Speaker 1: 0:08

Welcome back to that's Delivered. I'm your host, trucking Ray, and today we have a powerhouse guest with us Today is Louis Pugh, the Executive Vice President of OIDA. If you're a trucker out there and you've probably heard of OIDA if you know that they're the boots on the ground fighting for the rights of owner-operators and small fleets, pushing back against regulations that don't make sense and making sure that truckers' voices are heard. I met Louie at the Florida Trucking Show. Just a few minutes after talking with him, I knew that we had to bring this conversation to the podcast. We're diving into some of the biggest challenges that are facing truckers right now, like freight fraud, speed limiter mandate and truck parking. That's why truckers are still fighting for also a fair pay, overtime pay. But before we dive into all of that, I wanted to make sure you got some time to learn who Louie himself is and his background and what got him into trucking and what led him to getting out of the truck and working with OIDA. So let's dive into it. Out of the truck and working with OIDA, so let's dive into it.

Speaker 1: 1:14

Hey, welcome to the show. Appreciate you being here, louis Pugh. We got you here and we're excited to have you on the show Powerhouse here in OIDA, so got a chance to meet you at the truck show in Florida. I think that was a huge moment there for myself and also learning more about what you guys do. But for our listeners out there, there's some drivers that may not be familiar with what OIDA is all about. So, louis, before we dive into the big trucking issues, let's talk about your journey. Yeah, how you got to where you're here. You've known this a long time, I'm sure that, uh, how did you get first started in the industry?

Speaker 2: 1:49

um, I guess I've always wanted to be in trucking. Um, grew up on a farm in ohio. My dad was a blacksmith by trade and then he dropped truck in the wintertime when it was slow down shoeing horses, and then, uh, so I don't know, and then I tell, and I kind of say jokingly, but I guess it's really the truth I went, my dad took me when I was real little smoking a band and that's what really made me want to be a trucker. So I always kind of wanted to be a truck driver after that from then on.

Speaker 1: 2:18

So yeah, uh, so what? Uh? What was the first thing uh, you did when you were trucking, like the first trucking job? What was that like?

Speaker 2: 2:30

yeah, well, I guess my first. I mean I drove truck a little bit on the farm, growing up with trucks as I got older and then, um, then from there went to, uh, the army and drove truck in the army and I was a tractor trailer driver in the military and then at 21, I still got, I had my CDL from the military and I went into working for Snyder. Uh, when I started driving truck in 94, I guess it was either driven orange truck or a yellow truck, so I picked an orange truck.

Speaker 1: 3:00

There you go. That's awesome, uh, man. So every trucker you know that has hauled or experienced, uh, some of the things that they've done. It kind of sticks with them. Do you have any stories that really stand out to you that you want to share?

Speaker 2: 3:20

Yeah, I mean I've done, I guess I've just I've been fortunate, lucky enough to have friends and stuff like that. I met along the way and I got a lot of cool stuff. I spent the majority of my career pulling a flatbed and I'm from Ohio originally, so out of the Ohio Valley, haunt Steel, and then Water Treatment, chemicals and so I don't know. I enjoyed running with my friends probably more than anything. Probably the hardest job I had was when I first started. We'd haul garbage We'd haul steel and plastic, pipe and stuff like that to the East Coast to pick up garbage and bring back to Western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and I don't know. It was a tough job but we had a lot of fun. There was a whole bunch of us guys we ran together. I really enjoyed it.

Speaker 1: 4:07

What was some of the challenges? You know some of the biggest challenges you had as a truck driver. Maybe share those, because I'm sure everybody has a little little things that hold them up from doing their job. What do you think, vinny?

Speaker 2: 4:19

Government, regulation and traffic. I feel like I could deal with the rest of this stuff and maybe not even traffic was so bad sometimes, but I feel like we got a lot of regulations as time went on pushed upon us in trucking. I had a 2012 truck so I dealt with all the problems that most people who bought new trucks had, so that was tough. I guess that the government some of them regulations they put on you are pretty tough because there's not really workarounds on that stuff and then, like I said, sometimes traffic could be very frustrating. People do dumb things.

