Trucks: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver explains how truck drivers get paid, how they often don’t, and how companies exploit them to increase profits.
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[@sambathrang4900]

As a truck driver of 15 years, this is the most accurate reporting of trucker life by far, thanks for educating and entertaining the public with this reporting John.

[@natethegreatest1000]

Do you have a pet chimpanzee?

[@jennyjohnson5428]

Same (2 years) & same

[@MrKinkysloth]

Thank you for your work. Drive safe

[@williamburcham4700]

Have you seen Over the Top?

[@RJ-mh3ox]

They just do the best reporting period vice has their moments though

[@esleynopemos3470]

Every time there's talk of a "shortage" of workers in an industry, it's because that industry treats its workers like garbage.

[@geoffa87]

@@cinemaparadiso5402 thank you for reminding us all that trump supporters are absolutely batshit.

[@strykenine7902]

This is correct.

[@chiphill4856]

@@cinemaparadiso5402 you have drunk the kook-aid of late stage capitalism devouring the spirit of good Americans.

[@katedufel6577]

Accurate

[@rogerremian2860]

You're wrong. Truckers make great money but many of the younger people don't want to work for it.

[@steventodd787]

I never ever take the talk of "shortages" of workers seriously. Never. What it really means is, " We treat our workers terribly" and/or " We can't be bothered to train anyone". It always breaks down to those 2 things.

[@user-le2zv6go3v]

and: we pay them abysmally

[@fetchstixRHD]

@@user-le2zv6go3v: Mind you, you could argue that poor pay falls under "We treat our workers terribly"...

[@user-le2zv6go3v]

@@fetchstixRHD true.. but among the things bosses keep ignoring "what could we do to attract and retain more people?" .. it seems paying more is very much not top 100 of their thoughts

[@DukeNightmare]

Worked at a place that lost employees by the handful every few months, turns out telling people theyre only numbers and replaceable during training wasnt such a brilliant idea

[@skillethead15]

@@user-le2zv6go3v It's always about the pay. Every single shortage of workers or products can be boiled down to some executive who doesn't want to pay fair wages to the employees. They want to sweep it up and hand all the money to the shareholders while the rest of us fight for scraps. Start paying people properly and treat the workers fairly and magically, you'll have people lining up to be a trucker again.

[@LeBonkJordan]

It never ceases to amaze me how well this country gets away with pushing the consequences of shitty systems onto its poorest citizens.

[@atherisGAY]

MURICA the land of the free, you're free to fuckin' die, like we give a shit - signed, the 1%

[@vanessawhite2084]

capitalism is a plague

[@frankforster706]

Totally unintentional system, of course...

[@kuljeetsingh9]

Every country, delivery folks are sleeping and eating on their scooters while getting yelled at by customers for missing sauce in my country. System is always stacked against the poorest.

[@richmondvand147]

thats the oligarchy for you

[@McSquidification]

I'm not a trucker but the "independent contractor" problem extends to MANY other industries as well and probably warrants its own segment.

[@CaptainPlasma1117]

It’s the entire US economy, and I believe he covered Trickle Down economics in another episode.

[@guillermocalle2184]

I think it was also brought up during the WWE episode, which pulls the same stunt so they can cut down costs of benefits and service to their emp- I mean contractors

[@nickgraff9413]

I was a contractor for two years. My employers got away with so many questionable practices because we weren't considered employees of the company we worked for. Sure, we were salaried, but I was getting more than a little frustrated that I was making just as much as another guy in the CSP, but I worked twice as many hours. On top of that, HR fought tooth and nail against paying Workman's Comp whenever we got injured, and we were getting injured A LOT, especially during Peak. No benefits, no insurance package, very slight pay raises...oh, and I forgot to mention how often our checks bounced, and a third party had to ensure we got our wages, which was infuriating because the boss man drove a different sports car to work every day of the week. As for legal action, there really isn't much I can do without my contract, which boss man secretly absconded with months before I walked out. So yeah, contractors work hard, get fucked by management even harder.

[@dancepiglover]

When John said “independent contractor,” I said “oh no, not that again.”

[@PrydeWater901]

@@guillermocalle2184 I came hear to say exactly that.

[@arhyvrapisa]

This is very personal to me. My dad is a truck driver and he’s been talking this stuff for years. I’m glad John Oliver mentioned this.

[@firstlast8258]

🙏

[@contortionyx]

Same here

[@HastyChester]

Mine too! He has stories. None relating working conditions are good. They didn't even cover employers pressuring drivers to take illegal drugs to stay "alert" on the road.

[@punkyreggaeparty8786]

Tell him Thank You. I truly appreciate him.

[@AndrewLyon23]

I'm happy to see so many people showing how real this problem is!

[@jeffreywhittle6161]

I have been a OTR truck driver for 22 years. In that time, I have spent 80% of my life living in a truck. I have never had a dispatcher that doesn't wish it was 95%. Lol You have to understand, these dispatchers have been office workers their entire adult lives. They have no idea what we have to do out here to survive.

[@joelmogensen579]

All dispatchers should be former drivers so they have more understanding of and empathy for what the drivers contend with.

[@brmbkl]

@@joelmogensen579 then how would they be able to push the workers to make more money for the shareholders

[@sadyoshhours2769]

I was with my husband when he drove otr. I had to frequently go in a bucket... one time the curtain opened and a guy saw me 💀

[@alicewonder3309]

My dad is a trucker, long haul. We're Canadian, and a lot of what he said applies to him too. It's madness. As my dad likes to say: if you bought it, a truck brought it. We need our truckers and we need to treat them better

[@cheecheetara]

The answer to, “people won’t work” is almost always “pay them more”

[@TheHeavysilver]

Honest pay for an honest day’s work

[@marko_bauer]

This is not how the US works. If you are poor in a bad job it is your own fault because you did not pull yourself up on your own bootstraps and became a millionaire. This is essentially the American ethos. Let's hope that the pandemic has really braught a new dynamic into the labour market and people wont fall for this modern day slavery anymore.

[@micahgelfand8282]

Exactly. People don't want to do shitty jobs with shitty pay while being treated like shit by their employers

[@newtonvictorian687]

The problem is that people won't work pay them more the problem is people will work but they ain't going to work for free

[@mindakahn9964]

I agree with you. However I ran a crystal store in the mall where I was paying $14.75 to start, and the average was $16. I had a difficult time hiring people because they heard that they had to work too hard. Yes selling something that no one needs, that might sell for thousands is work. But boy is it fun when you do and you open that bonus check.

[@thefatman69dude]

As someone who is in this industry. This is depressingly accurate.

[@resikchanel843]

Video estetik kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2HXc5RqoKl7rMk

[@greg-op2jh]

I am so sorry. I love America and that's why all of us want it to be better. the corruption has to end.

[@angelofdeath251]

which explains why pretty much everyone i know says theyd rather die than be a trucker, that system collapse is coming sooner and sooner

[@MajorHenryL]

@@greg-op2jh that sounds about as likely as Bill Cosby getting a new TV show.

[@lnss8775]

Only issue I had was the driver who was at the shipper for 19 hrs. It made it seem like he was sitting there for free & wasn't going to charge detention. If he didn't get the shipper or broker to pay detention that was solely his decision to sit & wait for that long. Only other explanation would be if the line haul rate was worth it

[@teduppercut]

Only if there was a way for a group of workers that perform the same job to get organized and protect themselves from unscrupulous employers

[@spaceman081447]

@teduppercut That is what the Teamsters' Union was supposed to do.

[@scottlemiere2024]

​@spaceman081447 Reagan classified truck drivers as essential and it is illegal for them to perform a general strike.

[@spaceman081447]

@@scottlemiere2024 Of course Reagan was known for union busting.

