions foreign drivers and I could go on and on, but it’s more about being able to buy a CDL.

Read the rest of this entry »

TV Reporters are the worse for spin because they have to edit a news story into a thirty second commercial, inserting big headlines and spinning quotes from people to fit the headline. Like this one with a video clip -

Are tired truckers causing more wrecks?.
A shortage of truck drivers persists throughout the United States, leaving truckers already on the road working harder to keep the nation’s goods moving.

But, some speculate they are working so long and hard that they’re causing accidents.

Speculate? Let’s quote a speculation from an unknown source to make a headline. Then we have -

On Monday, driver after driver pulled into the Triple-T truck stop. Many have been on the road for days, even weeks, without a rest.

Without rest or without sleep or without a day off with family? Big difference, but it sounds more drastic this way.

I promise never to do a television interview about trucking because no matter what is said, it will get turned around. Besides they wouldn’t want my ugly mug on TV anyway.

“It’s not enough people to get the job done,” explained Joanne Martinez, a truck driving student, “so, it puts the pressure on the people that are doing the job right now. [They're] more pressed for time.”

Martinez said even as a student, she understands what she’ll be facing.

A student driver understands the industry after she’s been out here for a couple of weeks? Nice job for the TV though. A woman truck driver giving her uninformed opinion to an even more uninformed reporter. But she got on TV!

The rest of the story is just as bad. There are a few quotes from drivers that I’m sure had good intentions, but the TV spins things around to fit the headline.

I’d go on, but to keep my head from exploding from the insanity, I’ll let you click here then click on the video camera below the picture to see the video for yourself.