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While that's certainly an excellent idea, it doesn't directly address any of the serious problems discussed in the article. Long-haul truckers appear to be ind
by ekidd 5y ago
While that's certainly an excellent idea, it doesn't directly address any of the serious problems discussed in the article.
Long-haul truckers appear to be independent contractors with zero market power relative to trucking firms. They're exempt from minimum wages and benefits, and they're required to lease their trucks from the trucking companies, then pay to maintain them.
Under these circumstances, reducing fuel duties might slightly reduce costs to consumers. But it doesn't look like it would help the truckers one bit, because they have no negotiating leverage. Any new money injected into the system would just be extracted by the shipping companies. Or that's my understanding of the article.
I'm not saying you're doing this, but I am frankly tired of knee-jerk, simple answers to tricky problems. If someone tells me the answer is always deregulation or lower taxes or whatever, and their advice never changes depending on the situation at hand, I'm increasingly assuming that they're pushing a simplistic, abstract theory. Given the state of the world today, we need to stop repeating slogans and start thinking hard about how to solve the problems we face.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago> I'm not saying you're doing this, but I am frankly tired of knee-jerk, simple answers to tricky problems. This one does have a knee jerk simple answer. Increase pay to attract and retain sufficient talent. The root problem is are consumers willing to pay extra for the end goods so that enough truckers will be willing to do the job under current parameters, or are they willing to forego consumption, which is exactly what is playing out. Of course, the problem of insufficient supply of truck drivers can also be solved by reducing demand for truck drivers, by using automation/trains/reducing regulations/etc. The reducing regulations one is cheapest, of course.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago> The root problem is are consumers willing to pay extra for the end goods so that enough truckers will be willing to do the job under current parameters, there's no evidence whatsoever that any price increases seen in the last 20 months are attributable to paying truckers any more, nor is there much evidence that consumption is being foregone. so, i am not really sure what your point is or how this can be the "root problem".
- UncleEntity 5y ago> Long-haul truckers appear to be independent contractors with zero market power relative to trucking firms. Some are, most drive for a company. Its not like they are forcing them to go out and spend $140,000+ on a truck to make less than minimum wage as TFA asserts but people are choosing to buy (or lease) a truck on their own volition. Maybe they make money, maybe they lose money, either way it’s what they chose to do and business is hard.