[@AzaleaJane]

🤔🤔🤔

[@whwhywhywhywhywhywhy]

The idea that strikes can be legal/illegal is such nonsense. 'its illigal for you to not work' how tf that make sense

[@hinterwaldler1122]

to quote Tennesse Ernest Ford: "You load 16 tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt St. Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go I owe my soul to the company store"

[@Skeeter0218]

There could be an entire episode on independent contractors. One of the biggest labor scams in the country

[@firstlast8258]

🤪

[@The_Opinion_of_Matt]

I think there is an episode on "independent contractors."

[@memyself898]

@@firstlast8258 are you going to add anything to any of these threads, or just dumb faces?

[@CynnamonVA]

He also covered the topic in his piece on the WWE, but yeah a whole segment would definitely be informative.

[@memyself898]

@@firstlast8258 guess not

[@uwekirschling9757]

as a driver myself I must say it's spot on... But in the case with the exhausted driver, the keyword is "fatigued" if you tell your dispatch that you are fatigued and they still demand you to drive either call your safety department or the state police because it's illegal for them to force a fatigued driver to drive and the fines are rather steep for the company Problem is a lot of newer drivers don't know the rules or are afraid to stand up for themselves Pro tip for newer drivers: get yourself one of those small green books at a truck stop that has all the FMCSA rules in it and read it and don't be afraid to quit a company that breaks the law or wants you to do it

[@Deno2100]

They will save money by paying the fee and just firing drivers to keep the draconian norm. They response has to be more organized than that.

[@uwekirschling9757]

@@Deno2100 it's illegal for them to fire the driver as well or to even retaliate in any way and judges consistently rule in favor of the driver in such cases Plus as a driver you can literally quit your job in the morning and in the afternoon you'll have already a new job

[@uwekirschling9757]

@Andrew McFadden yeah that's why they always settle for a few million.... I've been in several class action lawsuits with trucking companies and so far always got a check out of it... Btw if a trucking company repeatedly forces drivers to drive while unfit to drive they loose their authority to operate And every company I worked for so far rather fire the dispatcher than the driver in cases like this You also have to keep in mind that if the driver were to get in an accident while being forced to drive tired the company could loose millions in the ensuing lawsuit The problem is dispatchers who don't know the rules and just try to get more performance out of the drivers to look better themselves

[@derekpospisil747]

@@uwekirschling9757 Fun fact: that's exactly what happened with this guy. He got fired (or they cut his miles so much he quit, I forget), he sued, he won. He even got his story added to training videos, so he made bank off of it.

[@matthew9326]

In the desk job world we call it a 24/24/24 job. Get a 24 year old straight out of college work them 24 hours a day, for 24 months before they are let go or quit for a better job. Then recruit from newbies all over again.

[@Diesel-D]

I drove truck for 30 years , and freakin Loved it and miss it and I truly belive it was because I was a TEAMSTER DRIVER. DEREGULATION FUCKED TRUCKING UP ! And John is telling you why the industry scumbags can’t keep drivers ! Lol John nailed the dispatchers !

[@johntracy72]

Jimmy Hoffa contributed to the corruption as well.

[@zacharyredding3860]

"...What is it, 10 degrees? That'll wake you right up..." Biology would like to speak to the manager...

[@Jessicia7]

My husband is a trucker as well and after doing the math we realized he could be making just as much working at Starbucks and then at least he'd be home every night.

[@MannyAguilarJr]

Exactly

[@KraigwithaK2112]

Nonsense

[@mycatiswaysmarterthanmosto8500]

And he would smell like delicious coffee beans!❤😂

[@ghostlight4644]

as a barista, your husband is doing harder work than I ever could. blessings to you and yours

[@agustinpereira3128]

@@KraigwithaK2112 nonsense? You’ve read their finances have you? Little man on the internet knows better I should’ve guessed

[@billpool1217]

Sadly, there is no driver shortage, only a shortage of trucking jobs that pay a living wage.

[@firstlast8258]

labor shortage = pay shortage

[@nuclearlion]

Yes this. The industry has been claiming driver shortage for decades.

[@deathbybiscuit]

Seems to be a running theme of America

[@necr0danc3r29]

Tomato/tomato

[@doestack7]

Union

[@markdias8440]

I’m so happy for this video. I’m a trucker myself and I remember one time, I was at a loading dock. It took them almost exactly 8 hours to get three pallets off my trailer.

[@phox1515]

Finally someone famous understands. The problems we drivers face will never go away thanks to the lobbyists who have the interests of the shipper, receiver and carriers in mind. That TV show would be entertaining though.

[@mk-lk7gi]

Unions are like condoms, if someone is trying hard to convince you that you don't need one, you definitely need one.

[@lilliebobson3146]

I read union like unicorn and was so confused.

[@goodenergy11]

Not according to my trucker friends. Many independent truckers stay! But government is trying to shut down the happy independents!

[@adamriggs2698]

@@goodenergy11 “happy independents” he says

[@johnnyapplesmith]

Except most of the coworkers in said condom are the most lazy people I have ever met, and I have to pick all the slack for them. Unions prefer to treat seniors with more respect, and don't take reports of working conditions seriously either way, they're not any better. Theres a reason unions are dying out like 50% over these past 20+ years, employers are treating their workers better over time.

[@brocabe]

Exactly, the problem is with condoms once it’s done it’s job we take it off and throw the damn thing in the garbage but for some reason with unions we keep the damn things around until it infects everything and leads to death.

[@xXEGPXx]

"Its not a labor shortage its a profit shortage" could be used to describe every single industry in this country. People would happily do nearly any job but they are not going to do it for peanuts

[@dewmontain123]

Someone will. Get out of the way. I will.

[@nipponsuxs]

As the saying goes, people would shovel shite all day long if the money is good enough

[@kasondaleigh]

This country keeps talking about how bad slavery was, but this current work environment is not much better than legalized slavery.

[@UnbridledFinds]

@@dewmontain123 you should respect yourself more

[@dewmontain123]

@@UnbridledFinds i dont sit around and complain all day i though truckers were tougher than this. I guess not.

[@hedgehog3180]

That lease thing just sounds like a modern day version of indentured servitude.

[@alexesjohnson4229]

Yup it’s why I tell everyone NEVER do rent to own ANYTHING. They always pull the rug out from under you

[@mikel802]

Though as a driver I can say that if the HOS(Hours Of Service) rules weren't in place the companies would run you 18hrs a day into the ground so the time limits have their uses. I do agree that those of us that know how to regulate our time would make better use of not being restricted but it comes with it's own risks.

[@LisaontheFly]

I’m a flight attendant and like truckers not getting paid for loading/unloading, we do not get paid for boarding/deplaning. In fact we only get paid for flight time. Often times we end up working 12 hour days and only getting paid for 6. I work full time and make less than 30k a year. Truckers obviously have it way worse than we do, but all of us are getting screwed by the Railway Labor Act. We should band together and demand a change for both of our industries! Also I would love to see LWT cover corruption in the airline industry to shine a light on the mistreatment of cabin crew.

[@167logan]

That's insane. So you don't get paid for any time spent in the airport? I had no idea. I would happily pay a little bit more for a flight knowing that y'all would make a better wage.

[@martin9562]

@@167logan would you pay a little more for your groceries, clothes, and everything else you have so truckers can get paid by the hour and this be safer, so we’re not racing the clock.

[@furiousapplesack]

@@martin9562 I and a lot of others happily would but the people making most of the profits should be the ones eating that cost. Passenger airlines aren't shipping product and I don't know enough about that industry to know if this applies there as well, but in a lot of industries the "prices will go way up for consumers" line is just fear-mongering to suppress wages. Like saying a big mac will go way up in price and I always say, "Do you have any idea how many burgers they make per day? Per hour? They could get paid two dollars an hour more if we paid 10 cents more for a big mac." But they would raise it a lot more than 10 cents and they'd blame it on the higher wages to turn the general public against their workers and the very concept of decent pay while using it to increase their margins. I think it's important people realize employers are blackmailing us and holding us hostage as a society at this point.

