Independent Truck Drivers Need Our Help
blog, non-fiction
Published on:
March 16, 1:00amWord Count:
452Work Description
A blog entry for an issue personal to me.
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Over 300,000 men and women criss-cross our country every day in
big rig trucks they own, hauling every type of product we consume,
use, and desire. These men and women represent 9% of the truckers
on the road; they are the Owner/Operators, the independents who
work without the net of a union--probably the closest thing to a
cowboy in our present society.
The cost of diesel fuel has doubled in the last four years; the
rate-per-mile these drivers receive has changed little in the same
time period. Fuel is the single biggest cost for the drivers,
representing a full half, or more, of their gross pay each week.
Paydays are dismal affairs for many of these independents whose
take-home pay is one-fourth of their gross pay.
Independent truckers are rugged individuals for the most part,
not looking for handouts or sympathy. What they want is to be able
to continue to do their jobs and to bring home a decent wage for
doing so. Independent truckers don't have health insurance or 401k
plans because they are self-employed. Those necessities must be
paid out-of-pocket from their take-home pay, in addition to the
monthly bills everyone else incurs.
Then there is maintenance on their trucks: an oil change, needed
about every 15,000 miles costs over $200.00. Most drivers are
logging 3,000 miles/week, so an oil change is a frequent need.
Tires are the most replaced items on these trucks; one tire costs
$400 or more. Big rig trucks have ten tires to maintain; each lasts
approximately 100,000 miles.
What these independent truckers are seeking is either a cap on
diesel fuel prices, or a tax credit on fuel expenses. Just as the
farmers who in the recent past needed assistance to keep from going
under, the independent truck drivers are in the same situation
today.
Think it won't effect you one way or the other if independent
truckers go the way of the dinosaur? If the trucking business
became completely company run, it would decrease competition for
reasonable shipping rates. Shipping rates would increase. Increased
shipping rates will be passed onto consumers.
We don't need to do a lot to help these people out. A letter, a
phone call, an email to our elected officials letting them know we
support the struggle of these self-employed folks, that we endorse
either or both the cap on diesel fuel prices or tax credits for
fuel expenses. A letter to the editor of your local newspaper with
the same information would be useful to spread the word. When we
help these small business owners survive this critical economic
situation, we are helping ourselves, too.
For more information, visit this link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hs2aTIvUJrZa3rqSyTpFVG84yJsQD8V4IGMG0
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While the other critic is correct about your going into the newspaper business, take this from someone who is a newspaper man:
Your blog reads like a professional COLUMN rather than a news article, simply because of the bias you have for these truckers, even if the bias is for the betterment of hardworking human beings. Another thing if it were to be considered for news print would be sources. You have absolutely no sources for your claims. Where did you get your information?
As for a critique of your writing, in the first paragraph you need to clarify immediately that you are writing about independant truckers. I had to read the paragraph three times before it was clear to me if the "300,000 men and women" were the independant truckers in the title. While you do have this information in the second sentence after the semi-colon, I think you should consider placing this vital information in the first sentence.
Good luck with a newspaper job if you're interested. The bad thing is that it doesn't pay very well, especially to go throug four years of college to find a job that pays only 14 thousand a year. But, hey: it beats slinging pizzas. I would advise you try to sell the piece to a local newspaper as a column once you cite some sources.
I've read your blog here and I'll have to agree it reads like a newspaper colum. The issue regarding independent truckers and us citizens of the U.S. doing our part with the econonmy really pointed out what else is going on today aside from the war in Iraq and among other things. The truckers running on the independent/self employed business are having it bad as the trucking businesses. So, anyway this is good writing here. The commentary on the other side the self employed trucking business was nice work and it kind of compares to Kelly Ogle's "My 2 cents." Good job, man.
Even though I do not read articles of independent truck drivers needing other people's help, this gave me interest because I see that you have taken the time to write stuff like this as if it were on the most important article on the newspaper. In my fairest and most honest opinion, you should become a writer for the newspaper, because I believe that you have what it takes to become one. Also I believe in your potential to capture newspaper readers' attentions. What I believe that you can write is politics, the presidential election that is going on now, the weather, health news, and many many more! Just think of what would happen if you were to become a writer of the newspaper! Tell me what you think of my preference on my scratchpad! I believe that you can do all those things!