Truckers Protest, the Resistance Begins

Until the beginning of this month, Americans seemed to have nothing to say about their ongoing economic ruin except, "Hit me! Please, hit me again!" You can take my house, but let me mow the lawn for you one more time before you repossess. Take my job and I'll just slink off somewhere out of sight. Oh, and take my health insurance too; I can always fall back on Advil.

Then, on April 1, in a wave of defiance, truck drivers began taking the strongest form of action they can take - inaction. Faced with $4/gallon diesel fuel, they slowed down, shut down and started honking. On the New Jersey Turnpike, a convoy of trucks stretching "as far as the eye can see," according to a turnpike spokesman, drove at a glacial 20 mph. Outside of Chicago, they slowed and drove three abreast, blocking traffic and taking arrests. They jammed into Harrisburg PA; they slowed down the Port of Tampa where 50 rigs sat idle in protest. Near Buffalo, one driver told the press he was taking the week off "to pray for the economy."

The truckers who organized the protests -- by CB radio and internet -- have a specific goal: reducing the price of diesel fuel. They are owner-operators, meaning they are also businesspeople, and they can't break even with current fuel costs. They want the government to release its fuel reserves. They want an investigation into oil company profits and government subsidies of the oil companies. Of the drivers I talked to, all were acutely aware that the government had found, in the course of a weekend, $30 billion to bail out Bear Stearns, while their own businesses are in a tailspin.

But the truckers' protests have ramifications far beyond the owner-operators' plight --first, because trucking is hardly a marginal business. You may imagine, here in the blogosphere, that everything important travels at the speed of pixels bouncing off of satellites, but 70 percent of the nation's goods - from Cheerios to Chapstick --travel by truck. We were able to survive a writers' strike, but a trucking strike would affect a lot more than your viewing options. As Donald Hayden, a Maine trucker put it to me: "If all the truckers decide to shut this country down, there's going to be nothing they can do about it."

More importantly, the activist truckers understand their protest to be part of a larger effort to "take back America," as one put it to me. "We continue to maintain this is not just about us," "JB"-- which is his CB handle and stands for the "Jake Brake" on large rigs-- told me from a rest stop in Virginia on his way to Florida. "It's about everybody - the homeowners, the construction workers, the elderly people who can't afford their heating bills... This is not the action of the truck drivers, but of the people." Hayden mentions his parents, ages and 81 and 76, who've fought the Maine winter on a fixed income. Missouri-based driver Dan Little sees stores shutting down in his little town of Carrollton. "We're Americans," he tells me, "We built this country, and I'll be damned if I'm going to lie down and take this."

At least one of the truckers' tactics may be translatable to the foreclosure crisis. On March 29, Hayden surrendered three rigs to be repossessed by Daimler-Chrysler - only he did it publicly, with flair, right in front of the statehouse in Augusta. "Repossession is something people don't usually see," he says, and he wanted the state legislature to take notice. As he took the keys, the representative of Daimler-Chrysler said, according to Hayden, "I don't see why you couldn't make the payments." To which Hayden responded, "See, I have to pay for fuel and food, and I've eaten too many meals in my life to give that up."

Suppose homeowners were to start making their foreclosures into public events-- inviting the neighbors and the press, at least getting someone to camcord the children sitting disconsolately on the steps and the furniture spread out on the lawn. Maybe, for a nice dramatic touch, have the neighbors shower the bankers, when they arrive, with dollar bills and loose change, since those bankers never can seem to get enough.

But the larger message of the truckers' protest is about pride or, more humbly put, self-respect, which these men channel from their roots. Dan Little tells me, "My granddad said, and he was the smartest man I ever knew, 'If you don't stand up for yourself ain't nobody gonna stand up for you.'" Go to theamericandriver.com, run by JB and his brother in Texas, where you're greeted by a giant American flag, and you'll find - among the driving tips, weather info, and drivers' favorite photos -the entire Constitution and Declaration of Independence. "The last time we faced something as impacting on us," JB tells me, "There was a revolution."

The actions of the first week in April were just the beginning. There's talk of a protest in Indiana on the 18^th, another in New York City, and a giant convergence of trucks on DC on the 28^th. Who knows what it will all add up to? Already, according to JB, some of the big trucking companies are threatening to fire any of their employees who join the owner-operators' protests.

But at least we have one shining example of defiance of the face of economic assault. There comes a point, sooner or later, when you stop scrambling around on all fours and, like JB and his fellow drivers all over the country, you finally stand up.

If you would like to help support the truckers in any way, go to here .

Comments

[Rule Of Law]

They aiding and supporting Al Qaeda! I just want to ask them, "Why do you hate your country so much?" They should all be rounded up, put in one of those FEMA camps somewhere, and waterboarded until they're right with jesus, and ready to vote Republican again!

[newpantaloons]

It always amazes me how so many people will go against their own best interests. Like this clown! Does he drive? If so, then HE is "aiding and supporting Al Qaeda"! I really hope the above comment from "RuleOfLaw' is a snark, if not, then hopefully someone will point out to him that he is behind the times and should live in Nazi Germany!

