Truckers strike and now higher prices

[BarryG]

JD:

See page 3 post 49 of this thread. I posted a couple links to shells income statement and exxons income statement. The 10ish percent is after all is said and done ie after taxes

 

[HBarlow]

HBarlow-IF you're so confident that 'BIG OIL'is honest an trustworthy and they are doing everything under the sun to keep prices stable, then please explain to us while you got out of RV transporting. I think it was your own words that said that it got too costly for you to continue. If you feel the way you do,than you shouldn't mind paying the outageous fuel bills that we all do and start delivering again... . ie... putting money back in your pocket in the long run!!I don't want something for nothing... just like many others on this forum,what I do want is a solution to getting the economy back to where I can live with the financial freedom that I deserve and that I work hard for. I could care less if oil companies made a 10% profit as long as my paycheck shows the same increase!!It is not just the citizens that are struggling,there are large corporations that are struggling also. When oil companies are making record profits and many others are struggling across the board... . well it tells me one thing... . we ARE GETTING RIPPED OFF!!!!



Alan

I have not said the oil industry is perfect nor do I believe the companies are. I believe that they are generally run by honest people and do what they are supposed to do... ... . produce petroleum products at a profit for their shareholders. That is the only reason they exist. What I believe is the millions of Americans who work for and own the oil companies have a right to the fair return on their investment or fair wages for their labor. Just as you expect for yourself.



I quit RV transporting for many reasons. One of them was fuel prices had increased and our rates had not. My income was declining. Like all Americans I have the right to make my own decisions. I planned, saved, invested, and lived within my means throughout my life. I don't have to work now.



Do you think I can avoid paying the same rates you pay? I wish I knew that secret. I just went down to my local Flying J an hour or so ago and filled up. It cost me $365 and my tanks weren't empty.



Where did you get the notion that you "deserve financial freedom?" The only thing you deserve is freedom. The US constitution grants you freedom. The rest is up to you, me, and every other citizen. Results are not promised by our constitution but all of us have freedom and opportunity to be the best we can be. If your standard of living has declined what are YOU going to do about it? Being mad and blaming the oil companies will not help you.



If you are "getting ripped off" it is not by the oil companies. It is OPEC that sets the price of crude oil.



You can spend the rest of your life blaming the oil companies for the price of fuel but it will not change until we increase the supply of crude by drilling in ANWR or off our shores. As long as our own government imposes restrictions that prevent oil companies from producing from our own sources the situation will remain.

 

[JDiepstra]

JD:

See page 3 post 49 of this thread. I posted a couple links to shells income statement and exxons income statement. The 10ish percent is after all is said and done ie after taxes

Thank you.

 

[RGardner]

OPEC does not and has not set the price of oil. They may well influence the price of oil through product but they do not set the price of oil. The price of oil is being set through electronic trading of oil futures contracts. Harvey your let them eat cake attitude is wearing thin.

 

[Bob Cochran]

AMEN HBarlow

FLynes You have every right to say anything you chose and I will fight for your right to say so as much as I would for HBarlow. And before you ask I have done just that as a volunteer military person at one time as well. I am puzzled by the fact you have volunteered as our military personnel From George Washington to todays soldiers are fighting and dieing to preserve everything HBarlow said and for your right to have an opposing view. I understand your frustration but to fighting like is being had here is terrible. Please step back and think about what is being said?

If you do not believe that taking away the reasonable profit defined by a percentage(ignore the dollars as it skews the mind because of it's size) and give it to somebody else is communism/socialism. The very thing you in the military current and past are defending and dieing. I am sorry but I cannot support this premise of taking from the rich and giving to the poor . If the government is allowed to do this to big companies(forget if they are big oil or not) then can and would do so to small companies as well. Whats next armed enforcement? I think you know where this will lead!!!

This may seem far from the point here. Philosophy students are asked a question " would you let an innocent little girl be killed to save a thousand others?" 67% said yes it would be ok!!! Now I understand militarily the sacrifice of one for the good of the unit and obtaining the objective would be considered ok. This is different as the one has volunteered knowing this could happen far different than one little innocent girl. I personally believe that little girl has just as much right to live as any of the other 1000!! Consequently I think the right answer is to defend that girl and all 1000 as all 1001 have the right to live equally.

Relevance of the above is like our discussion here. I am sure some will think my position is STUPID!! That is ok, they have the right to do so, and I respect that as their position. It need not lower to a barroom brawl. I hope at this point this can be turned around and elevated to unemotional discussion and debate.

If not I think the moderator should close this thread as it will become pointless to continue and only serve to aggravate everyone more than it already has. HHMMMM does that smack of a violation of the freedom of speech? Yes if I am the only one to make that decision certainly. I do have a right to my opinion though or not? Hey I bet we can start a flame on this point alone!!!!!

