Truckers hope protest over unpaid hours, lack of restrooms will spark Permian Basin labor movement.
MONAHANS — Low wages and working conditions that truck drivers describe as degrading have sparked an organized labor movement in the Permian Basin , a historic first for the nation’s busiest oil field. About a dozen truckers and local environmental activists descended Monday on three West Texas cities — Kermit , Mohanans and Odessa — and blocked entrances to sand mines with a row of cars to hand out fliers listing their demands to other truckers.
Truck driver shortage constrains booming Texas oil fields, U.S. economy Federal law mandates that drivers take a 10-hour break before beginning their shifts and may not drive for more than 14 hours straight afterward. After driving for eight uninterrupted hours, they must take a 30-minute break. And truckers may only drive for 70 hours within eight consecutive workdays, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The law says nothing about access to amenities such as restrooms.
Crackdown coming for truck drivers who park on S.A. streets Most contracts only pay for the delivery, meaning truckers aren’t paid for the time they spend driving and waiting in lines. The company paid Lopez $120 for that delivery, he said. Lopez participated in last year’s protest and lost his job two days later. Lopez said the company told him at the time he was fired because business was slow, but he believes it was related to his participation in the protest.
Diesel engine garages aren’t known for employing women. Holt Cat thinks its shops’ future is female. Multiple reasons contribute to the shortage. He said lawmakers have failed to create incentives to attract new drivers. Other factors include “underrepresentation of women and lifestyle preferences that preclude many jobseekers from considering long-haul trucking,” he said.
Holt Cat National Labor Relations Board Truckers Movement For Justice Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration American Trucking Associations K Trucking LLC American Transportation Research Institute Texas Trucking Association Congress Midland Odessa Transportation Alliance Lohi Logistics CSM Navarros Boomerang Delivery Services Inc. Cesar Lopez Truckers Luis Ramirez Billy Randel Mohanans Chris Spear Kermit James Beauchamp John Esparza Texans Petrus West Texas Permian Basin Odessa MONAHANS U.S. El Paso Pecos Lopez $120 Cegre Trucking 5F-Superhighway Platform Maessa Transportation RBB Transportation J.C. Logistics Amus V&Amp Mister M&Amp F Logistics
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