Speaker 2: 4:58

I guess the hardest job but the funnest job a whole bunch of us guys we haul steel and plastic, pipe and stuff out to the East Coast. A whole bunch of us guys we hauled steel and plastic, pipe and stuff out to the east coast and then we'd bring trash out of manhattan or queens back to, uh, western pennsylvania, eastern ohio, and I enjoyed that. Just because there was, I don't know, probably about 20 or 30 of us. We all kind of ran together and looked out for each other. It was a lot of camaraderie, I guess you would say and and fun.

Speaker 1: 5:25

Nice, nice. There's nothing like the guys. You roll with man, you make good memories together. You spend a lot of time together. Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2: 5:32

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, my one friend hard times him and I trucked all over this country together and stuff. So yeah, we had a lot of fun together and I think we've lost some of that. You know, guys don't run a CB and stuff as much as they used to or what's on. There is just people arguing and dumb stuff, kind of like social media, I guess. Yeah, and it's just like we've kind of lost that, some of that stuff, that brotherhood or stuff of being out there, because now everybody can call each other themselves, no matter where they are it used to not be like that.

Speaker 1: 6:02

Yeah, yeah, I got a saying I like is. Cb was the first social media network.

Speaker 2: 6:06

Yeah, yes, it was for sure.

Speaker 1: 6:11

So what was your favorite part of being behind the wheel? I know maybe the I mean there's some things that on the flip side there's there's biggest challenges too. I know you, I know you guys deal with a lot of regulations. What's some of the challenges that you want to share?

Speaker 2: 6:26

Yeah, probably the biggest challenge is government regulation. Sometimes they put a lot of stuff on you that doesn't really help safety. Sometimes it makes your job harder or more expensive. I was a small business guy pretty much my entire career. I had a 2012 truck. So the Knox rule and all that solution stuff EPA put on trucks for 2011 was hard on a lot of people. A lot of guys didn't make it. Fortunately I had a good truck, garage and shop and stuff that took care of me. I didn't have those problems that some had, but I still had lots of problems with the truck. That kind of stuff I think is the hardest you can said that kind of stuff I think is the hardest you can deal with the rest of the stuff kind of work around. Sometimes traffic can be frustrating because people in cars do dumb things, but to me, the hardest thing to compete against or wasn't even competing, I guess is the regulations put upon us.

Speaker 1: 7:22

Yeah, I totally understand. Eventually, you made a transition from being a truck driver to working with OIDA. What happened now? What was something that changed, fork in the road for you?

Speaker 2: 7:34

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:35

I don't know. I wonder that myself some days. I I've been on the board at OIDA for, oh, I think, going on 21 years now. So I've been on the board at OIDA for, I think, going on 21 years now. So I've been on the board for a long time. And in 2017, they asked me if I'd be interested in coming out here and kind of learning how to drive a desk for lack of better terms and go to DC and oversee our advocacy and our membership stuff.

Speaker 2: 8:01

So go to truck shows and that kind of stuff which is helpful for our association, because it's good to have people who have done the job or understand the job to go talk about doing the job instead of just a lobbyist. Lawmakers a lot of times react better to that. So, anyway, so, with a lot of hard, long thought and talking and stuff, I thought, well, I'll give it a try and yeah, so far so good. I've been here since the summer of 2017. So I guess we're going on eight years now, but I still miss the truck. I miss trucking and I think it'd be a lot harder now with the ELD and all that stuff. But I got out right before that happened. I kept my truck for like a year and a half just parked before I finally sold it. What kind?

Speaker 1: 8:52

of truck do you have?

Speaker 2: 8:54

My last truck was a 2012 International and I kept my trailer out of 48-foot Benson flat. I kept everything, like I said, for about a year and a half make sure I was going to be able to stick to this job and and uh, I still think I'm a much better truck driver than desk driver, but we're getting there.

Speaker 1: 9:12

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:15

Totally.

Speaker 1: 9:18

I mean, so what's some of the personal experiences that made you get involved in advocacy? I mean there's some things, personally too, that motivate you. You know, we just don't just do these things. I mean it does come from a lot of passion, you know, thinking that you can make these differences, make these changes. What's one for you?

