Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/616524
NEWS & NOTES 38 // OWNER OPERATOR // JANUARY 2016 ask those that have gone through that scenario. If you put a burden on a shipper or receiver, he will come up with his own plan to cut into detention, and usually it takes longer with no extra pay. The serious issue for the American economy is government enabling of the sell-off of the major manufacturing segments to foreign coun- tries, eliminating a large part of the blue collar skilled labor in America. That leaves the trans- portation business the only one they have failed to be able to export. It appears they are hell bent on regulating it out of business. The redundant part of that is that by the ATA's own assessment, if all the regulation that is in place and proposed to be in place is forced on the American trucker and it is 100 percent effective, it could save 2 percent of the fatalities on American roads that trucks are accused of being at fault in. Who would ever propose changing the hours of service to allow the driver to assess his own fatigue and choose his own sleep pattern and comply with a daily flexible hours of service that would be beneficial to all? It is something of a fallacy to think that large carriers want to drive the owner-operator out of business. They merely want to drive the expe- rienced and independent ones out. They have a constant need for new owner-operators to sell their slightly used trucks to for top dollar, on their own lease plan that gets them what they want with a guy that becomes financially vested to stick around and do their dirty work. If he gets too demanding, cut him loose and get an- other one. It is an endless cycle. Large carriers have a percent of the business that is less profitable and they will always need a guy that can take care of that part of the busi- ness. They feed him a little of the good with most of the bad and it is best for their business and gives an inexperienced owner operator a chance to get a leg up. Just watch for the banana peel. –Gary Carl- isle, Midland, Texas OO