[@MrJohn-kb1eu]

Unions are the best avenue we have to right this wrong. Companies like ABF, UPS, and Martin Bower are Union and people get paid for all time. Pilots can be Union as well. The solution exists.

[@realworkoutsforrealpeople5041]

@@martin9562 absolutely.

[@kennobu8181]

"independent contractors" really should be looked into. From WWE to truckers, it stops a lot of workers from getting what they deserve.

[@Ion1212g]

This bullshit about being your own boss is a complete hoax. We've just had here in Spain a big 3 week truckers "strike" and shit got real. Food delivery services like Glovo and Uber use the same scheme to underpay and avoid paying their due diligences.

[@granudisimo]

@@Ion1212g Eso si, les decías que iban a ser emprendedores y se les hacían los ojos chirivitas.

[@kevinmuller4250]

It’s actually forbidden in many countries. In Germany this kind of fake independence is not allowed

[@kittn831]

Wait till you hear about "individual contractors" that have to pay to work there. Like strippers.

[@Panurus_biarmicus]

If you work for just 1 company they have to hire you as employee over here in 'communist Holland'

[@BrianCrouch]

The toughest part of watching a Last week Tonight episode is knowing that there's nothing I can do and probably nothing's going to change.

[@connie4883]

I work for one of the largest Teamster health & welfare and pension funds in the country. My job is to research when one of our participants is appealing an adverse decision regarding his pension or health insurance benefits. I know how hard these men and women truckers work and that is the reason I go above and beyond to help them as much as I can. I feel like truckers are one of the most undervalued professions in this country. Thanks for shining a light on them, John.

[@ian12346]

It’s not a “driver shortage”, it’s a “drivers self worth surplus” that’s happening. And I’m all for it 🤙

[@jlighter1]

“Reasonable wage shortage”

[@jacksong4886]

Drivers make anywhere from 60-120k. Far better than you will see getting a 4 year degree. But 👌🏻

[@frankytoad12]

@@jacksong4886 Did you even watch the video? they don't generally make that much after expenses...

[@garydownes1594]

It's all about turnover.

[@KayOhTeeKay]

@@jacksong4886 It's almost like you clicked on the video just to argue in defense of the trucking companies without watching. No one would do that though, right?

[@pamagee2011]

As a pilot I’ve heard about the “pilot shortage” for years. What it really is, is a shortage of smart people willing to work for shitty pay

[@DR_Bloom86]

exactly.. same goes for the food service industry right now. People are sick of shitty wages and resturant owners passing a servers salary on to the customer by expecting and hoping for a tip.

[@aidenmurphy9924]

One of the interviewers in this episode is renowned trucker scientist Steve Viscelli. Steve was once commissioned by the governor of California to report on trucker shortages. Steve found that California needed 100k trucker jobs immediately. Steve also found that California had 400k extra people with trucking licenses that DIDN'T WANT TO WORK I wonder why 400k people would spend thousands of dollars and months of their life getting licenses to then turn around and not drive trucks... hmmmm....

[@philipfahy9658]

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they have some crazy requirements for pilots? Like you can't have mental illness, and you risk your job by going to a therapist. Which, if true, is just absurd. Find me a person who has never needed a therapist (whether or not they went to one) and I'll find you the craziest person on earth.

[@linusgustafsson2629]

I recently read about how the pilots in my country will soon go on strike due to the company trying to move towards a more "saving" approach where they want to get rid of the hired pilots and go with contractees instead that they don't have to pay all that extra benefits to. I guess if they don't manage to stand their ground, the truckers in America will look blessed compared to the pilots here.

[@pamagee2011]

@@philipfahy9658 there are no “crazy” health requirements for pilots. Pilots with severe mental health issues (psychosis, bipolar disorder and severe personality disorder) are prohibited from flying. Anybody here want to climb into a plane piloted by someone with a psychosis? Many pilots report issues with depression and other common mental health problems. It is a question of degree.

[@adrianjanssens7116]

Thank you for this John. I was a truck driver (US and Canada) for ten years and am happily retired. I still can work, but would rather stick needles in my eyes. Less irritating.

[@ArtemisMoon12]

Reminds me of the FedEx guy who comes to my job every month. They do a monthly cupcake event for drivers at the depot, so this guy comes and orders like 200 piece cupcake cake & gets me to put the FedEx logo on it, make it look fun. But even at the time, I thought, why not a little bonus? Rather than spending company money on a cupcake? Idk man. $200 a month for cupcakes is probably more cost effective than a $200 bonus to the top performer in the month.

[@SadisticSenpai61]

Unlike UPS, FedEx isn't unionized. That's all the difference right there. FedEx employees desperately need a union.

[@ian3580]

@@SadisticSenpai61 But then, we see how much UPS is utilized by companies. FedEx is much better for next day shipments on a corporate level (i.e. techs visiting customers and needing next day parts). As a consumer.....I get 50 FedEx shipments to every one UPS shipment. So while I get what you're saying...clearly UPS is doing something that is hurting business. I guess if FedEx had a union, it would just mean Amazon would be doing even more deliveries....even for other companies. I'm not sure unionization is the answer here.......There needs to be better regulation overall to level the playing field, but I don't think the UPS union is doing itself many favors from what I've seen.

[@SadisticSenpai61]

@@ian3580 When the retail store I worked for used UPS for everything, we got all of our shipments at the same time every day. The drivers also didn't have to worry about damage to the packages coming out of their own paycheck (damages that most of the time is not caused by the driver). Since we've switched to using FedEx for most things, the delivery time varies. And some days they never even show up, even though they're supposed to stop by to see if there are any outgoing packages. Notably, our store supplies that need to be delivered as quickly as possible (not next day, but within a few days of the order being placed) still come via UPS. The difference between the two companies is cost. FedEx is slightly less expensive than UPS - and that comes directly at the cost of their employees. They're not only paid less than UPS employees, but FedEx shoves the costs of doing business onto its employees every chance it gets - and in ways that frankly shouldn't be legal.

[@Pickle..Flopper]

As a second generation truck driver of 9 years, this episode had me tearing up. For such big trucks we drive, we drivers have seemed to be invisible to the nation. Castaways and obstacles of the highway. Finally, at least for a moment. It feels incredible to be seen and recognized. Thank you John and to your crew for making us be seen.

[@alexia3552]

Modern society wouldn't exist without you, thank you for all the work you do! I sincerely hope y'all get pay raises and better contract terms asap

[@jenwendy7]

❤

[@christiandauz3742]

Join the club with the Vets, Homeless, Refugees and Minorities

[@srooij]

Respect to you brother.

[@christiandauz3742]

@Mike Dalby Until the truck drivers get injured or can't pay for the rental on their trucks Amerika's story is about the American Nightmare I wish I can go back to Industrialize and Secularize Ancient Sumeria then none of this shit would occur Last Week Tonight already did an episode on Truckers

[@Blanco8x8]

Real fact: The first time I've ever learned of this trucker problem is from the Pixar movie Cars. When Lightning McQueen forced Mack to drive through the night without resting, my 11-year-old brain was telling me "This should be illegal."

[@swistedfilms]

And what's more is that if he had just let him get even a few hours of sleep he would've made his destination on time.

[@dweeb55]

now that you bring this up i totally had the same thought as a child watching that movie...like seriously poor Mac

[@ForrestFox626]

Lightning didn't deserve Mac

[@alastairhewitt380]

My mind was blown as an 8 year old that the Pokemon center was free. Even at that age I knew hospitals in the US were far from free

[@TorigodHamster]

@@alastairhewitt380 ok

[@notsure1969]

The absolute brilliance of this show never fails to amaze me.

