Like usuall news isn't very accurate. The most accurate estimations I see are about a 50/50 split between owner operators and company drivers.

I've not heard a thing about any strike or slowdown on the CB yet this week so it must be not happening around here.

Is anyone seeing any extra empty shelf spaces in stores yet?

If not, maybe the statement about there only being 3 days supplies in an American city at any given time needs to be reevaluated!

The supermarkets around here have fully stocked shelves, not even any rumors of shortages. Price increases yes, shortages no.

Pete

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/co...exclusives#=rss

Business Week says there is not gas shortage.

It is my understanding that the truckers are asking for the tax portion of the total fuel price to be lowered or suspended for a while.

Pete

I would say at the most maybe it's a 50/50 split. And you have to take into consideration those OO's who can't afford to stop. If they stop they'll loose everything. Trust me, my bf and I are getting closer to that point every day.

I'd estimate that anywhere from $0.30 to $0.90 per gallon is nothing but taxes (federal and state). That adds up when you have to pump a couple hundred gallons.

To be honest, I've always had a "hankerin" to be more self-sufficient and what-not. After driving a big truck for a couple years... my eyes have opened alot wider and I see alot more about people in general that truly doesn't appeal to me.

And after the catastrophe's that have happened over the past few years I've come to realize also that an extremely small portion of people are prepared. Everyone is so busy trying to "keep up with the Jones'" that they don't/can't see beyond today.

Anyway, for those who haven't realized it yet, I'm gal not guy :P

Well okay - all for it, if they can tell us how to repair the federal highway infrastructure without any income, which currently comes from the fuel taxes. You turn off the spigot, the money has to come from somewhere else. No money, no repairs, no income for concrete pourers, engineers, asphalt companies etc etc who are engaged in building and maintaining the highway system.

If the counter-argument is that the grid can be kept up just on the reduction in fraud / waste that could be frigged out of the system, well, no I'm not with you anymore. Concrete and asphalt costs are going up too. Nothing comes cheap, and roads certainly don't come for free.

One thing I don't understand is why is it only the O/O truckers going on strike? If it really was about fuel prices, wouldn't the trucking companies also be feeling the pressure also? It should be affecting everybody equally. Do the trucking companies get some sort of bulk discount on fuel that O/O truckers don't? And if that were the case, it wouldn't matter what the price of diesel was, they're always going to be on the short end of the stick.

Rather than going on strike, why not just charge more to cover their fuel costs? Like I mentioned before, a strike is ineffective unless there's some company or corporation losing money over it. Just refusing to drive isn't going to hurt anyone in the short term except themselves. This is all just thinking outloud, because talk of a strike seems to have died down pretty quickly.

Odds are the companies have a volume discount. They also have long term contracts with major late delivery penalties. If the customer is a Just In Time operation, they may only have hours worth of materials in house to keep the factory operating if the delivery is late for any reason.

Most definitely. But around here we also have a DOT that is building a whole new four lane road instead of adding a couple of lanes to an existing interstate. IIRC They're justifying it by trying to say they want to get people to fly into the Tri-Cities & drive 100 miles to Gatlinburg rather than fly into a larger airport (Knoxville) that's <30 miles away. Maintain the roads we've got for a while & quit building roads we don't want or need.