Speaker 2: 9:35

Well, I guess mainly I was raised in a family where my parents, grandparents, everybody was pretty active in their community and local groups and stuff like that. Everybody was pretty active in their community and local groups and stuff like that Fairboard 4-H Farm Bureau, you know, councils, just all kinds of different stuff like that. And so I guess I was raised in a house like that and I joined OIDA. Not long after I started trucking, a friend of mine that I was friends with told me I should join OIDA, so I did. I think I've been a member since 95 or 96. I joined, like I said, I started trucking in 94. But anyway, so I got involved and then somebody nominated me for the board and so I went ahead and did all the paperwork and ran and, like I said, I was in 19 or, yeah, 2004, I guess I got on the board. I was successfully got on the board as an alternate, served as an alternate for a couple of years and it was seated as a full board member.

Speaker 2: 10:39

So you know, I like government, I like that kind of stuff, I like history and politics and all that stuff. Some days you wonder why, but so I guess that's how I got here. I got involved.

Speaker 1: 10:54

I think being able to make changes that are that may stick around longer than just maybe for a term, making those changes that possibly could go for a lot longer and make people's lives better, I think advocating for that and policies and procedures, I think it's huge. So we champion you guys for making those difference. I know there's some things that you guys have been able to help truckers with and we'll touch on that later. But yeah, those are. I'm glad you're there, I'm glad you're making a difference. You know a lot of us. We need advocacy like that.

Speaker 2: 11:24

Thank you, making a difference, you know, so a lot of us, uh, we need, need advocacy like that, thank you. Yeah, I mean that's what attracted me to a lot in the first place, the fact that what they did plus, uh, what makes a lot of different from so everybody else, is they were started by truckers back in the early 70s and they were still run by truckers. At the time I joined, jim and Todd were president and vice president, both actively, had been active truckers in the past, and our board of directors that is all truckers. You know I shout, you know we had 22 board of directors, including myself and Todd, and everybody on the board is either actively driving or has been, and so I think that's a huge thing. And what sets us apart from everybody else is the people that guide this organization and and kind of help oversee this organization and advise are all active truckers, and I've all sat behind the wheel or are sitting behind the wheel.

Speaker 1: 12:20

Perfect. Yeah, that's nicely said. You know that's why it matters. You know that's why it matters. You know that's what people need. You know it's important that we have individuals that know what's going on or has been in the industry for some time and thinking about that. You know, as Wyatt is known for his advocacy for small trucking businesses and owner operators, why is it important in the industry for carriers, big carriers that you guys play a role?

Speaker 2: 12:51

Yeah, I mean, it's a big. I mean, and just so people understand, our name is a little bit dated because we were started in 1973, prior to deregulation. So we're not only from small business truckers but we're also from employee drivers. The independent driver in our name is actually, before deregulation, was actually a company driver that just wasn't a Teamster. So we represent both small business and company drivers.

Speaker 2: 13:23

A lot of truckers, you know, share the same issues, same problems. No matter what you do, we all got kind of our own. But we kind of look at the greater good for the industry and it's important to have people speak up for you because if you don't, I'd hate to think where our industry would be without OIDA. I mean, we've fought. We haven't always been successful but we never quit. We haven't always been successful but we never quit.

Speaker 2: 13:53

And the only way you make changes is, you know, in Washington DC, is you have to have somebody fighting for you or be part of somebody, and grassroots I mean that trumps everything. So being part of a large organization is, you know, one trucker, one trucking company you don't have a lot of. You know grassroots, I guess, or a lot of people behind you. But if you can put 150,000, like we have members behind you working for the same goal, then you have a lot more strength. You know strength in numbers. So that's the important thing.

Speaker 2: 14:20

I wish every owner-operator, every truck driver would join OIDA. We can make huge, better differences and bigger differences, but we keep plugging away and trying to get more. So you know, because, again, it takes us all to do it. I got, as far as I'm concerned, the four greatest lobbyists in DC are working for OIDA on the Hill every day. But what they need? Because we don't have the money or the power that some of our foes do. So what really helps is when our members pick up the phone as well and get involved as well. We can all work, like I said, working for the same goal nice.

Speaker 1: 14:58

What's some of the biggest fights that? Um, oh, I, um, takes, uh, takes on over the years. You know what?

Speaker 2: 15:04

probably the biggest, longest fight, it seems like, is training and uh and parking. We've been constantly fighting on that. We, I think, the parking thing, although we haven't got our bill passed yet.

