The following is an interview between Rusty Wade and Dale Wiederholt who is an alternate for the board of directors at OOIDA (Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association).
1)What can OOIDA do for drivers and Owner drivers?
OOIDA was formed in 1973 because of the strife in the industry at that time. High oil prices, predatory freight practices and payment schemes by trucking companies, indifferent bureaucrats, unstable economy……… My how times have changed,….and haven’t !! The purpose of OOIDA is as pertinent today as it ever has!! And therein lies the reason OOIDA has thrived for so long. Someone has to speak for the concerns and situation of the Owner-operator and company driver in a no-holds barred, no BS way to the legislators and bureaucrats on both a state and federal level. OOIDA has been successful as an activist on our behalf first through the litigation front and more recently on a legislative front. OOIDA has a top flight crew of legislative aides in Washington DC to lobby for issues that affect a driver’s daily life and livelihood. Without this legislative activity our concerns and opinions would be unheard and completely ignore. Without OOIDA working on our behalf, our world as we know it would be much more restrictive and our basic human rights that are guaranteed in the Constitution would have been trampled upon and taken away simply because of the occupation we have chosen. OOIDA is the ONLY organization specific to trucking that is working to better and protect our rights and working environment!!!
On a personal level, membership in OOIDA will entitle you to participate in it’s activist front by helping you contact your state and federal legislators, Call To Action alerts on pending legislative actions, and Tracer alerts. There is also help through Membership Services on Compliance issues and interpretations, reading through and advising of pitfalls in leases and lease-purchases, and advice on a multitude of issues through the Members-Only forums. If a driver has a question or concern, most likely it has been addressed in a manner for someone else in the past. After all, the more things change, the more they stay the same!!
2)What can driver members do to help OOIDA accomplish these things?
STAY INVOLVED!!!! It is hard to be an activist if the membership isn’t active. Call the Landline listener Hotline and just speak your mind. Contribute your time to talk to your representatives and speak your mind in a polite and concise manner. Contribute to the OOIDA PAC fund to help the people that help us. Participate in association sponsored events at truck shows and telethons. It is your association, limited only by your commitment level of your resources!
3)What can a small 1 truck to 10 truck company do to make the most of this economic situation?
When the world seems to be closing in around you and crumbling at your feet, it is very hard to be optimistic. The prevalent mood seems to be a survival mindset. And rightfully so you have to here tomorrow to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. But you have to have one eye on the present situation to preserve a financial condition that will carry you long enough to take advantage of a profitable opportunity someday. The best way to survive is adherence to the fundamentals: Try to enhance revenue while at the same time trimming expenses. Cash flow is the blood of a business, and anything you can do to improve cash flow without sacrificing income or adding expenses is a plus. Keeping an eye on receivables and not letting credit get out of line is crucial. Picking up freight opportunities from carriers going out of business. Being in the right place at the right time. Doing what you say you will do. Living within your means.
All very fundamental advice, but sometimes VERY hard to follow. Only you know your own business’ weakness and strengths, and it is up to you to survive!! There is a slight comfort in knowing that your situation is not unique. Even the great almighty bankers have been sideswiped by this recession, and everyone is affected. Good Luck!!
