High Fuel Prices Hurting Independent Truckers

“It's a significant increase in a short period of time”

Charles Scott doesn't know how some of his fellow independent truckers can afford to stay in business. via MyFox St. Louis

[Spanki]

As of today, May 1st, 2008 I have decided to park my truck forever.... Can no longer afford to keep running.... 12 years of trucking have ended very painfully... It was a tough decision, but I just cant do it..... Good luck to all... I feel your pain and will support you all the way.

Peace !!

[JUST 18 WHEELS]

Whats going to be the end game, I can only imagine! Its been reported over on TRUCKERTOTRUCKER.COM that 42,000 truckers have gone under the 1st quarter of 08..its only going to get better though.. right... ok

[Spanki]

JUST 18 WHEELS wrote:

Whats going to be the end game, I can only imagine! Its been reported over on TRUCKERTOTRUCKER.COM that 42,000 truckers have gone under the 1st quarter of 08..its only going to get better though.. right... ok

Thats the problem 18 wheels... There are approximately 400,000, now 50,000 less O/O in this country... If "ONLY" half of us could come together and shut operations down for 1 week, then and only then will the politicians and big ticket Washington lobbiyists would be shaken off their feet... We have ourselves to blame... We cant find common ground to stand on. Expect another 100,000 O/O to shut down by the end of year... Every fella trucker I know is as good as bankrupt. Yes sir... ITS A DAMN SHAME!!!

[JUST 18 WHEELS]

I'm lost for words...what are you gonna do now?

[Illinois driver]

Spanki wrote:

<quoted text>
Thats the problem 18 wheels... There are approximately 400,000, now 50,000 less O/O in this country... If "ONLY" half of us could come together and shut operations down for 1 week, then and only then will the politicians and big ticket Washington lobbiyists would be shaken off their feet... We have ourselves to blame... We cant find common ground to stand on. Expect another 100,000 O/O to shut down by the end of year... Every fella trucker I know is as good as bankrupt. Yes sir... ITS A DAMN SHAME!!!

The whole country is in a recession. Construction and O/O's are in the worst of it. When one of us goes goes out of business, they don't even count as "unemployed". That's the attitude of government, trucker's don't count unless it is a source of revenue.

[TeresaLynn]

I know where ya'll are coming from. My husband left a good job with benifits, because of management, to become a trucker. We are on the wall right now. He drives for the Port in Savannah, no over road yet. He did strike for 4 days when the 1st one happened, but we couldn't afford to any longer. Not many did strike, which defeated the purpose. If they were pulling it was taking $$ out of our pockets. It's a no win situation right now. We're in the process of selling our house now, hoping it will even things out for us.

[Illinois driver]

I saw the news, the president begging the Saudis to open the oil valve just a little more...They told him politely that he and America can go "f--k" themselves. And these are our "friends" in the middle east. Turned off the TV, no good news about anything. If I could find a non-trucking job I would take it, but everyone is laying off, no one hiring. Shipping dock ad says "must be bilinguil". I have a small US flag on my truck, a group of Mexicans laugh at it and yell "don't you know? America is finished!" I hope they are wrong. I don't know what to do.