Speaker 2: 15:16

Hopefully this is the year but, it is good that states and and uh, fmcsa, dot and even congressional folks are starting to wake up and realize there is a parking problem. They're talking about it publicly, so that's a good thing. And states and their state DOTs are trying to come up with more ways for parking instead of closing areas, opening more and making more. And you know, of course it's like the age-old problem. It all comes down to money. But our parking bill would be great to get that passed. You know leasing laws for leasing motor carriers that's from OIDA. Fuel surcharges came from OIDA.

Speaker 2: 15:59

Over the years, oida's had some wins in the courts against states over the years. A few years ago, minnesota had this phony kind of law where they were writing drivers for tickets saying they were fatigued, when there was really no basis or science on what they were doing. So we took that to court and won that, won a big court against Alabama years. Yeah, alabama years and years ago. And we've had a lot of wins along the way. We fought and stuff. So there's lots of things out there, big things. Right, we fought the ELD for years. We finally they finally got us beat, but we were the only ones fighting the ELD probably for 10 years.

Speaker 2: 16:42

and it's funny, once it passed, then we have all these people like, oh my, how'd this happen? Where were you? Where were you before it passed?

Speaker 1: 16:51

But you know that's the question that comes up. They're like what happened?

Speaker 2: 16:55

Yeah, exactly. But you know it's important to pay attention to what's going on in your industry. But big fights right now are parking broker transparency, of course, all this trucker, all this freight fraud that's out there. Driver pay we have a bill for paying drivers overtime because truckers are exempt. Employee drivers, I should say, are exempt from overtime in the Fair Labor Standards Act. That's kind of what governs pay and benefits and stuff in business, and trucking has been exempt since 1938. And so we have a bill trying to do away with that exemption. Why shouldn't truckers get paid overtime? And sometimes I'm surprised the drivers would get mad about that and they don't want it. I don't understand why you don't want to get paid time and a half when truckers work 60 and 70 hours a week, right. But so sometimes our biggest fights with our own folks but you can't get out of our own way yeah, exactly, but you

Speaker 2: 17:58

know so. But with that said, those are some big fights we got going on right now bathroom bill. Of course we're getting ready to ramp up for a highway bill. They do it every five or five years or so we have a new highway bill introduced. That's where a lot of trucking regulations come to live or die. So we will be watching that and trying to get some of this stuff into the highway and then we'll be playing defense.

Speaker 2: 18:23

I'm sure insurance minimums will probably show its ugly head. You know, I hope we'll get this whole speed limiter stuff. We've been fighting that, hoping we'll get that put to bed in this highway bill by getting rid of funding. It didn't get passed under the last administration at FMCSA and I think that's due to our constant fighting and keeping the issue fresh in folks' minds and people speaking up. I mean that shows how your grassroots works as well. But hopefully get that put to bed. You know, who knows there could be some electric stuff, autonomous vehicle stuff, who knows what's going to try to come out from the other side highway some of these underride guards and other stuff. But we're always watching and we're not afraid to fight back and and be on the defense as well as the offense yeah, I'm trying.

Speaker 1: 19:17

I'm trying my part, I got there you go, great hat yeah that's you man. So, um, I think about a lot of people. They think about automation. They think about automation, they think about autonomous vehicles. Is that something that you guys can help people say, hey, if you support us, that we'll have your back on those particular topics like that that they worry about. I mean, what would you say?

Speaker 2: 19:41

Yeah, we've been fighting back against that stuff since it's come out, especially this autonomous vehicle stuff. Fighting back against that stuff since it's come out, especially the autonomous vehicle stuff. We have a lot of concern with, you know, cybersecurity and these kind of vehicles. Lots of questions that continue to get answered. They say that they're 93 percent ready for a main highway. Well, seven percent's a big number. When we're talking vehicles turned loose on the highway with nobody driving them and no one can seem to answer the questions of what's the seven percent? You know there could be a lot of accidents on the highway.

Speaker 2: 20:17

It's also very frustrating to us, and to our members for that matter, that it seems like the regulations for AV they're kind of pushing some of the regulations aside to let AV trucks, you know, operate more freely. They don't even have to really report what they're doing. It's all voluntary. We find that all frustrating. We think it should be mandatory and, if anything, they should be putting more regulations on an autonomous vehicle than what they put on a vehicle driven by a well-trained, professional, seasoned trucker.

