Truckers ‘going broke’ and threatening to strike

Quad City Times ^ | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 | Barb Ickes

[KTM rider]

What started as a small, online grassroots effort now appears to have the potential for something bigger.

Dan Little, the owner/operator of a livestock hauling company in Carrollton, Mo., estimated Tuesday that at least 1,000 other truckers from across the United States have committed so far to joining him in a strike on April 1.

At issue is the rising cost of diesel fuel, which has reached or exceeded $4 per gallon in at least 17 states. But Little does not expect his strike to bring down the per-gallon price of gas, nor does he expect to have any effect on the oil companies.

“What I would personally like to see is our federal and state governments, until our economy recovers, suspend federal and state fuel taxes,” the 49-year-old said. “The second thing I’d like to see is an oversight committee for truck insurance, which is part of what’s taking us down.,

“Everything in the world is going up (in price), except for what we do. I lose money if I start my truck, and that truck is paid for — free and clear.”

Keith Deblieck, the owner of a trucking company out of Geneseo, Ill., said that, for many drivers, the time for a strike has come.

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“In no way, shape or form do truckers want to hurt this country. My whole deal on this thing is that I’m shutting down on April 1. Call it a strike, a shutdown or just flat-ass going broke.”

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“Our federal government is subsidizing railroads, airlines, banks and farmers,” he said. “Meanwhile, we’re being taxed to death.”

Barb Ickes can be contacted at (563) 383-2316 or bickes@qctimes.com.

[KTM rider]

The price of diesel is heavily taxed and even passenger cars have to pay it.

Diesel is the first process in making Gas and it should be 1/3 the cost based on comparison of cost to produce between the two products.

these truckers will just be replaced by illegal aliens like the Harbor Container haulers

The samll companies or O/O's will just go unbder and the huge transportation companies.

The "Owner Operator Independent Association" sounds like a sham phony shill group

I'm 100% behind this, Our own US government is totally screwing us on every level !

[TCats]

"Our own US government is totally screwing us on every level !"

Let's not forget State and Local Gov'ts. They are very bit as wasteful, corrupt and overbearing as the Feds. They just don't get the exposure.

[pnh102]

“Our federal government is subsidizing railroads, airlines, banks and farmers,” he said. “Meanwhile, we’re being taxed to death.”

Amen to that, though I am pretty certain that freight railroads are not subsidized. While gas taxes pay for every other form of transport that can't pay for itself, the real problem is the fact that our own government insists that we not be energy independent. We could, if we really wanted to, drill for all the oil we needed in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, but we don't want to, thanks to NIMBYs and other elected idiots who stand in the way of progress. The same goes for refineries too.

[investigateworld]

I really hope they do go down in a blaze of glory and tie everything up. It just might - that's a small 'might' by the way, get folks to thinking.

I wish them all the best.

[raybbr]

Can’t wait for the super-capitalists on this site to come here and trash the unions and everyone else that thinks that Americans are getting hosed by the myth of “free trade”.

[deport]

Diesel is the first process in making Gas and it should be 1/3 the cost based on comparison of cost to produce between the two products.

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So how many gallons of low sulphur diesel do you get out of that 42 gallon barrel of crude? Diesel demand will play a large part in the pricing scheme.

[elpinta]

Is hard to figure what the gooberment plans to do... cheap to produce and taxed to the max, the lifeblood of the economy, diesel, is bled to death by taxes.

A silent, hard working not-realy-a-minority (the truckers) are pushed into a corner.

This is not only unfair, but it can develop into a huge mess if this ignored ‘minority’ the truckers keep getting the short of of the proverbial stick.

Is it that perhaps the brains up high are just planning something??? Nah, that could not be now, could it???

[Dahoser]

I hope the people they get to thinking are the ones who keep reelecting the clymers that raise these taxes and prevent drilling for oil.

[Constitution Day]

So how many gallons of low sulphur diesel do you get out of that 42 gallon barrel of crude? Diesel demand will play a large part in the pricing scheme.

Precisely. It sickens me to see how many people don't understand basic supply and demand.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

I wonder what would happen to the truckers profits if they turned their trucks off at rest stops instead of idling all night? Adding an electric generator that is charged long enough while driving to power essential amenities would go a log way to cut fuel costs.

I am not taking a side, but just suggesting an entrepreneurial revolution that an electric generator would create?

Someone has to have done it?

[Hildy]

What gets me is the feds want to help homeowners who are in the mess they’re in because of their own incompetence..meanwhile, those out there who have done everything they were suppoesd to do is getting screwed..as usual.

[Nathan Zachary]

What really needs to be done is point some nukes at the Saudi’s and stop them from playing with the oil tap.

After them, traders on the trading floor that bid up the price of oil every time someone spills a gallon of gas filling up their lawnmower.

[Snardius]

If a strike goes nation wide, this could be devastating...if you got it, a truck brought it.

[Tailback]

Huge amounts of diesel go to the military first, then what’s left over go to the American consumer. When I was in Kuwait I saw tanker truck convoys lining up that stretched for miles getting ready to move into Iraq. I’m completely for the effort in Iraq, but the fact that diesel is so expensive is purely the fault of the greeny Dems (and RINO’s like governor Jeb Bush) blocking any kind of oil exploration anywhere in the USA.

We can’t have coal fired electricity, we can’t have nuclear electricity. The Army Corps of Bungeleers is spilling water around the dams to “save” Salmon instead of creating electricity. We can’t drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, off of Florida, off of California, off of Oregone, and in ANWR.

We can’t build more refineries, we can’t log in public lands, we can’t build houses anywhere there’s an endangered bug, we can’t harvest salvage logs after a major Western forest fire, we can’t do anything is this country!

When the economy takes a dive we blame “the evil corporations” and complain that our 401k’s aren’t pulling in %12 annually.

I frankly am getting very close to not caring anymore. Is it any wonder that voter participation is at such a low level? What difference does voting make? Why did I serve in this countries military for over 20 years? It’s pathetic to see.

[the invisib1e hand]

only one obvious,possibly good thing could result.

Any guesses?

[Mr. Brightside]

A friend owns a trucking company.

She says that each 10 cent increase in the price of diesel costs her drivers $200 per week.

[sweetiepiezer]

If they do go on strike, you had better be stocked up on food.

[gogeo]

Diesel is the first process in making Gas and it should be 1/3 the cost based on comparison of cost to produce between the two products...

In what world?

[skateman]

Oh H*ll let’s just all go on strike, that will REALLY bring down the price of everything.

[Republic of Texas]

Even if this is union backed, for once they are right. Gas taxes are onerous. All our taxes are too high, but government makes about .50 per gallon on gas, oil companies make about .10 per gallon. I don't know what diesel taxes are, but I’m sure they are comparable.