I'm seeing lots of articles on Google News about trucker protests in various places in the US, but they are local news, with little context. I picked one that gave a bit of detail about what's...
I'm seeing lots of articles on Google News about trucker protests in various places in the US, but they are local news, with little context. I picked one that gave a bit of detail about what's going on, though it doesn't give any context either:
After an eventful day in Washington May 13, small trucking businesses protesters came a very large step closer to achieving the goals of their cause as their protest now nearing its third week. President Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke to the group for nearly 15 minutes, assuring them that Trump is aware of their cause and is listening as the nearly 150 assembled truckers voice their concerns.
[...]
Earlier in the day, a scheduled drive-thru protest of hundreds of buses, sponsored by the American Bus Association and the United Motorcoach Association, was interrupted when trucking protesters moved their vehicles to block travel on Constitution Avenue. Buses were seen making U-turns, trying to find a way out of the blockade and continue their own protest. A hundred or more protesters then occupied the empty street, chanting “USA, USA” and “We want Trump.” Many were waving U.S. flags or holding signs reading “No Cheap Freight” and calling for broker-income caps and greater transparency.
Some protesters cheered the buses, believing they had come to Washington in support of the truckers. Others commented that the street blockage was a result of pent-up frustration by demonstrators who had not yet achieved the sought-after meeting with the Trump administration.
[...]
In a later video, Jeremy Johnson of The Disrespected Trucker offered an explanation for the blockade. The Department of Justice, he explained, had issued a statement refusing to investigate brokers for price gouging.
The pandemic has turned the global trucking industry on its head. As swathes of the world economy shut down and curbs on movement and gatherings disrupt supply chains, freight companies are hemorrhaging cash and sidelining thousands of truckers.
“Once the economy gets going again, my fear is that there will be so many truckers out of the business by then,” said Steve Sperbeck, general manager for ERL, which has a fleet of 52 trucks based in Utica, New York.
I think this adds some context: It's deeply unfortunate that truckers are facing this sort of economic trouble, seeing as they are vital to the American product supply chain, which is collapsing...
I think this adds some context:
However, [Ricky] Santiago’s position has changed substantially from his original assertion that brokers are “gouging” carriers and demanding that broker profits be regulated. Santiago explained that he now believes that both brokers and carriers are simply responding to the free market and that there’s no legal limitations on the amount of revenue the broker can keep. His message has changed to one of transparency.
Then there’s [Owner Operator Independent Driver Association] OOIDA, which has issued recent press releases outlining the organization’s effort revise federal regulations regarding broker information. CFR 371.3 requires brokers to provide the details of each brokered transaction to each party involved upon request, but brokers often circumvent the requirement by requiring truckers to waive their rights to see the information before agreeing to work with them. Others place restrictions on the carrier’s ability to see the information that make compliance nearly impossible. The OOIDA proposal would prohibit carriers asking drivers to waive their rights and would require disclosure of the information at the time the load is concluded, without requiring a formal request from the carrier.
For Johnson, the OOIDA proposal isn’t enough.
“We think more broker transparency is a good start,” he said. “It’s a good start. But you and I know that the system is broken. FMCSA and DOT have to let guys like us go into hearings and state our case. Let real truckers speak their minds.”
It's deeply unfortunate that truckers are facing this sort of economic trouble, seeing as they are vital to the American product supply chain, which is collapsing in many ways right now. I stand in solidarity with truckers that oppose electronic logs, and this seems like another thing to add to the pile. I have to wonder what Uber Freight will do to the trucking industry and wonder if it stands to be a middle-ground in this fight.
It seems like this is another example of how Andrew Yang turned out to be right for an unexpected reason. Truckers are suffering, but not due to automation.
It seems like this is another example of how Andrew Yang turned out to be right for an unexpected reason. Truckers are suffering, but not due to automation.
Can you elaborate on Yang's stance here? I'm unfamiliar and am curious in what he's had to say. There's been a lot of fascinating conversation from the Over the Road podcast (released by...
Can you elaborate on Yang's stance here? I'm unfamiliar and am curious in what he's had to say.
There's been a lot of fascinating conversation from the Over the Road podcast (released by Radiotopia). It gives an inside view into these modern-day struggles. Unfortunately, nothing has been released regarding the topic in the article, but the logs and other protests have been covered.
Yeah, it was a fairly prominent part of his campaign. Here's an article from last year: Andrew Yang promises to protect American trucking industry from automation
I'm seeing lots of articles on Google News about trucker protests in various places in the US, but they are local news, with little context. I picked one that gave a bit of detail about what's going on, though it doesn't give any context either:
[...]
[...]
Update: here's a more introductory article: Why Truckers Showed Up and Blasted Their Horns At Trump.
And it links to Reuters:
Truckers hit by coronavirus pandemic face rocky road to recovery
I think this adds some context:
It's deeply unfortunate that truckers are facing this sort of economic trouble, seeing as they are vital to the American product supply chain, which is collapsing in many ways right now. I stand in solidarity with truckers that oppose electronic logs, and this seems like another thing to add to the pile. I have to wonder what Uber Freight will do to the trucking industry and wonder if it stands to be a middle-ground in this fight.
It seems like this is another example of how Andrew Yang turned out to be right for an unexpected reason. Truckers are suffering, but not due to automation.
Can you elaborate on Yang's stance here? I'm unfamiliar and am curious in what he's had to say.
There's been a lot of fascinating conversation from the Over the Road podcast (released by Radiotopia). It gives an inside view into these modern-day struggles. Unfortunately, nothing has been released regarding the topic in the article, but the logs and other protests have been covered.
Yeah, it was a fairly prominent part of his campaign. Here's an article from last year:
Andrew Yang promises to protect American trucking industry from automation