Speaker 1: 20:51

Wow, that sounds music to the ears to hear that it's not that we want the work, it's about safety. I can't imagine if one of those vehicles hit my family parade.

Speaker 2: 21:16

In certain situations, nobody seems to have an answer. It's also frustrating because I've asked and asked and asked and asked all these companies to allow me to come take a ride and see it. I'd love to see what it's like and I have a little trucking experience, you know. It'd be nice to just to see what we're talking about. And right, and I continually get turned down. So I feel like if they're turning you down, that that's probably a sign too.

Speaker 1: 21:37

Yeah, I reached out to have them on a show or maybe have a conversation about it, and they just it was a decline. So yeah, it's kind of makes you wonder to speculate.

Speaker 2: 21:51

Yeah, I think the only truck drivers they want to talk have talk is the ones that's on their payroll.

Speaker 1: 21:57

Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's just a conversation. Uh, I mean, I guess words matter, then that shows you the power of of conversations, and yes you're having the right conversations there.

Speaker 1: 22:10

Uh, you're, you're starting the right, the right seed. Uh, to there, you're starting the right seed to help people to think about what potentially could happen for the future. You know it could change a lot of things in the trajectory. I mean, there was a time where everything was put on the rail and then they pushed the automotive field to change that. And now look at all the roads that we have and they didn't think about it much then. You know, there was so many locomotive transportation back then.

Speaker 2: 22:38

Right. Well, the world's always changing and evolving, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, but it's always spinning and it's always changing.

Speaker 1: 22:48

Yeah, you're right. Sometimes you know you got to keep up with it and not get left behind. I think that teamwork is going to help us. Let's stick together. You mentioned how you guys are coming together as other agencies as well. What if we all came together and worked for the same purpose? Do you think that's something that possibly could happen?

Speaker 2: 23:06

Well, I'd like to hope so. I don't know. Like I said, the good thing about truckers is they're good, strong, hardworking, independent people. But the good thing about truckers is they're good, strong, hardworking, independent people. But the bad thing is that sometimes they're too independent for their own good. You know, it's kind of like I talked about earlier with the overtime bill. The biggest critics are other truckers of it and I don't you know, next to the American Trucking Association. I guess they complain about it. They don't want it either, but I'm surprised how many truckers complain about this and it's just crazy to me. Why don't you want to be paid time and a half?

Speaker 1: 23:44

Or compensate for the time you're away from your family.

Speaker 2: 23:47

Exactly that's the frustration. You should be and you should want to. What other job aren't you? It's crazy.

Speaker 1: 23:56

Yeah, so if you're paid correctly, typically you probably won't be doing overtime, right? Oh man, so freight fraud, that's a huge thing now Switching gears on that. I know you mentioned cyber technology being hacked or things like that for as far as the driving, but as far as the load in the trailer protecting that, I mean, what do you think of? Fraud has exploded in the recent years. What do you think is some of the catalysts for that? Is there more criminals figuring out how to exploit the system, or is there something else going on?

Speaker 2: 24:30

Yeah, I mean, I think they had the perfect storm after COVID ended and we got in this COVID hangover and downturn in the economy and we had such an overcapacity which you know, everything was so good during, you know, record setting rates and stuff during COVID, and all these people bought trucks and probably some folks got into trucking and shouldn't have. Probably some folks got into trucking and shouldn't have. I mean, which you know, we need a stronger barrier of entry into our industry, not only for people to drive with better training, but also with people getting their authority and becoming a motor carrier. And we got this. You know, all these people poured into our industry and the bottom dropped out and everybody's searching for something and looking and, like I said, we had this overcapacity way more trucks than what there were, loads. So it made it very ripe for the picking for people who wanted to take advantage of folks. And that's exactly what we're seeing and that's what's been happening. And it's brokers getting ripped off, it's truckers getting ripped off, it's shippers getting ripped off, loads being stolen, identity being stolen, it's all over the place. And you know, the sad thing is it doesn't take a really vast, big time crime syndicate to do this Seems like it's people just do you know, stealing people's identity and getting loads moved and then stealing you know, then turning the paperwork in at the trucker, sends them and getting paid and then they just disappear and the trucker can't find them. We've seen some folks who stole big brokers and big carriers identities and all the paperwork and everything looks legit. Driver takes the load and finds out that they don't know who it was and then you know, we've had truckers who've taken loads and they get called en route somewhere to take it somewhere else. They do that and it's just a front. It ends up getting stolen and then the load or the truck, who, who hauled it, is on the hook. And he didn't, you know, he was just doing what he thought was right and was told to do. And then the other big thing we see is they steal carriers information and go take the load and just steal the load completely. And of course the carriers whose information they got stolen, they go after them then because they think they're the ones who stole the load completely. And of course the carriers whose information they got stolen. They go after them then because they think they're the ones who stole the load and they never took it. It was an identity theft. So it's really a rough time now.

