Trucking News

LiberalTrucker contributed this post for Masslogics Trucking News.

America has been a world leader in providing opportunities for everyone. In the last 20 years, the deregulated trucking industry has contributed to a fair share of problems both off and on the roads. There is worse traffic, more pollution, pitiful working conditions and below par safety standards on the roads. However, the California port authority is now taking control of this situation. It has banned all independent truck drivers from the Port of LA. This is the first step to regain control of the roads, remove traffic congestion and lessen environmental pollution.

Reports have indicated that pollution from trucks in the Post of Oakland have been responsible for causing asthmatic attacks in 1/5 children in that area. Since many of these independent truckers make minimum wages they are unable to afford upgrading of their trucks and maintain safety. These independent truckers are also not part of any union and thus have no bargaining power in terms of wages, rights or benefits

The ongoing turmoil over the trucks on LA roads finally led the port authority of LA to ban all independent truckers. Numerous organizations have supported the port authority in their bid to develop a clean and safe port. The port authority says they are not discriminating against independent truckers, but they in fact claim that their actions will hopefully require trucking companies to use port based trucks driven by employee drivers.

A plan to completely ban independent truck drivers from the Port of Los Angeles by the end of 2013 was approved Thursday night.

This will hopefully led to an improvement in wages, limit pollution, lead to reliable short haul trucking system and assign due to labor law rights to all drivers.

Port officials have said that the plan will hold trucking companies accountable for maintaining big rigs, while also employing properly credentialed drivers. This does not sit well with the trucking companies who claim that this will lead to higher salaries, increased cost of labor and in the end, additional cost to the average consumer.