Diesel is the one that’s killing us,” Alonso Gonz·lez told Random Lengths at a June 5 South Gate Park rally for truckers. Gonz·lez is a longtime LA Harbor Area resident, having lived seven years in San Pedro and the last six years in Wilmington. He’s also a troquero—one of over ten thousand independent truckers connecting the LA Harbor to the nation’s economy—on the brink of financial disaster.
     Steep diesel fuel prices, spiraling registration fees and other charges, along with maintenance costs are threatening the troqueros existence. Hard choices with scarce resources are being made by troqueros these days. For Gonz·lez, this means delaying his house payment again until his next check, something he has had to do “often.” Other troqueros have lost their trucks, homes and cars.
     Out of desperation, troqueros are engaging in wildcat actions, and in turn, actualizing their unique and powerful position they have in this economy that places the transportation of the country’s wealth on the backs of poorly compensated haulers.
     In a dramatic one-day work stoppage on April 30, troqueros jack-knifed big rigs and closed down the I-5 freeway for an hour, slow convoyed down the 110 freeway, and effectively shut down the Port of Los Angeles. The Long Beach-Los Angeles port complex, the second largest and most profitable in the world, is dependent on troquero skills, labor and trucks in order to transfer various goods throughout the nation via railroad centers or warehouses. Results are evident at the pumps, where diesel fuel around the port has decreased, just under two dollars. At a June 7 rally and work stoppage, one trucker did not mince words: “The diesel is going down because of us!”
     For Gonz·lez, conditions are the worst they’ve been in his sixteen years as a troquero, and “its getting worse.” On sheer necessity, he once paid $2.56 per gallon in the City of Commerce, a far cry from six months ago when he could find fuel at $1.37 per gallon. Mounting costs—shifted to independent truckers as a result of the deregulation of the trucking industry in the late 1970s and 1980s. With the $550 road tax plus registration and insurance they are getting gouged with the short end of the stick. Compared to last year, Alonso’s costs have risen dramatically: registration from $1,100 to $1,700 and insurance from $5,200 to $7,000.
     That’s just the beginning. Gonz·lez rents a truck parking space for $150 a month on Main Street and Victoria. Maintenance costs include brakes and tires. Engine repair can range from $5,000 to $13,000, depending on the cost of labor and parts. Armando Gonz·lez, Alonso’s brother with twenty-five years behind the wheel, says truckers are taking “a big risk,” and that “mechanical breakdowns are hugely expensive.” Troqueros, he continues, are “praying for safety, praying things don’t break down.”
     Gonz·lez works 10-14 hour days, driving loads from Maywood to Van Nuys. Having your own trailer allows troqueros to call other companies for more work, which he sometimes does. According to industry sources, truckers average 40-60 hours a week in drive-time. That does not include time spent on loading and unloading their trailers and maintenance. Once upon a “good time,” independent contractors made $8-9 an hour after expenses. No more. Shippers do not recognize troqueros as employees, so there’s no employer-sponsored health care, retirement plan, worker’s compensation or other services available one would expect from a first world economy.
     As a father of four, Gonz·lez remains upbeat but contemplates leaving the independent trucker scene, perhaps to drive for another owner. He knows full well, however, that starting over offers no guarantee. When asked what he wants for his children’s future, Alonso replied, “Everything a father can dream about for them.”
     Readers and truckers interested in finding out more can use an internet search engine and type “truckers” “unite” and “yahoo” and look at the various postings among truckers and their supporters. To join, send and e-mail to: truckersunite-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.