Speaker 2: 27:04

I can't stress enough Work with people you know. Call for people you know. If you're running your own authority and you're using brokers, use brokers that you know who they are. Use load boards that the brokerage owns you know. If they have their own load board, get your freight off of that.

Speaker 2: 27:23

If something's too good to be true, it probably is, but I can't stress enough to check. If you're working with somebody you don't know, do everything in your power to check to make sure that person's right and legit before moving on. And this just goes back and we've seen this through this whole downturn. It goes down to the importance of you're going to get your own authority and be your own motor carrier. You really need to have some of your own customers Just going out here and running around on the spot market, living and dying on the spot market. That's how these folks are, unfortunately, are getting burned and, uh, it's not a best business plan. There's people who do it, but usually if you live and die by the spot market alone, you're gonna end up dying somewhere along the way yeah, it's a supplement.

Speaker 1: 28:12

It shouldn't be the main um the main thing 100, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:16

Yeah, yeah, those relationships you build are huge. I mean you don't learn that. You think you can just hit the ground going. But talking with individuals, having those conversations, letting them see what you do and how you're able to deliver for them, I think it's huge. I mean that's a big deal. I mean some people I talk to say they go and visit a lot of their carriers to see what their operation is like, to see if we give them an order, will they be able to deliver? How are they treating the load? Are they clean? What's it like the process of turning around? Yeah, I mean it's huge. So a lot of time has to be invested and that will be cheaper than going through the fraudulent way and trying to get your money back and trying to get paid. I can totally see that that's huge.

Speaker 2: 29:01

Yeah, 100 percent.

Speaker 1: 29:03

Man. So a lot of work we got to do. Progress Do you see that lawmakers see the need to help out with the fraud problem? Do you see that possibly there may be some changes? I know the FMCSA wants to implement some new things. What do you think? I want to speak on that.

Speaker 2: 29:20

Yeah lawmakers have finally realized this issue, in fact about I don't know three weeks ago or so, I was in DC and it was after I met you at the truck show. I was in DC there in February and in fact testified in front of US Senate on freight fraud. It was a hearing on fraud, so talked about some things and some issues and what we need to see get done to helpfully combat some of that as well. But so yeah, lawmakers are finally realizing, fmcsa realizes it and FMCSA realizes it. The big thing now is trying to get somebody who has the authority to go after these people, because that seems to be where we're lacking is authority and more education.

Speaker 2: 30:02

Doj, they don't really understand it, nor does FBI, I don't think and even FMCSA in the beginning. And we need to get FMCSA to pay attention to a Non-Consumer Complete Database where you can go file complaints and they also need. There's a bill out there in Congress right now the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. It's in the House and Senate. It would one make brokers have to have a physical address, like truckers have, which is something that's needed, and then it would also give FMCSA the power to go to be able to write tickets and file complaint on these folks, so go after them, which is what they need. So we need to get that bill passed in the House, for sure.

Speaker 1: 30:55

Nice, that sounds like a good bill. Yeah, I mean, it's almost like a white-collar and a blue-collar job crime mixed together.

Speaker 2: 31:01

Yes.

Speaker 1: 31:02

Yeah, and it's like which way do we go at this for enforcing the law? Yeah, yeah, exactly. What advice would you give truckers to protect themselves on freight fraud? Um, what's one thing that you see out there that's, if they were only doing this, um, maybe we could. We could stop this. I know some of it may be internal, but let's say for the person that that not having an internal issue, it's just it's got good customers and maybe we can hone in on them and give them some tips.

