Gone 500 miles and the day’s not done.

Curtis Perry doesn’t get paid for eating lunch. He gets paid for driving.

In fact, the 49-year-old trucker for Allion earns a living only when his wheels are rolling – not while he’s eating, refueling or parked in a loading dock.

Even when I had a 9-5 job, I didn’t get paid for eating lunch. I know the point they are trying to make, but not too many jobs have a paid lunch hour. When I had a 9-5 job, it wasn’t really 9-5. It was work until the job was done. I worked at home, I worked overtime, I worked holidays. It’s competitive in the corporate world also. Trucking doesn’t have exclusivity on uncompensated work.

Longer days for truckers sought – billingsgazette.com.

"Truckers are pushing harder than ever to make their runs within the mandated timeframe," Boozman said. "Optional rest breaks will reduce driver layovers and improve both safety and efficiency."

Wal-Mart spokesman Erik Winborn said the proposal has broad support among the trucking industry and other retailers.

"We support it because we feel it would actually enhance safety rather than hurt safety," said Winborn, whose company employs about 7,000 truck drivers.

Wal-Mart employees were Boozman’s top contributors in 2003-04, giving him $48,152 for his re-election campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Wal-Mart and its employees gave $44,500 to Boozman for his first successful bid for Congress in 2001-02, the last year corporations could give to congressional candidates.

Anyone who believes Wal-Mart came up with this idea to give their drivers a break during the day and for safety reasons,  is living on Fantasy Island.

Wal-Mart and other retailers are the absolute worst offenders for taking advantage of drivers on their docks. I’ve delivered to several Wal-mart distribution centers and most were "driver assist" loads. Meaning -  the drivers unload while the warehouse employee has his butt glued to the fork lift. They are one of the worst for appointment times. You have a very small time frame when you can check in and don’t be late, they will reschedule another appointment a few days later. They are strict when it comes to their time, but it’s nothing for a driver to have to wait four or more hours (after your appointment time) to get unloaded.

When the new 14 hour rule came out, Wal-mart filed suit that opposed the change to a strict 14 hour workday. They wanted to go back to the 15 hour day that could be extended by off duty time, when really drivers are on the dock or working or doing anything besides sleeping.  Since they have a Congressman in their pocket they got greedy and not only wanted the 15 hours back, but went for 16. And was going to have it written in a law so, even if the new HOS were changed, their 16 hours would remain no matter what. I’m speechless. I’ve always known they were a bloodsucking, heartless corporation, but this takes the cake!

Wal-Mart pursues changes in HOS rules.

Jul  1, 2003 12:00 PM

Wal-Mart opposes a rule that includes rest breaks and other down time in a driver’s official work shift. Implementing this rule change could trim two to three hours per day from a work shift, the company said. It contends it would have to employ another 275 drivers and add 300 tractor rigs, which would cost $25 million, according to the AP report.

Remember Parents Against Tired Truckers? The founder of that group, his child was killed by a tired trucker, that drove for Wal-mart. Because of a Wal-mart driver, this group is on a personal vendetta against all trucking.

Besides, anything that Wal-mart supports, probably isn’t good for workers or drivers. You could check out Trucking Solutions for more about Wal-mart, PATT and the abuse of drivers. The webmaster is really involved in trying to change the way things are done. Personally, I just rant a little and if I feel I’m being taken advantage of, I go to another company. But he was really involved with lobbying and trying to change things for everyone. There’s a lot of information that was gathered from goverment documents and his personal experience.

Originally posted 2005-03-12 12:22:16.

This was through Nebraska and Kansas. A couple of small towns, but mostly wide open farmland. Farmers were out in the fields with combines and when it got dark the lights on the tractors and combines came on. Like a trip back in time, old rural farm houses dotted the landscape. Most times the house was the smallest structure on the property.

I like to think I am like the truckers of the past. King of the road. Respected for what I do, not for the power tie I wear and the size of my office. In the small towns during the cool evening hours people were sitting on their porches chatting with neighbors or just watching traffic go by. I would get a wave once in a while.

Trucks in rural parts are not taken for granted. They are the arteries that allow the small towns to be connected to the rest of the world and in order to survive they must be connected and they still realize it. Trucks bring grain to the huge elevators from the fields and then trucks take it to market. Cattle still get trucked to market. Trucks and truckers have a completely different reputation in small towns than the treatment we get in large cities.

Most of the small towns the truckers know each other and everyone else. They might do the local grain or cattle hauling or even the dirt hauling for the construction company. It’s through that familiarity that reputations are made. As opposed to the ignorance of the city folks. And the ignorance of anything unusual usually breeds fear and contempt. Which would explain a lot how and why trucks and drivers are treated the way we are in larger cities.