[@mister_snoogles9031]

My family runs one of these trucks and we are lucky to have some pretty good employers, my dad just retired at 65 but hes a trooper putting me through school with that hunk of metal. as someone whos done finances for him i know how hard it is in this line of work

[@lauraelaineallen21]

I'm a tour guide, and we are also hired as independent contractors and REALLY aren't. THIS is something that need to get addressed across all industries.

[@mousermind]

@@resikchanel843 Stop posting spam. No one wants that shit.

[@cleokatra]

Needs to be addressed? This is by design, they won't address it. Unless we tear down this system that lets these companies and even nonprofits get away with this, that is...

[@levihalperin7649]

@@cleokatra the way to stop it is by workers going on strike and refusing to work in such ridiculous conditions. As long as there are enough people willing to work these jobs the companies have all the power. I'm glad to see workers these days starting to quit and companies struggling to get enough employees.

[@cleokatra]

@@levihalperin7649 by workers refusing to work in these conditions, they're reshaping this system of exploitation little by little... which is what I was getting at... we tear it down by force, or by collective action, or by whatever other means necessary... but we gotta stick together and stick to our guns... and things are promising, but I'm not convinced we're there yet...

[@greg-op2jh]

@@cleokatra 💯. We can no longer count on Congress to change the rules because of the corruption and money in politics. We have to stand up. Don't let the stupid ass culture wars blind you. They want you to be focused on that while they steal and rob you blind.

[@charlesklass4209]

Oh yay! A Last Week Tonight episode about my job! I'm sure this won't be depressingly accurate!

[@MajorHenryL]

Even your sarcasm is too optimistic.

[@Jartran72]

And? how was it?

[@mandymoore5774]

Lmao 🤣 it’s really not funny but idk what else to even say!

[@vengeance1701]

Can we watch the moment your soul gets crushed (assuming you still have one)?

[@Cyber_Cowboy]

How accurate was this segment from your point of view?

[@raineob4996]

Getting Christopher McDonald as the antagonist truck boss was just incredible.

[@picklerick_91]

lmao where else would shooter mcgavin go off to after getting his ass handed by adam sandler 😂

[@ripwednesdayadams]

I can think of so many industries that desperately need workers but refuse to pay their workers a fair living wage and treat their employees like shit then act surprised when no one wants to work there. But company executives continue to receive huge salaries with bonuses and benefits. It’s ridiculous.

[@Greenchazm]

Former driver here: I left the industry because I was sick and tired of being taken advantage of. The abusive dispatchers, not being able to get home for doctors appointments that I repeatedly reminded the dispatchers about, and having managers call me to cuss me out because I didn't want to haul an overweight load

[@rebeccapresti9650]

That was a big one for me, too. Trying to reroute took more time and getting stuck at a weigh station waiting for the offload truck.... and it's MY points and license I'm risking!

[@jjfunk73110]

It seems lately with not being able to get seats filled, when you ask (in advance) for home time to take care of stuff, they get the attitude you're putting them in a bind. Example: I received a jury duty summons. Put in to be home. My dispatcher was asking me if there was any way to get out of it. Turns out I could have IF they had gotten me through the house to where I could have submitted a hardship to the court. But, since they waited until the last minute, I was outside the window to file a hardship and I had to appear.

[@rogersmith7396]

Swift used to send trucks out with no brakes.

[@Greenchazm]

@@rogersmith7396 lol Western Express sends trailers with no brakes, no plates, rubbing/chaffing hoses, bent/broken/missing parts, non-functional lights, you name it

[@rogersmith7396]

@@Greenchazm The government should have a whistle blowers program with rewards.

[@malindabful]

FINALLY got my 70 yo father into John Oliver by watching this episode (he used to be a trucker in the 70s)! Now he's quoting him to me and mentioning other episodes he looked up today 💓💓👏👏🥳

[@malindabful]

He also told me the monkey from BJ and the bear was so protective of the main actor he has to be removed from the set during fight scenes because if the monkey watched it he would attack the actors fighting BJ 🤣🤣💖

[@michealfickling4676]

@@malindabful that's cool

[@UndertheNeedle282]

🥳🥳🥳

[@LiterallyMisty]

This males me smile

[@bryanergau6682]

You're doing the lord's work.

[@toastmantoasty]

Official petition for a Last Week Tonight 'Don't confront me with the potentially lethal consequences of my decision making until after I've had my coffee' mug.

[@Nekrosi]

My dads a long haul truck driver and has been for about 22 years. I’ve been on the truck with him and wanted to be a truck driver growing up. My dad always told me no, there’s better jobs. And as I got older and he explained more and more why he said no to me being a driver I realized that truck driving is a very thankless job. There’s countless times we’ve sat for days and he hasn’t gotten paid for it. He loves driving, but the waiting eats his time and he doesn’t get paid for it. Put also new rules and basically being made to go one place to another with the new monitor whether you’re tired or sick when sometimes you won’t seen a rest stop or truck stop for miles, it adds unneeded stress

[@Lily_Orchard]

Companies: "We have a trucker shortage." Everyone: "Have you tried paying them more and giving them better working conditions?" Companies: Companies: >:(

[@vincintron7151]

FedEx Freight kept throwing money at drivers... I do linehaul and I'm a dock worker with a company vehicle. I'm currently bidding on a run where I get 99miles roundtrip 5 nights a week, but have to clock in and work the dock for 4-6hrs every night.

[@Hybris51129]

Truckers: "How about getting the government regulations off our backs?" Everyone: "No you don't want that, join a union and then shut up like a good little pawn."

[@KKKtrucky2]

@@vincintron7151 FedEx has bad working conditions for a lot of their drivers and a lot of the drivers don't see home very often.

[@vincintron7151]

@@KKKtrucky2 that's more on the Ground and Express co-ops. With freight, we are home everyday and we are actually hired by FedEx freight. But regardless, I agree

[@mayainverse9429]

@@Hybris51129 don't get me wrong companies are not perfect. but the mindset people have that companies are magically evil and the perfect angel of the state can swoop in and help when it can often be bad. also without being in the position of the company itself these people who offer their criticism free of charge don't really understand the realties the business has to work with. many people see "businesses" as these ultimate power that controls everything and if anything goes bad its because they wanted too not becomes of circumstances outside of their control. like lets say a trucking company trying to pressure its driver to meet a schedule. well if that driver fails to delivier in the time window the company could lose a contract and they would have to fire that driver anyways due to lack of work. also hourly vs by mile. you are not going to magically make more money if you go by hourly. i am not directly in the trucking industry but looking to join it soon. and from the info i have gathered so far there is a lot of pay diversity in the industry. not just mile/hourly but also raw percentage as well.

[@marcussabom2696]

Truck driver here, and if I could give John Oliver a hug for this segment, I definitely would. This is all 100% accurate.

[@firstlast8258]

friends of the road

[@kevinburton5323]

This video is accurate for the most part. I've been driving a commercial truck for 34 years and never got treated well until I started driving for Walmart. Walmart Transportation is a very good job but they're strict and particular about how they operate, which is not a bad thing. They are adamant about following their rules and being safe.

[@SadisticSenpai61]

The fact that it took working for freaking Walmart to be treated well... Walmart isn't exactly known for being good to employees either.

[@ian3580]

@@SadisticSenpai61 They're not? Generally they seem to do pretty well. What makes you make that statement?

[@SadisticSenpai61]

@@ian3580 I think you misunderstood what I was saying. The truck drivers said it wasn't until they started working for Walmart that they were treated well by their employer. Walmart is not known for being a good company to work for. They very much treat their employees as easily replaceable. They're not as bad as Amazon ofc, but practically no one is as bad as Amazon. And that's why it's so damning that Walmart treats their drivers so much better than these trucking companies.

[@TheForceHasTwoSides]

My father is a truck driver. He used to look me dead in the eye and say "Stay in school, and stay out of the trucking business."

