Truckers' strike/slowdown

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by BrianR

That cost is a cost of doing business and will NOT come from the pockets of corporate fat cats, the truckers or anyone else but the end consumer, who also pays a certain amount to cover those wasteful losses.

Brian

I thought I just went too far into a good explanation as to how that can be avoided at least temporarily, as I was doing. But it probably read like gobeldy-gook. See, you have to get creative to avoid sticker shock especially if the product you supply is already expensive by it's nature.


All you know out there is how much you spend trying to deliver the items. I don't really think it's just up to the truckers to strike, when they pass the charges on and collect for the gas bills. I think it's up to all gas consumers to strike because the situation is not going to change anytime soon while we have a congress that takes a blind eye to gouging.

I started a non-profit awhile back, with some great people that are still on-board, because a lot of people saw this coming long before it started to happen. This situation was one of our many platforms to illustrate our reliance on petrochemicals, and try and demand that people become resourceful enough to start supplying their own areas with a self-sustainable production economy. Look, here it is, happening as predicted, and even truckers are as pissed as predicted (I talked to many while I was doing research).

Remember hurricane Katrina? Remember how everyone needed gas to travel either to the affected area or away from? Gas spiked overnight anywhere up to a dollar or so a tank. That makes me never want to buy their product again!!

Imagine that happening to your favorite restaurant? Busy night? "Well we are going to mark the food up by a third because we are so busy." Now imagine that the same restaurant marked up their prices because no one had any food and had been starving.

I think people should shut down for at least a day and quit driving all at the same time, and boycott gasoline. Not just truckers. It doesn't just effect truckers, it effects everyone. It shouldn't be a truckers strike. It should be a gas boycott for everyone.

People are going to have to learn how to self-sustain, just a little bit, and at least buy local, because the situation will not change, it will only get worse from here, and after a time you will not even be able to deliver anymore. The retail price on a tomato will become so astounding, and the wages will not increase. There will be fewer deliveries and out of state food will become scarce. There's my soap-box. The more this happens the more I'm glad I was out there trying to spread the word about self-sustaining communities. It's funny that the truckers I talked to about it, way back when, knew what in the hell I was talking about, but your average consumer just doesn't get it. Doesn't want to either, it might require work. Food will become only for the rich.

Here was our line: Are you aware of how many miles an average delivery truck drives to get your products to the store?.........

Ok done. Thank you for letting me rant in your strike thread. I'm glad someone is complaining. Sad it's you guys....It's also strange that it's you guys but makes a little sense. Thanks.

Is the strike over btw?

[BrianR]

Originally Posted by Cicero

Is the strike over btw?

Yes.

[Kingswood]

Originally Posted by BrianR

higher than reasonable diesel prices

What do Americans pay for diesel fuel, anyway? Is it more than $5 per gallon?

[elSicomoro]

It's $3.80 per gallon here, and gas/diesel prices here tend to be among the lowest in the country.

[BigV]

diesel $4.58 / gal this morning.

[Sundae]

http://www.see-search.com/business/f...iceseurope.htm
Pence per litre UK = 94.8 (approx $2)
Pence per litre US = 38.2

It's out of date by 3 years, but shows the discrepancy.

[BrianR]

How's the price of daily goods compared to ours, my British friends?

Why is it that Europeans feel that just because THEY pay through the nose for fuel, the rest of the world should also?

Diesel averages $4.02 nationwide as of last week.

Brian

[Sundae]

Brian, I for one was answering a previous question.

NOT suggesting you should pay the same, esp as you don't have the tax based "free" healthcare & safety net we have re unemployment, incapacity or state pension.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

http://www.see-search.com/business/f...iceseurope.htm
Pence per litre UK = 94.8 (approx $2)
Pence per litre US = 38.2

It's out of date by 3 years, but shows the discrepancy.

The discrepancy is not quite so big now (still huge, though) as gas prices in the US have nearly quadrupled in the 7 years we've been here, and the same is not true of the UK over the same time period.

Brian, i find prices for food stuffs incomparable because of the different products and their popularity and because of the different way store structure their "sale' prices and special offers.

But clothing, electronics and toys compare pretty much pound for dollar, which means that Brits are paying twice as much for goods. And at the moment they're paying about twice as much for gas, too. My MIL tells me it's about a quid a litre at the moment. which is about $2/liter. which is in the range of $7.50/US gallon. This is regular gas, not diesel.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by BigV

diesel $4.58 / gal this morning.

Well today it is $4.69 / gallon. Holy moly!

[elSicomoro]

Originally Posted by sycamore

It's $3.80 per gallon here, and gas/diesel prices here tend to be among the lowest in the country.

$4 now...everything jumped 20 cents in the past 2 days.

[BigV]

Sh*t. Tell me about it.

[elSicomoro]

It seems like here in St. Louis, there is a day or two delay when switching gas prices. We hit $112 a barrel on Wednesday and it shot up yesterday afternoon.

I was just reading a one-year forecast: $143/bbl...yikes!

[tw]

Similarities continue between today and from the days of Nam. Today, bankruptcies among truckers have increased by a factor of three. What is happening to so many rigs confiscated by creditors? A profitable market for exporting rigs is growing. Back in the days created by Nam, that same market for exporting construction equipment (ie Caterpillar 988 payloaders) from America was also so profitable. When America goes into recession, a first thing to suddenly get exported is its machines.

[Trilby]

I think today IS Nam. No time has passed, no advances made, we are, indeed, still in Nam. The government just wants us to THINK it's 2008; it's really 1973. I'm only 9. I love David Cassidy and my deepest desire is to own a pink Princess phone like my friend, Diane.