Truckers blocking I-5 and other freeways in LA area to protest high gas prices

My guess is these guys are independent owner-operators who pay the high fuel prices directly out of their revenue generated.

Exactly! They took the chance that they could do the job for a set cost assuming that their fuel costs would remain stable. They probably signed a contract and can't get out of it and now are working for a lot less per hour than they anticipated.

141 posted on 04/30/2004 5:43:35 PM PDT by Rockitz (After all these years, it's still rocket science.)

Maybe they should park in front of the Air Quality Mgmt office and scream about why there aren't more refineries.

BINGO!! We have tons of oil but can't touch it because of some near extinct bacteria or something stupid like that.
We don't need the rest of the worlds oil and if the green weenies would get out of the way, we could prove it. Maybe if the price per barrel goes high enough someone will get a clue. Its like having a pantry full of food, and having your food shipped from Arabia for 5 times the price cause you don't want to eat your own.....jjjeesshh!! Go figure.

142 posted on 04/30/2004 5:59:11 PM PDT by BriarBey

It is not cool to jam up traffic in LA on purpose. They should be fined and put in jail for a while. How long?? Base it on some ratio to the total man hours of the public that was wasted sitting in traffic.

John

143 posted on 04/30/2004 6:06:01 PM PDT by John_7Diamonds

TROLL ?
FRIENDS ?
YOU THINK THEY ARE PLAYING ?
THEY MAY BE DOING US ALL A FAVOR FROM COAST TO COAST INCLUDING YOU ...
UNLESS YOU ARE MR. CHEVRON AND LIKE $4.00 PER GALLON GAS

144 posted on 04/30/2004 6:11:36 PM PDT by red-sky-at-night

IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT I HAVE SOME OCEAN FRONT PROPERTY IN COLORADO I THINK YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN

145 posted on 04/30/2004 6:13:43 PM PDT by red-sky-at-night

What am I missing in all of this cost of gas stuff?

I have royalty interests in mineral rights in the Panhandle of Texas. Since 1981 I've received royalty payments on the production. In the boom time of the 80's it wasn't unusual for me to receive checks totalling 4-6,000.00. Of course, it hasn't been like that since the bust.

Gas prices are up but my royalty payments aren't. So why are gas prices up?

146 posted on 04/30/2004 6:19:57 PM PDT by Sally'sConcerns (It's painless to be a monthly donor!)

To: Alberta's Child

truckers were being targeted because so many of them were from out of state

The 55 mph speed limit for trucks in Ohio put a large bullseye on them, just like Cali, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan. Illinois always seemed to be a little more "tolerant" of the evil, bloodsucking, dope fiend truckers flying down the interstate at 64 1/2 MPH.

147 posted on 04/30/2004 6:42:28 PM PDT by babaloo999 (Zionist troll since 2001)

To: red-sky-at-night

Well Mr. Gandhi,

There certainly is credibility to parts of your opinion

I will concur

Yet while you speak of those truck driving thugs going to such extremes ... it is apparent you are capable of going to an extreme as well ... that opinion being based on your statements of condemnation

I guess we all are if it is something we believe in strongly ... Who could fault us for that as long as it causes no harm

BUT ... while we are on the subject of people on the highway causing hazards and life threatening situations

What about that long line of folks out on the highway in Georgia led by the Rev. MLK

NOW ... that was a hazard ... Sure changed things didn't it

How do you think we should have dealt with all those thugs and terrorists?

Run over them ? Shoot them ? Put them in Jail because they had something to say ... something to protest ... they wanted to be heard ... to voice their opinion ... to stand up for something they believed in that had an effect on their lives ... it was and is their right

How many of those in that group were thugs and terrorists?

My take is ... if it is not right ... it is your right to stand up and be counted
Me, I am apathetic to both

Perhaps it all boils down to convenience for you

I wish you a safe and pleasant weekend

Oh! one thing ... have you noticed how the word "terrorist" has become so common and prevalent

It is like a new found word

148 posted on 04/30/2004 7:17:56 PM PDT by red-sky-at-night

To: Tennessee_Bob

When you see the thread reply of "red-sky-at-night to red-sky-at-night", what comes to mind?

149 posted on 04/30/2004 7:20:53 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican (ohh...ohhhhh.....oh..oh..oh..oh..oh..oh.oooooooo)

150 posted on 04/30/2004 7:26:20 PM PDT by red-sky-at-night

To: red-sky-at-night

So do you think that no one else noticed, until now, that fuel prices were up?

Do you think this doesn't affect other businesses? Or that no one else is affected?

Truckers should be unhappy about the higher fuel costs. Exactly what they expect anyone to do about it is anyone's guess.

For what it is worth, I am unhappy about it too, but not unhappy enough that I need to cause problems for a million people who can't do a damn thing about it.

151 posted on 04/30/2004 7:36:48 PM PDT by TN4Liberty (Life is a quagmire. Get used to it.)

By my count, the responses to this protest are 10:1 negative against the truck drivers. Most of the replies are typical, anti-truck bias.
Some information to consider, before you bash these people for acting out in what is clearly a protest of desperation, think about this:

First, the people on the thread that recognize that this is an owner-operator protest are correct. There is no way that any unions or company drivers are involved in this.
Why? Because owner-operators buy all of their own fuel.(Diesel, not gas) Owner operators do not have the fleet purchasing power that companies have. Fuel price increases always hit the owner operators first and hardest.

