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Truckers Hit High Gear Over Cost Of Diesel

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By DAVID SOMMER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 11, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - River Ridge High School's cafeteria looked more like a truck stop lounge Saturday as more than 100 local truckers gathered to brainstorm about rising diesel prices.

Most of those present said they drove large, 14-wheel dump trucks and most were owner-operators. With diesel fuel selling at $4.25 per gallon, many truckers said they can no longer make a profit.

Trucker Rasheed Mohammed of Port Richey said he spent $350 to fuel his two dump trucks Friday and only made $345, and that was before he paid his broker a 12 percent commission for finding him work.

His friend, Angelo Lisi of New Port Richey, said he took Friday off because of the high cost of diesel.

"If I can't make money, I don't turn the key," Lisi said.

Trucking company owners in the crowd told state Sen. Mike Fasano, the only government officeholder present, that they have had to lay off drivers and cut the number of trucks they run.

T.J. Fletcher of New Port Richey said he used to run four car carriers, but sold two because he does not have enough capital to cover the cost of fuel between the time he buys it and the time he gets paid.

Keeping four trucks on the road used to cost him between $8,000 and $14,000 a week. Now he spends almost that amount to keep two trucks operating, Fletcher said.

Taking A Pay Cut To Keep A Job

Roy Hammers of Holiday drives trucks for a small company that also has trimmed its drivers and rigs on the road, he said. To keep his job, he has taken a pay cut of about $50 a day, Hammers said.

The independent trucker who organized Saturday's rally, Robert Solfio of New Port Richey, told the group he was disappointed that federal officials and a representative of the Florida Petroleum Council declined his invitations. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, sent an aide.

Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said most issues raised by the truckers were federal, although he said he did get a few ideas for action on the state level.

The Florida Trucking Association, which lobbies for truckers opposite the Petroleum Council, which represents fuel suppliers, has suggested a tax credit for over-the-road truckers who buy alternative power units. The units allow truckers to turn off their rigs and still have heat and air conditioning when sleeping at truck stops.

Matt Ubben, vice president of the trucking association, said truckers also need a weight waiver so they do not have to carry smaller loads to compensate for the weight of the diesel-saving auxiliary power generators.

Fasano said he will also consider sponsoring a law to force brokers to pass along any fuel surcharges to the truckers who buy the fuel. Several truckers said unscrupulous brokers keep the extra money they collect to cover the cost of fuel.

Broker To Drivers: 'Stick Together'

Rick Wohlfiel, who runs PAW Trucking in Bayonet Point and was one of a handful of brokers present, told the owner-operators that they need to stop undercutting each other to get jobs.

If it costs $65 an hour to operate a truck and still make a decent profit, then truckers should not work for less, Wohlfiel said.

"Refuse to take jobs that pay below your costs," he advised. "All of us brokers need to start charging higher rates."

Wohlfiel said he has to take a loss on some contracts that were signed when diesel was cheaper, but that any new jobs he takes will pay enough to pass along a profit to the truckers he hires to do them.

Because of the volatility of the market, he will no longer accept a long-term contract, Wohlfiel said.

Under fire from truckers who say their brokers won't pay enough to run their rigs, Wohlfiel urged them to "stick together" and decline the jobs.

If a trucker takes a job that doesn't pay enough, "All you are doing is giving it away and you won't be able to replace your truck" when it wears out, he said.

Solfio said he was pleased with the turnout, even if finding solutions is elusive.

"I was told I wouldn't get 10 people. Well, we got over 100" to turn out, he said.

Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 815-1087 or dsommer@tampatrib.com.

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