[Rule Of Law]

And, just a suggestion I've fund helpful--when in doubt either bite your tongue, or do waht I do which is to check the person's bio. You get a good idea real quick whether its a "snark" or not! (In this instance, yes! Ok? The country sucks, Bush should be waterboarded. The gas companies nationalized. Free Tibet...)

[wendy82551]

Very funny! Great satire!

(You ARE kidding, right??? The internet is a tough place for irony.)

[Rule Of Law]

You're right! Even Jonathon Swift would be held in suspicion here :))

[GoodwithWood]

"Rubber Ducky. Well Hot Dam, Looks we got ourselves a.........­.Convoy. "

[larry278]

Truckers are capable of learning from their mistakes & the mistakes of others. Since W isn't going to run for POTUS again; something about the US Constitution, he's going to let McInsane do the worrying.
larry lynch

[RadioResearch]

Hmmm. Let's see now, how many of these people are from Red states?

And for how many years now have I been driving by these guys with their Jesus stickers and their pro-Bush, pro-war signs? Maybe they are finally starting to wake up - but I'll bet they vote for McSame in the fall cuz they can't vote for a woman or a black man. Perhaps they should consider becoming liberals instead of always voting against themselves and going for pseudo Jesus neo-conservative crowd. Funny how these people don't get it until it is too late.

[ChangeNow]

I think alot of these guys are realizing that hey were conned by the conservative movement. We should welcome and applaud that realization with our support.

[isis]

Isn't there an issue with Mexican trucks and their truckers being able to driver 24/7 coming up? High gas prices aren't the only trouble brewing for truckers and those who share highways with them.

[A3rik]

Actually, quite a few of us have always been liberal. But there's also a greater trend in trucking in general: Most of the people I went through CDL classes with were older guys who'd just lost their factory jobs to outsourcing (in our area it was a Delphi plant mainly). You're also seeing a demographic shift, as many of those just entering the industry are young and/or minority members, who've found that the only real opportunity in town is a job that keeps you away from home for weeks at a time. The somewhat stereotypical "redneck trucker" may not be extinct, but it does make up a much smaller fraction of the industry than one might imagine.

As a company driver, I wasn't able to stop completely, but they can't fire me if "traffic" forces me to go 20 under the speed limit...

[RadioResearch]

Actually A3rik, I was being somewhat harsh in my comments but over the past few years of living both in the East and the West with roots in the midwest I have grown tired of the truck "billboard" that always seems to have some cross or support-ou­r-troops/p­resident stickers plastered on its front or side (I especially dislike those great big crosses lit up on the front - Jesus says your supposed to pray in private not make a spectacle of it).

And you are probably right, there may well be a major demographic shift in the profession and if so then it bodes well for the profession as a whole. Unfortunately, trucking also seems to be getting outsourced - to Canadians and Mexicans who obviously have to make a living as well. Myself, I am an old school conservative and have always believed that we should stay out of the "Muddle East" and become energy self-sufficient while remaining conscious of our environment. These days that is defined as "liberal." Well, so be it then - rather be liberal than neo-conservative stupid.

This overall trend toward skepticism of our government and its motives is good but I fear that they will pull a hat-trick on us again and people will buy into it out of fear.

[jfor]

Who in their right mind would say that they are better off now than they were eight years ago?

[gloryoski]

In re: Making foreclosures public events. Do I smell a YouTube channel?

[dchavern]

This is a strange post. It is very complimentary about an apparently progressiv­e/stick-it­-to-the-ma­n protest over -- gas prices?? I thought that gas was considered "underpriced" for years, taking into account environmental externalities. Won't cheaper gas prices lead to faster global warming?

[LightningJoe]

I don't think gas prices are actually the main point here. I think the point is that our government is so out of touch with real people's problems. Independent truck drivers don't have lobbyists sitting in line in Congressmen's offices, nor do grocery clerks or commercial fishermen, or pump jockeys.

But the fact is, the "solution" they'll probably choose, if these guys make enough noise, will be just what you're afraid of: subsidized fuel consumption for the noisier noise-makers. Use more, pay less. Rinse and repeat.

Meanwhile, our government is waiting for venture capital to get interested in alternative fuels (right!), rather than doing what they need to do, which is to start a Manhattan Project to end our oil dependency. What do we even need a government FOR, if they cannot respond to a real crisis?

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Kill that tv. Kill it dead.

[montemalone]

Your last line will get you a lifetime membership in the Republican Party, Club for Growth, Grover Norquists Bathtub Baby Party, and Dick Cheney's Hunting Club.

[cheesegypsy]

It's time to rethink the American dream.

We've worshipped at the altar of wealth and self-sufficiency for a long time now. The private good has superseded the public good and we have consistently been told to get off their asses and do something to help ourselves. But now that fiction is fading as the rich figure out more sophisticated ways to extract wealth from the lower classes while not actually creating new wealth. Put simply, we are at the mercy of a giant check-cashing service who raids our pockets while pretending to do us a favor.

[WASanford]

Good on you, cheesegypsy!