Speaker 2: 31:37

Again I go back to what I said earlier work with who you know. If you don't know who a broker is, if it gets to where you don't know who they are, do all your research, check them out, go on FMCSA's website, make sure it sounds legit. If it's a bigger broker and you've got another number for them, call that number or call headquarters and make sure it's a real load and nobody's impostering as them. But you know that's the biggest thing is just make sure you know who you're working with and who you're working for and if you're, you know. If you're not sure who they are, if it seems a little fishy, don't holler at them All right Speed limiter mandate.

Speaker 1: 32:21

Let's see the FMCSA is pushing for a nationwide speed limiter mandate, and it's a move that is stirred up by a lot of frustration in the trucking community. While some argue it's about safety, many truckers and industry experts believe it actually can make the roads more dangerous. Oida has been vocal on opposing it and a lot of the drivers are wondering where things stand. Why is the mandate such a big concern for truckers and do you know what the argument where it's at?

Speaker 2: 32:55

truckers. Do you know what the argument, where it's at? Well, of course you know speed limiters would set the speed on trucks across the nation. We've heard of speed limits as low as 60 mile an hour, as high as 70, and everywhere in between. And of course you know it depends on where you live and where you're driving. That could be a 5 mile per hour differential between cars and trucks to a five mile per hour differential between cars and trucks to a 20 mile per hour differential between cars and trucks. There's plenty of studies and research to prove out there and I think truckers know this without me saying it. But it's safest when all traffic's going the same speed. When you start creating differentials, you have more interactions. Speed. When you start creating differentials, you have more interactions. I think if they change it within 10 miles per hour, it grows 200 and some percent in that amount of interactions between cars and trucks. Of course, interactions is where accidents happen. That's our pushback, that's our argument. I think that's Mr Trucking's argument.

Speaker 2: 33:55

You could also say we'll be even less efficient to what we are. So this will create, you know, way more traffic, and on the highways, because we're going to need more trucks than what we have now. So we've already got a huge congestion problem and we're just going to congest the highways more with trucks going even slower, so then we'll have that to deal with, and so it's a bad idea. It's a bad deal. American Trucking Association and some of the safety folks pushed for this and petitioned ATA to do this, or I mean FMCSA to do this. We've been fighting back since it started. I mean, good for truckers. They got almost 6,000 comments at FMCSA and most of those were negative, and so that's great, and I think that's part of the reason FMCSA drug their feet a little bit on this, and now we had this bill out there under the last Trump administration and they didn't do anything with it. So we kind of think that's what's going to happen again, what we'd like to do though is.

Speaker 2: 35:00

We have a bill that has. It was introduced in last Congress and it hasn't been introduced in this one yet, but it's coming. The drive act and know what that'll do would defund it. If we could get that passed, it'll pretty much put it to bed forever. So you know when the bill comes. When it comes, if drivers keep an eye on OIDAcom or FightingForTruckerscom or any of our social media things, or Landline, we'll talk about it. When that bill comes, you need to call your lawmaker.

Speaker 1: 35:33

it's just that simple, and tell your lawmaker to support it and let's pass it yeah, um, what do you think, uh, as far as where you stand right now, um, do you think there's a chance that this will slow down, and what's your gut feeling?

Speaker 2: 35:48

on the drive. Yeah, I think our speed limit will slow down right now, like I said, but the what we really need to do is put it to bed and we need to get this bill passed in congress and just shut it down completely, and then it'll go away for good, hopefully all right.

Speaker 1: 36:03

So we touched on quite a bit. Uh, missy, uh, there's also the overtime exemption. Uh, you talked about the speed limiter mandate and we talked about the parking. So these are some good things that we've been able to share. Just wrapping it up, it's been a great conversation. You know, thinking about all the work that you're doing there, louie, I mean it's a lot to take on. We appreciate you stepping up to the plate and doing that over the years, and it's been so much happening in trucking right now and trying to get things to the people. I mean there's a lot more on the way. I'm sure it's never going to be done. So a lot of drivers feel like they don't have a voice. So I like how you're saying it's to call your lawmakers and also support OIDA. I mean it didn't take much for me to sign up. I think it was like what is the cost right now? I want to make sure it's accurate.