I thought I was done with my earlier post but I guess not. Perhaps the solution is a correction of multiple events causing the fuel price increase and we are all right!!! The question becomes can I as an individual do absolutely anything about it? Shame on me for not trying even though it maybe pointless on my part. Hurray for the truckers for trying as a group will have more impact than one person. Maybe TDR as a group should do something, writing to congress as a group, etc. but something public.

Ok all done and everyone have a fantastic evening.

 

[HBarlow]

RGardner,



You have every right to avoid reading my posts if you don't like my opinions.



My "let them eat cake attitude" is based on the United States Constitution.

 

[FLynes]

Bob,



I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say. I do NOT want to take away anyone's profit, but what I DO want to do is have the right to do something about it, if I think that I am being unfairly taken advantage of, without having my own right to assemble being trampled on.



I'm not advocating by any means whatsoever to go and physically tamper with oil companies' property. What I am advocating is that if we feel that prices are too high, we should be able to come up with a solution, such as cutting back to 55MPH, in order to conserve fuel, and not have folks like Harvey whine and cry about how I'm hurting his stock profit.



The OPEC oil embargo, which began as a result of the Yom Kippur war (I may not be a mathematical wizard like some here, but I DO know my history). The United States government's answer was the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which reduced the National Highway Maximum Speed Limit to 55MPH. In 1995 Congress repealed that law, because we were already back on track with fuel prices. 55MPH at that point was still on the books merely for safety's sake which, by the way, really didn't help reduce the number of accidents.



What would be the big deal about doing that again? Profit margins would sink? If anything, the EHECA showed that reducing the speed limit DID work to get oil prices back to where they should have been and did OPEC thinking about maybe not being such a horse's rear end.



Yes, we need to drill in ANWAR, yes we need to drill in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Chinese are already drilling, but it will be years before that happens. What we need now is a near-term solution, and I don't give a crap what anyone says, the oil companies are NOT honest... they are looking out for themselves, not their consumers.

 

[TAbbott]

Regarding reversion to a 55 mph speed limit, I say no. The price of fuel is already causing many folks, including me, to slow down and conserve fuel when it is appropriate to do so. However, sometimes there is a need to go a bit faster, to make better time, regardless of the fuel price. I want to preserve my freedom to do just that when the circumstances say it is appropriate.



I am in the trucking business, and operate coast to coast. The ability to run the current speed limits accross NV, UT, WY, NE, and IA and even the OH TP, and PA when on I-80 and AZ, NM, and Oklahoma and MO when on I-70 and I-44 when needed can easily make the difference in getting back in time for that next load or missing it. Now, we're talking thousands of $$$$ in lost revenue compared to an extra hundred dollars or so of fuel.

 

[FLynes]

TAbbott, I can understand that. Would reverting back to the old rules, regarding how long you could drive, help if we went back to 55MPH?

 

[AClayton]

Cochran/Harvey and others,



I don't have a problem with anyone on this thread... though at times we all get a little emotional on our points of view. Sometimes explaining a viewpoint online can get mis-interpeted as a violent act of judgement... HBarlow is entitled to his opinion and by no means do I have any issues with him as a person. If I met Mr. Barlow,I'm sure we would get along just fine,despite our difference of opinion on oil profits. It is however discouraging when many of us work everyweek for what we all have... and then the cost of living skyrockets due in large part to the Big Oil Co's. Financial freedom;as I mentioned before,in my definition means... I work everyweek to support my family. Up until a few short years ago;that meant that I had financial freedom to take my family on occasional weekend outings in my RV,that meant I could purchase an ATV to ride,that meant I could remodel my home,that meant i could take my family out to dinner more often and I could afford to BOMB my truck. Sure,I could do without all of that... what I mean is that I had the financial freedom to do just that much more a short time ago. My financial freedom has been compromised by the high cost of oil. I can still do many or even all of them... just not as much as I used to be to. I can downsize just like the rest of you,but that doesn't mean I want to,nor does anyone else on this thread. I would much rather invest my extra money in retirement to be able to live like we all want to live when I'm of age. Childish? Maybe... but I bet there are a whole lot of you in my situation that feel the exact same way. I'm no mathematics expert,financial guru or a Politics buff,I just work for what I have and would like to see the economy get better. I'm willing to spend my money to aid in the economy if it weren't for high prices of fuel.



Alan

 

[Bob Cochran]

FLynes - Thanks point will taken and I more than likely mis-interpreted what you meant.

Hey have you noticed the last few posts have gotten more civil and it seems we are freinds again just debating the issues.

