So I was watching the news just now and I heard that the drivers that did their protest drive today are upset for among other things the fact that they have not had a raise in 5 years. Pretty good reason to be upset I thought - until I heard they are making $75 per hour.... and they want $90 per hour. I almost chocked on my dinner - who do they think they are?!?!?! $75 per hour for driving a dump truck is disgusting!!! There are cops and firemen and ambulance drivers who don't make that. Not to mention teachers and a host of other jobs.....
Dump truck drivers....
- Thread starter Quest4Less
- Start date
Some people just don't have a sense of reality. Fuck, I'll drive one for $40/hr. and be damn happy doing it too.
I just want to add that it is implied they pay for their own gas, as they state one of the problems they have is with the higher fuel costs. Also that they are forced to haul more items than they should be in terms of safety.
$75 per hour X 40 hours per week X 50 weeks per year...
$150,000.00
Tell me that is in any way fair for driving a f**king truck.
$150,000.00
Tell me that is in any way fair for driving a f**king truck.
So does being a truck driver, a doctor, an accountant, a dentist, a nurse, a judge, a police officer, a parent, a crossing guard, a forklift driver...jan00b said:
Shall I continue?
fuck and i saw good 3 year old dump trucks sell for $2,500 at this week's ritchie bros. auction!
you could pay that damn thing off after 2 weeks FT including cost of diesel!!!
you could pay that damn thing off after 2 weeks FT including cost of diesel!!!
I believe the $75/hour quote was an all in cost, not an hourly wage.
However, I curse all who make their problems mine by screwing with my time, such as blocking highways.
However, I curse all who make their problems mine by screwing with my time, such as blocking highways.
From what I heard in the media the $75 per hour rate is intended to cover costs of operating the Truck including fuel, repairs, insurance and then what ever is left goes to the driver. If in fact the rate has not increased in 5 years then it is quite reasonable for the drivers (which I would think are independent owner/operators) to be seeking a raise. Much the same way as tractor trailer operators would seek a rise in KM rates to try to offset higher fuel costs.
The second issue is also a very valid one, if the trucks are infact constantly being overloaded then they are a real threat to the safety of Ontario's roads and should be addressed. How often during morning or afternoon rush hours do we hear of highways closed due to over turned trucks? if they are overloaded then it is true that they will be harder to stop, turn and operate in general.
The second issue is also a very valid one, if the trucks are infact constantly being overloaded then they are a real threat to the safety of Ontario's roads and should be addressed. How often during morning or afternoon rush hours do we hear of highways closed due to over turned trucks? if they are overloaded then it is true that they will be harder to stop, turn and operate in general.
I agree with this statement, fortunately the OHSA states that one has the right to refuse work if one feels that 'it places himself/herself or others in harms way'.impala77 said:
http://www.mississauga.com/article/13880
"These trucks are ours. We pay for them, we maintain them," said ODTA spokesperson Harsimran Gill. "By the time we pay for gas, maintenance, insurance and add in our time, we're only making about $50 a day."
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/422809
................Their drivers, members of the Ontario Dump Truck Association, are calling attention to what a leader calls "inhumane working conditions" that include 12-hour days, overloaded rigs and low wages that haven't been increased in five years.
"It's a safety issue," said the association's Harsimran Gill. "Our trucks are supposed to carry 21 tonnes. But every time we are pulled on a scale, it's around 28, 29, sometimes 30 tonnes in there.
"That's dangerous, not only for the driver, but for everyone else on the road.
``The brake system is designed for a load of 21 tonnes. When the truck is eight or nine tonnes overloaded, the momentum doesn't let you stop unless you really stand on the brakes."
Gill said drivers aren't allowed to get out at a job site to check and there's no way from inside the truck to determine a load's weight.
Even worse, he said, is that drivers who question overweight loads are often banished from a work site.
The drivers, who truck dirt from new subdivisions and other excavation sites in rigs that can cost more than $200,000, also complain they haven't had a rate increase since it was set at $75 an hour in 2003. .............
"These trucks are ours. We pay for them, we maintain them," said ODTA spokesperson Harsimran Gill. "By the time we pay for gas, maintenance, insurance and add in our time, we're only making about $50 a day."
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/422809
................Their drivers, members of the Ontario Dump Truck Association, are calling attention to what a leader calls "inhumane working conditions" that include 12-hour days, overloaded rigs and low wages that haven't been increased in five years.
"It's a safety issue," said the association's Harsimran Gill. "Our trucks are supposed to carry 21 tonnes. But every time we are pulled on a scale, it's around 28, 29, sometimes 30 tonnes in there.
"That's dangerous, not only for the driver, but for everyone else on the road.
``The brake system is designed for a load of 21 tonnes. When the truck is eight or nine tonnes overloaded, the momentum doesn't let you stop unless you really stand on the brakes."
Gill said drivers aren't allowed to get out at a job site to check and there's no way from inside the truck to determine a load's weight.
Even worse, he said, is that drivers who question overweight loads are often banished from a work site.
The drivers, who truck dirt from new subdivisions and other excavation sites in rigs that can cost more than $200,000, also complain they haven't had a rate increase since it was set at $75 an hour in 2003. .............
While this is true, I would imagine that these are independent drivers working and should you choose to refuse the load there is another driver all too willing to take it away before anyone from the ministry can even get there to take the report.a 1 player said:
for alot of construction projects time is money and they either want the crap delivered or taken away ASAP if you aren't on the same page, they don't need you around.
As for the protest, It was a peaceful protest no worse than the farmers did a few years ago and my understanding is it didn't cause that much of a disruption because they kept the number of trucks to small groups instead of one long convoy.
According to news accounts, one of the purposes of the demonstration was to shutdown major construction sites for the afternoon (i.e. wildcat strike), which they largely succeeded in doing. Essentially, it's serving notice to the contractors that this "Ontario Dump Truck Association" has major weight in the industry.impala77 said:
I'm sure that's probably not as bad as clearing $50 for the day, but imagine working 12 hours and clearing only $100? And on top of that, the construction season is only 8 months.JohnFK said:
You are right in that perhaps there's too many trucks, however the contractors are paying a fixed rate so even if there were 1/2 as many trucks the rate would remain the same.
It also appears to be partially driven by the price of fuel as well. Diesel was $0.50/L in 2003 and it's currently $1.38/L
KINGSTON!!! well there isn't much in downtown kingston and road Princess street is a one way south, if they were to go to fast they'd drive into the lake.
