Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

LtlPhysics · 2005-03-09 22:52:10

<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Wal-Mart Wants Truckers to Have 16-Hour Workdays</span>

By LESLIE MILLER, AP

WASHINGTON (March 9) - Wal-Mart and other retailers are lobbying Congress to extend the workday for truckers to 16 hours, something labor unions and safety advocates say would make roadways more dangerous for all drivers.

Rep. John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican whose district includes Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s headquarters in Bentonville, is sponsoring a bill that would allow a 16-hour workday as long as the trucker took an unpaid two-hour break. The proposal is expected to be offered as an amendment during debate over the highway spending bill on Wednesday.

"Truckers are pushing harder than ever to make their runs within the mandated timeframe,'' Boozman said. "Optional rest breaks will reduce driver layovers and improve both safety and efficiency.''

Current rules limit drivers' workdays to 14 hours, with only 11 consecutive hours of driving allowed, union leaders and safety advocates say. That gives truckers three hours to eat, rest or load and unload their trucks.

Critics of the proposal accuse Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, of trying to fatten its profits by forcing truckers to spend more time waiting at the loading dock without getting paid.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters "hasn't gotten one complaint from drivers saying they don't have time for a break or a meal,'' the union's vice president, John Murphy, said at a news conference Tuesday.

Joan Claybrook, president of the safety advocacy group Public Citizen, said drivers could end up starting their workday at 8 a.m. and quitting at midnight.

"This is a sweatshop-on-wheels amendment,'' Claybrook said. "The last thing we need is for tired truckers to become even more fatigued and threaten the safety of those around them on the roads.''

The current rule had been struck down in federal court because it didn't take into account truck drivers' health. In October, Congress reinstated the rule for one year. If the Boozman proposal is adopted, it would retain the 16-hour workday regardless of any new rule.

Nearly 5,000 people were killed in large truck crashes in 2003, and those vehicles were three times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than passenger cars, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Wal-Mart spokesman Erik Winborn said the proposal has broad support among the trucking industry and other retailers.

"We support it because we feel it would actually enhance safety rather than hurt safety,'' said Winborn, whose company employs about 7,000 truck drivers.

Wal-Mart employees were Boozman's top contributors in 2003-04, giving him $48,152 for his re-election campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Wal-Mart and its employees gave $44,500 to Boozman for his first successful bid for Congress in 2001-02, the last year corporations could give to congressional candidates.

Can you believe that crap? Walmart is capitalism run amok.

Palomar · 2005-03-10 05:16:57

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters "hasn't gotten one complaint from drivers saying they don't have time for a break or a meal,'' the union's vice president, John Murphy, said at a news conference Tuesday.

*Yeah, I bet they haven't. Because no doubt you'll be fired on the spot if you -do- complain. Or this is simply a lie and/or all complaints were placed in File 13.

Critics of the proposal accuse Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, of trying to fatten its profits by forcing truckers to spend more time waiting at the loading dock without getting paid.

More profit...it's never enough. The more money and power they get, the more abusive and greedy they get.

Joan Claybrook, president of the safety advocacy group Public Citizen, said drivers could end up starting their workday at 8 a.m. and quitting at midnight.
"This is a sweatshop-on-wheels amendment,'' Claybrook said. "The last thing we need is for tired truckers to become even more fatigued and threaten the safety of those around them on the roads.''
The current rule had been struck down in federal court because it didn't take into account truck drivers' health.

It'll take a couple of fatal crashes and dead victims and hefty lawsuits before their plans change. Unfortunately. Especially for the victims.

"...didn't take into account truck drivers' health." Why am I not surprised? Apparently Wal-Mart believes humans are and should be expendable to The Big Green God.

--Cindy

Cobra Commander · 2005-03-10 06:10:52

While I've not followed this issue very closely I do think it worth pointing out that the few truck drivers I know have on several occasions complained about having to stop driving. This is certainly an attempt to increase profits, but it may also be favored by at least some of the drivers.

Cobra Commander · 2005-03-10 07:20:23

Moved from "Meta New Mars".

Palomar · 2005-03-10 07:29:11

While I've not followed this issue very closely I do think it worth pointing out that the few truck drivers I know have on several occasions complained about having to stop driving. This is certainly an attempt to increase profits, but it may also be favored by at least some of the drivers.