Speaker 2: 36:53

It's $45 a year to be a member. Like I said, $45 a year. If anybody watches this or listens to this, if you reach out here to my membership department here at OIDA, call them by the time you watch this, I'll give you the show. Our truck show special is usually $35 a year. Or if you're going to you know you see us at a truck show or you see our tour truck with Marty out, you can get it for $35 as well. But if you watch this show, you know I appreciate being on here and I appreciate your listeners and all truckers. You know, call in, tell membership, you saw me and you can get a $10 discount. You know, $35 a year in today's money that ain't a lot of money. It costs you that much more not to get a good steak anymore. So it's crazy we're about to or eggs cost that much.

Speaker 1: 37:43

I think yeah.

Speaker 2: 37:45

But you're right and then be active. We have a lot of stuff here to offer. We have some stuff to help you with your business. Some of it we charge for, but a lot of stuff here to offer. We have some stuff, you know, to help you with your business Some of what we charge for, but a lot of it. There's some good stuff here for free. Our compliance department is a free thing. Our advocacy is a free thing for you, you know, and we have some benefit, other programs and I tell people, if you get in our programs, the good thing about our programs is our profits go to. You know, the good thing about our programs is our profits go to advocate for you in DC. That's what we do. We're a non-for-profit, so all profits are going to help truckers.

Speaker 2: 38:21

Like I said in the beginning, the stronger we are goes with our membership and the bigger our membership and as active as our members. It's easy to find out what we're doing and what's going on on the legislation front. We've got a website. It's fightingfortruckerscom. If you don't know who your lawmaker is, you can find them on there. You can also message your lawmaker right off air and, as I tell people all the time. You can send your lawmaker a message on fighting for truckers in less time, or at least the same amount of time, but I'd say less time once you get it set up. Time, or at least the same amount of time, but I'd say less time once you get it set up. Who might help you and might make a difference for you? And is the amount of time you can put it on social media.

Speaker 2: 39:01

Complain about it and ain't nobody gonna do anything for you or help you that says a lot right there.

Speaker 1: 39:08

I mean as a group, like you said, the number they look at. But but are they actually reading each individual comment versus if you do it the right way, the proper channels, and of course you know people respect it when you state facts and I mean I know there's a lot of emotion out there as well but state the facts, make sure that they get that correct as to what you need and how it needs to be taken care of. I think that's going to be huge.

Speaker 2: 39:30

Yeah, a hundred percent. Be professional. And because his deal? There's only about three or four people in Capitol Hill who ever drove a trucker and know anything about trucking. So you have everybody in the world down there telling them about trucking. You have people who are on the safety side, you have large carriers, you have us and all other kinds of people from walks of life who tell you about trucking. The only experts is you, the trucker, and you're the expert on your field. So be professional, tell them how things are affecting you good, bad or indifferent and then you know I get. That's what I get from members all the way. That's why I belong to you, because you know we don't know how to do that. Hey, you just called and told me what your problem was. Call and tell your lawmaker the same thing. You know we all put our pants on the same way.

Speaker 1: 40:14

Yeah, yeah, I love that. I love that. You know that thought is is is huge. I mean, we don't have to sound super intelligent, it's just just say state the facts. Common sense just makes it, makes it cut right through, easy Understand.

Speaker 1: 40:30

Like I said, we're just individuals, just humans here on the planet trying to make a difference and try to make things better. Um, so, yeah, so I appreciate that and um, and appreciate you being on the show and uh, I think a lot of things are going to um resonate well with the listeners and uh stay informed to get involved and also learn about how they can get more uh involved with OIDA and the things that they're able to offer and make a difference with, and the things that they're able to offer and make a difference with. So, thank you again for being on the podcast. Louie did a great job, man, I appreciate it and we hope to have you on again. I hear about some new things changing in the future. Uh, I know you got to get caught back, caught back up from vacation, so I want to leave you to it, man, it's uh and uh, having me is my pleasure and anytime you know, don't hesitate to ask.

Speaker 2: 41:13

We're more than happy to come on. And thanks to all the truckers out there and appreciate what you do. You keep this country moving and, as far as I'm concerned, one of the most important cogs in the wheel of America. So thanks for what you do and be safe out there, truckers.

Speaker 1: 41:28

All right, no-transcript.