[@matanuskabutler7566]

I sent this to a trucker buddy in the lower 48 and asked how true it was. He sent back, and I quote, "I'm seventeen minutes in and this may be the best piece ever done about the problems in truck driving."

[@yellowhousecafe]

Never forget a statement from a lawyer for a trucking company.."If you knew what I knew, you'd never get on the interstate again". Thanks for exposing this industry, John!

[@richardprice5978]

my older relatives are long hall and i know i just don't got what it takes to do the job safely as i fall a sleep or get drowsy on the same long road aka taking the same 20 hour tips 10 time in a year in hurry, 2x a year for the grandparents/holiday's i can do but as a job no as a 1-off road trip vacation yes at a slower pace and or days off the road in between longer driving days i have to sleep in my own bed that's quiet and be able to walk around some say on a ship doing maintenance or navigating as thats the closest to a trucker i can get

[@danlyons4602]

I'd you knew. What John & his buddies did at Hollywood parties. You wouldn't watch these shows anymore.

[@andrew66862]

@@danlyons4602 get a grip

[@casawilliams6392]

@@richardprice5978 Get tested for narcolepsy. Seriously. Kindly meant.

[@richardprice5978]

@@casawilliams6392 why? i can't be the only person that really doesn't do longer roadies that are repetitive without preparation smaller no rush hour traffic eran's in town/suburban i can do easy just not as a job like the mailman/pizza delivery as its sub-30m and then get up walk for about 10+m then go back or the next shopping experience

[@TheMonicaAlison]

The sleep deprivation that truck drivers get is no joke. I remember that topic of discussion came up after Tracy Morgan’s car accident, as the driver of the Walmart truck that crashed into them and killed one of the comedians had not slept in 24 hours.

[@seanmcdonald5859]

I recommend reading "The secret Life of groceries" for a deeper look at the trucking and retail industry. Excellent book and a great read.

[@Aj-qb3pr]

As a trucker this is very accurate, probably the most accurate reporting on trucking I ever seen.

[@rrs_13]

It's a sad thing to see oligarchy so enrooted in the political, regulatory and news system that you need to go to comedy shows to actually see an accurate portrayal of the truth.

[@allendean9807]

When i was a kid- 8-9 years old- my dad cranked wrenches on weekends for Smiser freight service in Sacramento, CA. He loved that company, and had a personal relationship with drivers and the owner alike. In the 70’s, these drivers were considered the ‘knights of the highways’ and were all valued employees of their companies. Deregulation of corporations have created this mess. And it’s taken decades for their greed and mismanagement to finally come to a head. Eventually, this nation will literally shut down. And when it does, Americans will figure out that “freedom” means a strong regulatory system of rules that keep capitalism in check, and protect workers. Having a Class A CDL is difficult to achieve. It’s a skill that most will not be able to have, and must be treated with the same respect as any journeyman trade ( which, by the way, have been disrespected since the 70’s as well…). I have nothing but a massive respect for Long haul owner/operators and local drivers, having been one, as well as having Owner/operator family members.

[@tylerhackner9731]

@@rrs_13 the unfortunate truth

[@Myunsolicitedthoughts]

At this point independent dispatchers are making more money then truck driver

[@danarajadas]

I hope things are working out better for you. This is crazy.

[@leeartlee915]

“Independent contracting” is the biggest scam on the working class. I’ve done those types of jobs and they always translate to lower pay and worse benefits.

[@michaelsieger9133]

It’s techno-corporate speak for ‘serf.’

[@egmorgan6]

I’m a history teacher and the description of “independent contracting” reminds me of the tenant farming that existed in Europe in the 1300s. 😔

[@EpictheEpicest]

When I sold insurance, we were taught to promote how it improves employee retention, productivity and moral. But as an independent contractor, the very company I was selling for would rather spend millions on training new people each year than provide insurance to retain employees. Is that fucked up or what?

[@doktormcnasty]

@@EpictheEpicest What kind of insurance improves employee retention, productivity, and morale? I heard of home & car insurance, life insurance, & health insurance, but I never heard of an insurance that retains employees.

[@Alvan81]

And possible Income Tax issues!

[@lancetheman28]

I was a courier for 8 years. I was charged $21,000 in fees. They were charging fuel surcharges but not paying us the fees.

[@hollyzukowski4216]

My nephew is, I believe, enrolled in truck driving school. I'm sending this video to him before he gets sucked into the lease/purchase.

[@alfredovega7897]

My father recently retired from trucking after 24 years. It left me puzzled because I always thought he made great money. I got very emotional after watching this video because I wasn’t aware of the struggle my father faced. Thank you John Oliver for spreading awareness.

[@0_1_2]

Maybe you should actually talk to him… you know, your dad?

[@JustRockMySoul]

Sounds like a proud man, and like one that can make a lot from of a little.

[@aftersolo]

Reminds me of my grandpa. He never complained about farming, but he could of. He loved it and thats all that mattered. Thats an old school mentality.

[@onebadn8]

What does it mean that John Oliver's KZbin clip helped you know your father better than actually knowing your father has??

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

@@onebadn8 You can know someone your whole life and in truth, they're a stranger to you. A trucker is on the road a lot. I'm going to guess that when they're at home, they're either sleeping or the family is taking care not to bother them so they can mentally relax as well. And lots of older men see complaining about anything as a weakness (and you'll still hear this today), so anything difficult their father faced, they likely kept it to themselves. And there's also the possibility that he found a company that treated him right and loved his job, so there were no complaints to be had 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@lordmortarius538]

Literally every job in America became worse with the advent of the 80's and deregulation, not just trucking.

[@NoOne-sn2si]

Agreed... Too bad Hinckley wasn't a better shot...

[@machucast]

Thanks trump! he's the de-regulation king! Screwing your own voters HARD lol.

[@hypno5690]

literally dude literally every job literally all of them shut up

[@romanpatchell2436]

Neoliberalism sure feels like its gonna kill us soon, huh? Can't go on like this

[@french1956]

The dark side of the 80s was, and is, the impact Reagan's policies which set the stage to where we are today. "The Fairness Doctrine" is one that comes to mind.

[@randucci]

This was great. I hope they make a similar segment about aircraft maintenance.

[@DrTofutybeast]

Haha

[@JBJones66]

This hit really close to home for me because they recently got my brother with the lease to own scam. He was devastated when his first check was $50.. so glad he quit.

[@fellzer]

My grandpa died on March 31st of this year. In his possession was the original BJ and the Bear semi truck. Before he got Ill, he was actively using it for trucking. I rode with him across country one summer and every single stop we made, people came up to him to talk about the truck. RIP Grandpa Craig 🚛

[@vernicethompson4825]

BJ and the Bear was a great show! I am glad that John Oliver mentioned it in this video. I had thought that it had been forgotten.

[@philfichtinger3009]

♥️🤘🏽

[@fellzer]

@@vernicethompson4825 Same! I wasn't expecting that. That was actually the first clip from the show I've ever seen. After my truck trip with Gramps, I tried to look it up but this was "early" internet so no KZbin, wikipedia was in its infancy, and what little content the internet had at the time understandably made no mention of a decade old TV show that ran for two seasons.

[@vernicethompson4825]

@@fellzer I hope you can find all the episodes somewhere. I don't think I or my brother missed any. It was a fun show. RIP your grandfather.

[@jrobdickson8498]

That’s a great story-thank you for sharing!

[@RTRFriendorpho]

"Amazon" delivery driver here. They also use about a dozen different DSPs at each Amazon facility. Those DSPs then are encouraged to compete with each other for expanding their contract with Amazon, bonuses for # of packages delivered, and the safety rating of their drivers. The result being that you can't just be good or decent at the job. You need to go above and beyond, just to keep your job. All while trying to drive as quickly, and supposedly safely, as possible. The turnover is absolutely insane.