Second, why is this so important? Because owner operators comprise about %40 to %50 of the trucks on the road today. That means they deliver about that same amount of goods to stores/warehouses/railheads/terminals/etc.

Third, owner operators are operating on a razor thin profit margin, if they are smart they can make about 10 cents on every dollar of revenue they generate. (Drivers are paid by the mile, and freight charges average about $1 to $1.25 per mile, some places higher, some lower.

Fourth, fuel is basically a fixed cost, although it varies in the amount used based on miles driven. A well maintained Class 8 rig driven by a professional can average from 5.5 to 6 miles per gallon. This means there is very little a driver can do to save on this cost, or improve on it him/herself. This means that, what was a profitable load to haul when fuel was $1.50, is now a money-losing proposition at $1.75 or $2 per gallon.

Fifth, where companies can charge shippers a fuel surcharge, which most companies are doing now for basic survival reasons, it is the owner operators who are getting left out on this. They can request a fuel surcharge, but they are not in the same economic position as the trucking companies are. Shippers can just say no, or ignore that part of the shipping bill. Owner operators are stuck, they have basically no power to collect this or re-do contracts.

Sixth: Diesel fuel prices are rising so fast that no one in trucking can keep up on the rate side, this is, like so many other things, a losing proposition for the trucking industry, even the larger companies. In the world of trucking, you don't just "re-do" the contract, it just doesn't work that way. Freight rates have been static/level for decades, and shippers are resisting any efforts to increase them. Competition since 1980 de-regulation means that a carrier hauls for what the shipper will pay, and if they don't like it, the shipper finds a carrier that will haul it for that.

Seventh: The owner operator industry has endured some terrible years recently, basically since 1999 hundreds of thousands of small operators have gone bankrupt due to the most recent recession. The ones that are left, hoping an economic turnaround will get them back on their feet, are being hit with another kick to the groin, and most are not in an economic position to handle it. Tens of thousands more will most certainly go bankrupt this year.

Why would someone "walk-away" from an $80,000 tractor/ trailer? Absolute desperation. This is not a boutique issue for limousine liberals, this is not some political stunt. This is survival for literally hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Most of us do not appreciate the hard work and sacrifices of the American trucker. Most do not understand that if trucks stopped, the mail would stop within a day, your local gas station would be out of gas within 24-48 hours, your local restaurant or fast food joint would be out of food within 2 days, your local grocery store would be out of food within a week, your local mall and department stores would all be empty within 2 weeks.

So, a little compassion and understanding for these people, who although may not be protesting in a particularly convenient way, certainly have a cause which all of us should be aware of.

152 posted on 04/30/2004 7:59:35 PM PDT by Newtoidaho

To: red-sky-at-night

THEY MAY BE DOING US ALL A FAVOR FROM COAST TO COAST INCLUDING YOU ... UNLESS YOU ARE MR. CHEVRON AND LIKE $4.00 PER GALLON GAS

Do I think gas prices are too high? Yes.

That being said, this stunt is not only out of line, it doesn't do a damn thing for their cause.

And considering you showed up today with (apparently) the sole purpose of defending these domestic thugs, then yes, you are what I would consider a troll.

153 posted on 04/30/2004 8:27:10 PM PDT by mhking

IMHO, when a truck is stopped with the intention of blocking traffic, then abandoned; the vehicle is no longer a truck, but rather a road obstruction.

Remove it, and destroy it.

Then hit the owner with fines including 'littering'. There are legal means to protest, without obstructing everyone else's rights.

Get out the OXYGEN-ACETELYNE Torches and cut it ALL up into 50 Pound Chunks...lock 'em up until they PAY the entire cost of the operation!!!

If they don't like it, SHUT DOWN THE STATE COURTS AND DECLARE MARTIAL LAW!!!

154 posted on 05/01/2004 12:32:43 AM PDT by Lael (Patent Law...not a single Supreme Court Justice is qualified to take the PTO Bar Exam!)

To: starboardlist

California has the highest fuel prices in the nation (with the highest taxes). Long distance truckers don't suffer much because they buy their fuel elsewhere, but the local haulers don't have that choice.

Actually that is not true. Truckers are required to pay taxes regardless of where they purchase the fuel. If you drive in the state you have to pay their fuel taxes. There is a complicated formula involved in determining all this.

155 posted on 05/01/2004 7:17:48 AM PDT by ikka

Why would someone "walk-away" from an $80,000 tractor/ trailer? Absolute desperation.

Yes --- it's not that it's right but when you've worked hard, invested in your truck and it's your means of a living and there are not many other jobs available and you've got a family to support --- there can be desperation. It's easy to say they should just sell their trucks and find other jobs but in reality that isn't practical.

156 posted on 05/01/2004 7:17:57 AM PDT by FITZ

did this happen or not. i have not seen it on any news???

157 posted on 05/01/2004 8:20:24 PM PDT by camas

did this happen or not. i have not seen it on any news???

It's on the front of KNBC-TV's site as well as: http://www.nbc4.tv/traffic/3255276/detail.html

I'm sure it's on other sites as well.

158 posted on 05/01/2004 8:26:44 PM PDT by mhking

To: red-sky-at-night

There's just not enough coherence to your post to respond in a meaningful way. I'm truly sorry.

I urge you to attempt to refine your thoughts somewhat if we are to intelligently discuss the topic.

And please don't call me "Mr. Gandhi" or result to other such puerile nonsense. It does not improve your status here any more than it diminishes mine.

159 posted on 05/03/2004 11:57:14 AM PDT by Imal (Evolution is not an across-the-board proposition.)

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