*Next time a friend of ours -- a trucker -- is in town, I'll ask her. She and her boyfriend are a driving team, though not for Wal-Mart.

This is just one of a couple of serious employee-related complaints against Wal-Mart in the past year or so. Maybe WM is getting too good for itself.

Frankly I think Wal-Mart is on the teetering edge of its downward spiral.

And I definitely am skeptical about the "no employees have complained" assertion. Sure, and they're all One Big Happy Family too. LOL.

--Cindy

Mundaka · 2005-09-05 02:35:55

Rxke · 2005-09-09 02:15:33

Typically, those are the drivers who complain the most about truckers, primarily because they niether understand the physics of very large, very fast 18-wheelers

Hear, hear.

First a quick infotainment gig to put things in perspective: Belgium, where I live, is a fairly small country, dense population, very dense highway network, one of the denser rail networks in the world...
Now, funny thing is, almost everyone and his dog that has an office job, commutes to the capital, Brussels. Contry being so small, if you take a train from where I live (another big town) you have one every 20 minutes and it gets you there in approx 30 minutes. By car, on a sundaynight, you probably get there in 25. On work days, it often takes hours. Being late in Brussels is much more common than being on time.

yaddayaddayadda. Now I don`t work or study in Brussels, but sometimes have to go there, so I take the train, and sometimes hitchike.

And *all* , and I mean really 100% of the drivers always point out to me the traffic jams are to blame to the trucks, always again. And then you look around you, and see a sea of biiiig cars, with only one passenger in them, and a queue of lorries/trucks at the right... And then I really have to bite my tongue not to say it is the cars that dont belong there, but experience has learned me that is soooo very bad for the mood of the driver!

My sister's husband works in brussels, and after only some months, started to take the train, and learned to enjoy the brisk 10-15 minute walk from the station to the bank where he works. Oh, sure he has a BMW, but he says one can't read his paper or nap safely while stuck in traffic near Brussels, (too dangerous I think, what with all those irresponsible truckdrivers, just waiting to crush poor innocent cardrivers! :twisted: )

Oh, and the daily trafficjams are often caused by small car collisions, with only metal-damage, no injured, so you rarely see about those in the daily news. It's only the BIG collisions, with trucks you see. Queue half the car-driving country muttering "see, those trucks are a terrible risk on the roads, shoulda let them drive only at night!"

P.S. I don't have a car, got rid of it when I started studying again. Plan to hold out on buying one until they're auto-piloted, heehee!

John Creighton · 2005-09-09 11:15:37

I'm impressed to hear about how good the driving record is for truckers. As for trafic jams, trucks are sometimes slow passing other trucks but they are not alowed in the express lane so who knows. As for not being paid for a 3 hour break in a 16 hour day that strikes me as ridiculous.

SpaceNut · 2005-09-09 12:15:01

That said about trucker acident rate. Last night I had the pleasure of bumper to bumper due to a 5 car about five miles from the last exit to the next just shy of that next exit on the last turn of course. Took about 40 minute to get from where I joined the line until I was by the place where it had occurred.

Unfortunately walking from there (25 miles more to home) as Rxke does so often would have lead to a ride in a state troopers vehicle. Turnipikes do not allow pedestrian traffic, though I do not understand the thinking behind it.

Reptoid · 2005-09-10 20:25:06

And *all* , and I mean really 100% of the drivers always point out to me the traffic jams are to blame to the trucks, always again. And then you look around you, and see a sea of biiiig cars, with only one passenger in them, and a queue of lorries/trucks at the right... And then I really have to bite my tongue not to say it is the cars that dont belong there, but experience has learned me that is soooo very bad for the mood of the driver!

Yeah, there are a lot of stupid people out there who seem to think that all of our traffic problems will be solved if we'd just get rid of those damn trucks. People are utterly oblivious to the fact that if the trucks stop rolling they can kiss their posh lives goodbye as they're forced out into the forest to grub for snails from lack of supplies.

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#1 2005-03-09 22:52:10

Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

#2 2005-03-10 05:16:57

Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

#3 2005-03-10 06:10:52

Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

#4 2005-03-10 07:20:23

Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

#5 2005-03-10 07:29:11

Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

#6 2005-09-05 02:35:55

Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

#7 2005-09-09 02:15:33

Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

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Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

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Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

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Re: Wal-Mart truckers thread- 16 hour days - Moved from "Meta New Mars"

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