[@dr.davidenglish778]

I can only imagine. There is no love loss for Bezos with me.

[@matictelic]

Yeah, it's ridiculous. The KPIs are designed so that you have to always be on super high intensity and you have no chance with the competition

[@RTRFriendorpho]

A coworker of mine put it perfectly. "We are the McDonald's of last mile delivery". It's like a scene out of a war movie where the grizzled vets don't even bother learning the names of the newbies.

[@det.halligan]

I'm a fellow Amazon driver, and it's accurate. I've been here a year, and despite having decent performance, I have constant fears of job security, because sometimes I can't 100% finish a route and I have no clue how badly that hurts my scores, so I'm constantly on edge that I'll get the call from my boss that "Hey so your stats are too low to keep you, we're letting you go". With how hard they push us, it's simply unsustainable. Not to mention, an Amazon driver killed a kid within the last year and they added these cameras that pretty much watch the road in front, the sides, and you at all times and its absolutely insane. Look down at your phone to see where the GPS is leading you? That's a distraction, and it goes against your score. Did you stop just past the stop sign? That counts as a no-stop, goes against your score. Did you drive past a stop sign that was angled enough for the camera to see, but not on your road? That's another no-stop violation. Braking hard because someone cut you off? That's a hard deceleration violation bucko. Did you press the gas pedal a little too hard because your pressed for time more than ever? That's a hard acceleration violation. Or taking a corner too fast. It's ALL monitored. Safety is important, but then they push us to go as fast as inhumanly possible. Like I said, unsustainable.

[@huguesjouffrai9618]

@@det.halligan isn't it a good thing that you're incentivised to drive well? Also why do you stay? Are there advantages? And what are the requirements?

[@pattyslater514]

My Dad and his sister's husband, my Uncle, were both long haul truckers. My Dad for a shorter time. My Uncle, many decades. Oh, how they would have enjoyed this episode!

[@multiplephantasms]

my grandpa was a truck driver and while telling me about it he actually pulled out his log book and showed me ways the company told him to cook his books; “you can either risk going to jail or getting fired”

[@johntracy72]

Back then, it was easy to finnagle the books like that, but not anymore with electronically monitored logging.

[@aldotorres1983]

As a box truck driver classified as a "contractor," I'm glad he's finally shining a light on this fucked up industry.

[@davidchristian8447]

Unfortunately it probably won't cause the cockroaches to come scurrying out.

[@ewoodley82]

As someone who has had several family members in the industry, mainly as OTR, but I have an uncle who hauls gas tankers, these bigger companies need to be spanked with a spike paddle with how they treat their drivers. I did a lot of work for my dad as an owner operator, and though he was treated a bit better, it was hell trying to get him loads with decent pay that would also cover fuel

[@terretulsiak]

As a contracter, they dont have to pay benefits I imagine.

[@MartinMartin-bh4ke]

You are happy that after Truckers showed themselves to be extremely effective and powerful political tool that John Oliver a puppet for those who fear you, gives you attention to make you believe they care and arent trying to replace you? No offense but you ought ask yourself "Cui Bono" all the time, especially when it seems like somebody is being awfully nice to you and wants the best for you.

[@dr.davidenglish778]

@@terretulsiak I believe that is what Oliver said.

[@Lovemybodybymiriam]

As the wife of a long time cross-country truck driver, I have to say THANK YOU for bringing awareness to the public about these horrible things that go on in the industry. Over the years, I have joined my husband for a couple of months here and there; and I must say I was in utter shock when we encountered these insane wait times at the loading docks. There are no bathrooms or anything so if you are stuck waiting for 24 hours, well you are stuck waiting for 24 hours without showers, bathrooms, and oh yeah you’re NOT GETTING PAID. It does not help that most employees and staff at these loading zones are really rude, they work slow loading one pallet each hour, they don’t care to make you wait because they get paid by the hour. Most of the time they make you miss your next appointment, which screws up your entire day and night. I would love to touch on the topic of the brokers who send you to places without confirming dates/times and make your life a living hell but I cannot even speak about it without getting worked up. Most people think “Oh you’re a trucker, you are so lucky you get to travel and explore the Country WHILE getting paid.” That is literally NOT the case. Being a trucker is one of the HARDEST and LEAST FAIR jobs that have ever existed.

[@furiousapplesack]

I can't speak to your exact experiences of course, but as someone who has been the forklift operator loading and unloading trucks most of my work career (at several warehouses in several states in warehouses of various sizes) I can say it's been the case that, when loading, it was usually pickers and pallet-builders who were behind while we waited around impatiently tapping our foot and complaining about it because the pickers typically had no experience with our, or your, part of the job and don't understand the downstream effects of their actions. It was usually the case that they simply didn't understand this, though there were certainly some lazy bastards (more common in larger warehouses with more employees where they can hide a bit), and this simple fact almost always caused friction between shipping and other departments. Lots of yelling, lots of chest-puffery, etc on a nearly daily basis. Most warehouses I've worked at had a rough crowd. The other primary reason for backups is the employer insisting on sending out the load exactly as ordered no matter what (the customer is always right! smh), even if that means that a dropoff arriving late to us carrying what we needed was in line BEHIND the truck we were loading, screwing up the entire order of operations. For an industry called Logistics, there are some real incompetent morons planning that stuff out sometimes. One thing was certain, though. The wellbeing, physical and financial, of the truckers was the least important thing to the employers of all their concerns. We as lift operators, pickers, etc. were only given SLIGHTLY more consideration. It was extremely stressful work in terrible temperatures and quite dangerous. I know someone who died on the job, I almost died several times and I saw with my own eyes about a half-dozen people almost die due to warehouse owners flaunting safety regulations that were not overly onerous but very sensible (stack three 2000 lb. pallets of wine on top of each other? What could go wrong?), I've been hit by forklifts while on foot, I've seen legs and ankles snapped. All that being said, every trucker who was up for having a chat was really cool. Sometimes they'd drop off gifts they brought us from Canada or wherever. So they were usually cool, except for the one idiot who pulled out of the dock without checking while I was halfway in it on a lift. Everyone connected to this industry, except management, needs to have some solidarity. It's a rough business. I had one terrible employer who didn't want to spend the minimal money to get an appropriate dock leveler, so they kept making us pick up the back end of one lift carrying the load with the forks of another to get the right angle into the truck. I eventually refused to do it anymore, so they finally got the leveler, but our relationship soured immediately as a result and later down the line I damn near unionized the place. It wasn't official, but there were enough on board that we caused them significant pain.

[@MartinMartin-bh4ke]

I am amazed how easy it is for those who screw you and your husband over to make you forget what they did. All they had to do was pay a Laugh track, Clapter needing Comedian to talk about Truckers for a few minutes and you are disarmed completely. The only reason you are being pandered to is because they FEAR you. You have shown yourself to be an incredibly effective political tool and the ones in power are shidding bricks. Ask yourself: CUI BONO? Because other than a bit of mental relief from feeling alone and ostracized all this time because the same Media demonized you Truckers for protesting... what are you getting out of it? Nothing. John Oliver gave you empty words that made you feel good, don't fall for it, stay strong and keep on trucking ;)

[@cgabb9362]

@Ryan Robichaud So you were an American dairy farmer? Heavily subsidized by the government to produce a product in a volume that was artificially increased to justify giving you *more* subsidized money? I get up at 4:00am every day, and go to work, regardless of the weather, and if there is no market for my skills and product, I don’t get paid. Unlike dairy farmers, who get to unload their unwanted product on the government, at the expense of the taxpayers. And you retired from dairy farming and used part of your substantial savings (made possible by your tax paying countrymen,) to buy a truck and live “the easy life?” And now you’re commenting about how awesome your life is. Your “screw you, I got mine” attitude is a big part of the reason your grandkids are screwed. I bet you vote republican across the board, and whine about “socialism,” even though it’s the reason you were able to retire at all.

