Individualism vs Gimme Mentality
On several occasions a week, we have the opportunity to talk to truck drivers from all over the country. As a result, we've noticed a few things:
1. Truck drivers are the best indicator of how the economy is doing. Months before the stock market and mortgage meltdown, truck drivers and their companies were going out of business. Also, the loads that they were taking were paying less than what they were paying the year before - same miles, same load. Finally, the car industry was showing signs of pain when there were less and less car haulers on the road. For instance, Cassens Transport used to have a terminal in Fenton, MO that employed 350 drivers. You can see the empty lot next to the empty Chrysler plant on I-44 west of St. Louis. Before GM and Chrysler went to the government for money, this number had dwindled to about 20, and now stands at 0.
2. Canadian truck drivers believe the United States is wrong for trying to pass socialized health care. They tell stories about how a mess their medical system is in Canada. Once such story is how a driver friend of ours needs knee replacement surgery. It'll be 6 months before he can see a specialist, and about 2 years before he will be able to go under the knife. (We hear the same thing from European transplants also).
3. The independent/company driver carries the spirit of individualism and never complains to us how the government owes them anything or wants to the government to give them something. If their company closes, they go find another company to work for. But, the union drivers are a different lot altogether. They make almost 2.5 times more than independents and have premium benefits (but are always "broke"). These drivers are also the first ones to say the government needs to do more and give everyone more.
4. In an informal poll before the election, we found that those voting for McCain was at about 90% and Obama 10%. That 10% was almost entirely made up of union drivers. The independent/company driver made up most of the 90%. Granted, there were a few union drivers that weren't going to vote for Obama, and a few independent/company drivers that weren't going to vote for McCain, but that margin was very slim.
In closing, the independent drivers are still on the road. The union driver is a rare sight these days. There was a time not too long ago where this trend was reversed. Correlation does not equal causation, but this trend cannot be a coincidence. Truck drivers are still hurting so I wouldn't expect the economy to be turning around any time soon.
1. Truck drivers are the best indicator of how the economy is doing. Months before the stock market and mortgage meltdown, truck drivers and their companies were going out of business. Also, the loads that they were taking were paying less than what they were paying the year before - same miles, same load. Finally, the car industry was showing signs of pain when there were less and less car haulers on the road. For instance, Cassens Transport used to have a terminal in Fenton, MO that employed 350 drivers. You can see the empty lot next to the empty Chrysler plant on I-44 west of St. Louis. Before GM and Chrysler went to the government for money, this number had dwindled to about 20, and now stands at 0.
2. Canadian truck drivers believe the United States is wrong for trying to pass socialized health care. They tell stories about how a mess their medical system is in Canada. Once such story is how a driver friend of ours needs knee replacement surgery. It'll be 6 months before he can see a specialist, and about 2 years before he will be able to go under the knife. (We hear the same thing from European transplants also).
3. The independent/company driver carries the spirit of individualism and never complains to us how the government owes them anything or wants to the government to give them something. If their company closes, they go find another company to work for. But, the union drivers are a different lot altogether. They make almost 2.5 times more than independents and have premium benefits (but are always "broke"). These drivers are also the first ones to say the government needs to do more and give everyone more.
4. In an informal poll before the election, we found that those voting for McCain was at about 90% and Obama 10%. That 10% was almost entirely made up of union drivers. The independent/company driver made up most of the 90%. Granted, there were a few union drivers that weren't going to vote for Obama, and a few independent/company drivers that weren't going to vote for McCain, but that margin was very slim.
In closing, the independent drivers are still on the road. The union driver is a rare sight these days. There was a time not too long ago where this trend was reversed. Correlation does not equal causation, but this trend cannot be a coincidence. Truck drivers are still hurting so I wouldn't expect the economy to be turning around any time soon.
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