You got to love it. I thought I was going to get shot at dawn for my last post too.

 

[TAbbott]

FLynes said: "Would reverting back to the old rules, regarding how long you could drive, help if we went back to 55MPH?"



No. Under both the old and new rules, a solo operation is still limited to 70 hours of on duty time in 8 days. Losing an average of 15 mph or better on a cross country trip amounts to a significant amount of lost time that can never be regained.



Even team operations would be adversely affected, and in fact more teams would be required just to do what solo's do now, and there wouldn't be enough revenue available to support another driver and his family, because there really aren't that many real team loads available, by which I mean where 3rd morning delivery is required, coast to coast. A reversion to the 55 mph speed limits would mean that the current 3rd morning delivery's may no longer be possible, as an additional 11 hour shift would be required to make the trip.



We run team when it is required, and the rule change that would be really appreciated for team operations is a reversion to the old rule where the sleeper berth provision allowed two breaks of 5 hours each to make up the required 10 hrs in the sleeper berth. The current rule was obviously made up by people who never had to do that particular job.

 

[TAbbott]

Just to expand a little on my previous post re: the 10 hours straight in the sleeper: Who among you can sleep for 10hours straight? If you can do that, try doing it in an earthquake that just keeps shaking for 10 hours straight ... sometimes shaking just a bit more violently than others ... and sometimes far more.



The point being that if you can sleep through that earthquake for 10 hours straight, you were way too tired to have been driving immediately prior to going to bed... especially with someone sleeping right behind you relying on you to keep them safe.

 

[AClayton]

FLynes - Thanks point will taken and I more than likely mis-interpreted what you meant.



Hey have you noticed the last few posts have gotten more civil and it seems we are freinds again just debating the issues.



You got to love it. I thought I was going to get shot at dawn for my last post too.

That is because you were right... . we are all friends here just debating. Though at times,like I said,things that you type on a computer sometimes can be mis-interpreted simply because ... . if you were face to face;one would know how serious you were by your facial expressions and body language.



I agree with FLynes' point also!





Alan

 

[FLynes]

Just to expand a little on my previous post re: the 10 hours straight in the sleeper: Who among you can sleep for 10hours straight? If you can do that, try doing it in an earthquake that just keeps shaking for 10 hours straight ... sometimes shaking just a bit more violently than others ... and sometimes far more.



The point being that if you can sleep through that earthquake for 10 hours straight, you were way too tired to have been driving immediately prior to going to bed... especially with someone sleeping right behind you relying on you to keep them safe.

If I can sleep through artillery fire, I'm pretty sure I can sleep in a rolling rig, LOL!:-laf:-laf:-laf



Seriously, though, how did you guys do it in the old days, without losing money?

 

[amsoilman]

I like all the rest of you am upset with the high price of Energy, Diesel fuel included. However, I feel until the majority of americans "buckle up", our economy is going to suffer drastically!



Some of the things I see every day as a School Bus driver, is vehicles traveling at higher than posted speed limits, and vehicles on the road with only the driver in the vehicle! Just the other day, I counted 15 vehicles, and ALL of them had only the driver in the vehicle! Whats wrong with this picture?



Wayne

 

[JDiepstra]

I like all the rest of you am upset with the high price of Energy, Diesel fuel included. However, I feel until the majority of americans "buckle up", our economy is going to suffer drastically!



Some of the things I see every day as a School Bus driver, is vehicles traveling at higher than posted speed limits, and vehicles on the road with only the driver in the vehicle! Just the other day, I counted 15 vehicles, and ALL of them had only the driver in the vehicle! Whats wrong with this picture?



Wayne

Is it possible that those people who had only one person in the vehicle were going to places where it would not make sense or there was no need for anyone else to go with them. For example, to work, to the grocery store, to a doctor appt etc... Did anyone ride with you the last time you drove to work? I don't take anyone with me to work! That would be pretty boring for them to just sit there.

 

[Tractorat]

I think it is going to require a lot more than driving less and cars with better mileage. Here in Washington State, the per capita gas usgage is down about 3% from last year. We are actually down about 12% from the 1990's. We get all of our oil from Alaska. I havent seen a gas shortage since the Arab Embargo of the 1970's



TRat

 

[FLynes]

Here's something to get your blood boiling:



Historical Crude Oil Prices Table

 

[RGardner]

Comments over the weekend by an OPEC official that the group was not likely to increase production also supported prices Monday. Abdalla Salem el-Badri, secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, said Sunday that oil prices would likely go higher and that the group was ready to raise production if the price pressure was due to a shortage of supply -- something he doubted.



"Oil prices, there is a common understanding that has nothing to do with supply and demand," el-Badri said on the sidelines of an energy conference in Rome.