[@cgabb9362]

@Ryan Robichaud So you’re cool with illegal labor, as long as it’s you. Raised on welfare, but don’t want it for anyone else. Whether or not you chose the government assistance that you were raised on, you benefitted from it, and still don’t want anyone else to have it. Nice. What percentage of your income went to college? Have you bothered to look at how ridiculous that percentage has become over the years? Why would you? You got yours, right?

[@richsackett3423]

Vote Blue.

[@The_best_days_are_yesterdays]

As a former driver (regional and long-haul) I can't thank you enough for this piece. The industry has been broken for a long, long time. Shout out to Alex Knight (Gorilla Tango ABQ; Tricklock, etc)

[@Sakash52]

This isn't just a problem in the States, this is a huge issue in Australia as well. I can't understand how you can be an "independent contractor" but your every move is controlled by one company that you exclusively have to work for.

[@0MasterOfFates0]

I've been yelling at every manager and boss I know to raise their pay rates and that the reason they're workers don't care about their jobs is not because of laziness and its because it isn't worth the effort any more. People are not getting paid enough. KNOW YOUR WORTH KIDS. The boss needs YOU to make his money not the other way around.

[@imtired2983]

My dad used to tell me this all the time.

[@Gogoroth2]

Have you convinced a single person to raise pay rates?

[@dirtydinero6622]

@@Gogoroth2 it’s about changing the culture. People will follow the trend. That’s why this happened.

[@moksound19]

When workers organize themselves, instead of trying to attack these problems as a sole individual, that's when we start seeing potential. Don't expect anything to change without collective action that results in normal people taking power away from the current decisionmakers.

[@the_algorithm]

@@dirtydinero6622 No. This happened because they deregulated Capitalism Capitalism is so bad that if you do not regulate the filthy rich "privileged elite" they will bankrupt everyone and make them live in corporate towns And that corporate town trend is starting back up... go figure

[@PanfuSerenity]

I swear, every time I hear "shortage of [insert sector] workers", it's covering up for "shortage of want to pay a decent wage in [insert sector]", so it really shouldn't take a genius to figure out how to solve the equation.

[@resikchanel843]

Video estetik kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2HXc5RqoKl7rMk

[@alexandrezani]

I mean, sometimes you will be in a situation where an unexpected demand increase actually creates a shortage until people can train to switch jobs, but as a general rule, yeah. "Shortage" just means "we wish we could pay less".

[@EpsilonUnitGaming]

You’re right but don’t forget working conditions as well.

[@paulmentzer7658]

This has been true of other professions for decades, for example the "Shortage of Nurses", another profession underpaid and overworked.

[@tsharabrown3719]

Pay, working conditions, or both. There's a shortage of senior engineers and programmers, and it comes down to shit work conditions in addition to poor pay for the years of education and experience they want. Something like 70k may sound good to most people (myself as a new grad included), but you offer that to someone with a MS and over 10 years of industry experience in a specialized technical field, and they would rightly walk out of the interview laughing. Don't even get me started on if you want them to live in a large city with a high CoL.

[@anonypenguin1115]

I love how every video ends with 'So what can we do?' Full description of the problem, and then the suggested solution. Not just a complaint.

[@daviddavid5880]

The Company Store. A thriving American tradition.

[@conorsvfx]

Literally every single American problem begins with, “it all started with deregulation in the 80s…”

[@eddenoy321]

Conor Grennan Or 'when Nixon removed the dollar from the gold backing' or "when democrats had control"....we are a people who know it all and know nothing at the same time...

[@Chrisko1492]

Ronald Reagen and Margaret Thatcher are the devils and founder of modern neo-liberalism.

[@Jedsa009]

The only surprise is that Jimmy Carter started it this time.

[@mattilove6028]

Dems and republican both saying it’s the others fault. If you think you’re on a team you ain’t.

[@stormstereo]

@@Jedsa009 ”In an effort to lower prices for consumers.” The road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions.

[@abcdefghijklmno66109]

I'm a big rig mechanic. I've seen everything on this episode first hand plus more. Worst story i can share is when i worked for swift. A guy died in his truck on the lot. Nobody checked his truck everyone thought he quit without telling anyone. After they got his body out of the truck they cleaned it up and re-leased it to another driver within a week. The drivers, dock workers, and mechanics are a dying breed. No one wants to do what we do anymore. Partly because of money, partly because of working conditions, but mostly because no one cares about us. In the industry we are human assets. Outside the industry we are invisible to the public. Just nameless faceless people that no one considers or cares about.

[@donmiller2908]

- "Outside the industry we are invisible to the public. Just nameless faceless people that no one considers or cares about" Unless you're in the entertainment industry, people really care about celebrities, that holds true for 95% of anyone with a job. I don't ever think about insurance agents, grocery store managers, warehouse workers, chefs, people working the lines at production plants, airport employees etc. I don't like to think I'm an uncaring asshole it's just that I have my own problems and my own priorities. If I spent time considering all the people in any job that are getting the shitty end of the stick, I'd never get anything done.

[@russellm2555]

No one wants to do anything anymore. Country full of bums

[@capealio]

@@donmiller2908 it's kinda different for truckers because our whole country depends on them so much. Mainly for food. Most jobs could have their whole field take the day off and no one would notice a thing. Stop truckers and the whole system falls apart

[@donmiller2908]

@@capealio Oh I know, and I appreciate truckers. I'm just giving a reason why people rarely think of truckers and their problems.

[@wilmerdramos]

Any suggestions for what us average folk could do? It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that I didn’t know this was an issue and I don’t know what to do. Horrible this is happening and if there’s anything we can do then please let us know

[@veroniquetrempe2715]

My bf used to be a long-haul Canada-USA truck driver. After a year, he quit to do delivery driving just in Canada. He makes three times more money and actually has some weekends off. I'm not saying the problem is just in the US, bc there's still a long way to go here too. But damn, long-haul drivers are getting screwed!

[@skyclaw]

Interestingly, given the Ice Road Truckers trailer earlier in the segment, the one place where seatbelts are actually forbidden is on an ice road-you need to be able to get out of the vehicle quickly if you fall through the ice.

[@jameserickson5372]

Truckers are such an under-appreciated group of professionals. Things MUST improve.

[@Marijuanifornia]

Truckers are irrelevant. Everything that you need can be made from Cannabis Sativa in your own state. No one cares enough to learn this, so you're stuck with some outdated bullshit system that imports cheap crap from China to be shipped across multiple states.

[@MajorHenryL]

If they won't do it for our teachers what makes you think they'll do it for these people?

[@resikchanel843]

Video estetik kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2HXc5RqoKl7rMk

[@Kougeru]

They'll be replaced by robots

[@XantheFIN]

True and always wish greedy companies would start actually taking care of them better than stupid stock owners whose doing absolutely nothing than being deadweight for companies.

[@CindyLuHoo93]

For someone in this industry for over 30 years this is so spot on it is scary. I want to personally thank you for doing this spot on trucking. I have sat at a shipper in Seattle for over 14 hours and then had to be down in Southern California area 21 hours later. Now the math says, had I been loaded in just a couple of hours that would not have been a problem. 3 hours loading 11 hours driving, 10 rest break 11 hours driving. Boom we arrive on time with no other issues in-between. But alas no. Screwed at the initial dock, the shipper. Thank you again for this!!!

[@DeuceBooty]

Did you make it?

[@erickaps2937]

where in the hell does it take people 14-18 hours to load a truck? how common is this problem? what are ways to potentially fix it, im amazed by it

[@HVACSoldier]

@@erickaps2937 The problem is that the shippers (AND receivers) sometimes “double book” loads, or they plan on loading, and have equipment breakdowns, at the factory. Walmart Distribution Centers are okay. They tend to have a rule that you can’t deliver more than two hours early, SO it makes it easier for the driver to plan when to go on duty, especially IF they are at a truck stop a mile away. Even then, they sometimes take four hours to unload.