[LightningJoe]

The problem is with the syntax. When rich people tell you to help yourself, it's really a country-club joke. They helped themselves, all right. They helped themselves to what should be ours: the benefits of our labor. An ever-increasing share of it. Workers get less and less benefit from the work they do, and the rich skim off more and more of our means to live. Frogs in hot water, that's what we are, waiting placidly to cook in our skins.

Americans tolerate it partly because of the mystique of wealth. We like to imagine ourselves or our offspring rich, so we go easy on those who already are, and don't judge them. Problem with that is, those who've gotten theirs, er, OURS, aren't about to let the slaves get rich as well. Who would they exploit? Who would pay the taxes that go for their tax breaks and subsidize their businesses? They like it the way it is. We do the work, and they buy the yachts.

We need to get it straight that the rich are not our friends. They are vampires, who think they are gods. They have the power, through money, to make sure that OUR government protects THEIR wealth, and lets them take more of it from us, as time goes on.

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Wake up! Stop watching tv!

[WorkingClass]

TAX THE RICH. They hate that. Say it out loud. TAX THE RICH. Feels gooood doesn't it? Sing it out. TAX THE RICH!!!!!

[lynnn]

I experienced this first hand driving across IA to OH, they did these things even in rural areas. I love how the media is trying to ignore this.

[drkazmd65]

I'm damned proud of these guys - If they chose to shut down the country sometime this summer I'm all for it.

Just need to make sure that the pantry is fully stocked with non-perishables first,...

[montemalone]

Hope you live walking distance to work.
Gas is delivered by truck.

[drkazmd65]

I don't live walking distance - but I do have a respectible amount of sick and annual leave coming to me. That - and I can telecomute for at least a while.

My guess - the strike wouldn't have to be that long. The attention would be drawn pretty much immediately. The only real question would be whether the effect would take immediately, or whether the 'Government' would sick Blackwater on the truckers.

[caj]

Amen! To that.

[bethinaz]

I've been thinking for a long time that we need a true national strike. No one drive, go to work, go to the store, go out to dinner, etc. for just one day. Could you imagine if we shut it down for just one day?

[LeftRight]

Problem is that we'd need more than that. One day would barely be a blip, since we shut down for two days a week in large portions of the economy...­.

[LightningJoe]

OOps, that idea bombed before it started, because none of the bought media covered it!

Check, mate.

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(ssssztt..­.) This is your brain, on TV.

[matthewshappy]

Shut the whole thing down. Growth is not the answer. Continually stockpiling money and being afraid of not having enough is not propelling our citizenry to to any kind of morality. The cars, trucks, suv's and waistlines in this state are truly gargantuan. No one walks or rides a bicycle, but they are zooming by in their gas guzzling machinaries. Shut 'er down. Not the complete answer by any means, can we all think of more than just our own wallets and bank accounts.

[montemalone]

Did anybody ask these guys who they voted for in the past two elections?
Did they raise their shipping rates to cover the increased cost of fuel?
European truckers have been paying a lot more for fuel for a lot longer. They manage to make a living.
So long as people continue to vote and act in the best interests of the richest 1/2% of the population, they'll get screwed.
Why should I feel sorry for them?

[Sumocat]

"Did they raise their shipping rates to cover the increased cost of fuel?" -- Why bother when they can just fold up and hand their business over to national shipping corporations? If they raise prices, they lose business to big companies that can layoff personnel to cover expenses or their customers pay the pinch forward and pass it on to us. You shouldn't feel sorry; you should feel grateful.

[WASanford]

Maybe because they're your fellow countrymen and they are in a jam just like you're going to be!

[A3rik]

These are "owner-operators". Think "one-man companies". They have to keep their rates low to compete with the "Walmart"-style trucking companies. These large firms, some with as many as 10,000 trucks (I've worked for one such), are able to negotiate lower fuel prices with the major truckstop chains. Also, they often hire new/student drivers, and pay exceedingly low wages. Comparing anything in Europe to the situation here is a bit unfair- even Walmart employees can unionize in some European countries.

And I've never voted for a Republican. Don't lump us all together, please.

[vippy]

There is no comparison between Germany and the USA in this instance. Truckers on strike here
could bring the country on its knees. I hope they will take off for one week. That will show the
oil barons!

[montemalone]

I'm not saying all trucker's are Republicans and that Europe is perfect or that I have no empathy for the hardship these times are inflicting on a lot of people.
What I'm saying is these trends have been in place for a long time.
The mindset in this country, that there is a right to cheap and easy everything, is finally facing reality.
While I'm not a big fan of unions, if working folks actually voted in their own interests instead of thinking that someday they'd be pulling down $3 mil a year so give the rich what they want now, maybe we wouldn't be facing these problems.
Republican policy allowed for "Walmart"-style trucking companies. Trucking was at one time regulated. No we see what the invisible hand of the free market has done. It reached in your pocket.
The only people to suffer from a trucking stoppage are those that can least afford it.

[hopeless277]

Hey truckers, say hi to the air traffic flight controllers in the unemployment line, k?

[JustifiablyParanoid]

Whoo-hoo! Go Truckers! Way to get off your asses and DO something about it....