[@arislanbekkosnazarov9644]

@@erickaps2937 big facilities of renowned companies like Walmart, P&G and etc usually do the loading/unloading very fast. But then there is the rest - understaffed, poorly equipped and working only between 8-16 facilities. Sometimes the workers show an attitude, and sometimes there are no workers to speak off, and the queue can get ridiculously big in FCFS facilities

[@tsmith906]

The truly sad thing is that 98% of the existentially horrific stuff John (a genuine hero) talks about on this show, there will not be a single damn thing done about...

[@gordatados]

I went to college truck driving school for 6 months. I got my certificate at the end and got my CDL. But I couldn't bring myself to actually apply for a trucking job. We were told we'd have to do long haul for our first job to "get our 1 year of experience" in. Without that "1 year", they said we'd never get the good jobs. Also, some of the stories the teachers told us about being on the road and places they've parked overnight, ultimately made me not want to truck for a living. Oh, and many companies trying to recruit grossly balloon what the job will be like. edit: One recruiters story he told, which idk how it was supposed to make us want to work there, was basically after starting his first trucking job, being on the road doing long haul for 6 months, he had a mental breakdown and cried. After having a long talk with his wife, he decided this was the life for him and he would "tough" through it. It was rewarding work. He loves his job. ... That was basically his pitch 😳.

[@AmethystEyes]

This reminds me of when people talk about “teacher shortage”. It isn’t the shortage but the turnover rate due to absolute burnout and horrible wages.

[@denisportier8311]

Absolutely!!

[@pickledokra2963]

Idk certain companies don't pay worth a shit but they're usually shitty workers. IE Swift, Schneider etc.

[@hannahrobbins1017]

I know that I thought about teaching high school math and then realized I could earn enough to live like a real adult if I taught college instead… Maybe I would have picked college anyway, but lack of a living wage is a sad reason to make a choice :(

[@myownbiz5461]

@@pickledokra2963 If a company pays its help well and treats their employees with respect, most employees will recognize that and give their all! If a company doesn't give a hoot and shows you that every day, employees will just bide their time until they can go elsewhere..and do only what they have to, to get by until then! Sure, there will always be the odd jerk of an employee who doesn't care, no matter how well treated, but that guy will be the rarity and likely soon to get fired. It's pretty much like every other type of relationship people have in their lives..no one wants to be treated like a chump and will respond positively, if treated like they count!

[@avigutierrez8948]

And that there is the reason why unions are important especially teachers can’t tell you I got inspired but I knew some teachers that were cool and charming. Sometimes I think the future isn’t coming true pretty much a dystopian era is coming😳😰scary indeed.

[@robred123s]

As a driver, I'm so glad to see someone with an audience as large as John is bringing this topic up.

[@swistedfilms]

It feels good to be seen, doesn't it? Drivers are often taken for granted in this country. Thanks for doing what you do! I know it isn't easy to sleep in a truck that keeps starting every 10 minutes to keep the cab cool enough to sleep!

[@motherreaper7287]

A real slap in the face to everyone whose lost someone to a tired trucker, speaking from experience..

[@dramabug1000]

This is the truest true thing ever!! Nailed it!

[@stylishpancake5173]

Honestly the "contractor" abuse thing needs to be dealt with in general. That one is not just truckers, though it's pretty shit that they have to maintain their own equipment when they're not really independent contractors. Many industries pull this crap. IT is notorious for it for example.

[@TheJesselopez1981]

Uber and Lyft drivers recently fought for the right to be labeled independent contractors, as they were not categorized as that under California law. Now they're in the same boat as these truckers.

[@tylerkaufman6777]

@@TheJesselopez1981 drivers didn't ask for that. That was the lobbyists for those companies that did. Do you honestly think that someone would knowingly screw themselves out of better benefits and a living wage?

[@TheJesselopez1981]

@@tylerkaufman6777 actually they did. The majority of drivers didn't want to be employees. They pushed for this and voted for this. They may have been uninformed on some things. I think most thought if they became employees they would no longer be able to make their own schedule. Those things are not mutually exclusive.

[@amymcneal6180]

And OTR drivers don’t see their families all week.

[@mtoboekid11mouse88]

He's actually covered that before in some other stories where it affected the subject of the piece - the example I remember best is the WWE one, which is the same way. Categorizing them as contractors allows the company to exploit them and own them at the same time they don't have to be responsible for anything that happened to them. It's horrible.

[@LuigiTheHeadcrab]

My boyfriend is a driver, and you summed up everything he has gone through in his 9 yrs. The industry is criminal. Not to mention the awful stigma placed on drivers by people. Yeah some drivers fit the stereotype, but they work hard and a job that we cant live without, and no one deserves the treatment they get. Its horrible.

[@christopherbradley5575]

Honey, if your man stayed on with this shit for 9 years, you need a smarter man.

[@angelestorres6334]

What is the stigma placed on them?

[@jasonvargas7564]

You better service your bf the way he wants it for his hard work

[@SouthCountyGal]

The stigma as far as I know it is the assumption that truckers are uneducated, ignorant, belligerent types who frequent bars when not behind the wheel. Think rednecks but with bigger trucks. I believe there's a connotation that they can't hold down other blue-collar jobs and just end up in the profession like the tide brought them in. I have a lot of respect for truckers. We are totally dependent upon them for everything we buy that isn't produced in our own town. They work crappy hours, and they have a lot more to consider while on the road than the rest of us. Every time I'm on the highway I see idiots in cars tailgating 18-wheelers, or cruising along in their blind spots (terrible idea in my state, where they actually need to change lanes once in a while), or cutting into the lane directly in front of them. The fact that more of those jerks aren't dead is due to the truckers' skills. When I was a kid in the 1970s, my best friend's dad was a long-hauler (I don't know the industry terms; he'd be out on trips for at least a week at a time). He was gone a lot, and when he came home he would sleep almost the whole time and we'd all have to play at my house so we didn't wake him up. He'd be super grumpy the first few days, then a somewhat involved dad for the next few, then he'd be off on another trip. The neighborhood kids used to line the street when he was coming home or heading out, because he would pull the horn for us. It seemed to me as a little kid that he was giving up a lot to take care of his family. I definitely formed the impression that truck drivers were sleep-deprived on the job.

[@antonbrakhage490]

@@nothingworksworks3511 There's a valuable lesson there. Truck drivers, like most working-class folks, would be much better off protesting for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. Naturally, their greedy bosses don't want that, so they feed them culture wars bullshit, telling them to blame people of colour, immigrants, foreigners, liberals, made-up conspiracies- anything to keep the people fighting each other, and distracted from who's really taking advantage of us. Divide and conquer.

[@michaelkarnerfors9545]

"St. Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go. I own my soul to the company store"

[@adelepattonxxx]

Thank you for actual real journalism!! 🙏 Is there no one else intelligent and funny who can deliver a story that's actually researched and not 2D BS!!??

[@thomasbel4193]

I just quit a "delivery service provider " for Amazon and I can tell you that everything that woman said is true. We pissed in bottles, we buckled the seat belt behind the seat, a bathroom break would put you behind, you'd get no breaks because it was just impossible to. They don't care about you at all

[@MiguelRPD]

I'm an Amazon delivery driver and all this is correct. It's unfortunate but necessary because otherwise you can't make the 180 something stops a day. And God forbid something goes wrong on you're route and your suddenly behind.

[@allandill2033]

Amazon does not care about its employees. I'm surprised people will give a monthly subscription to such a horrible corporation.

[@dreamcoyote]

WSJ did a really good hour long documentary on the current worldwide supply chain. As I recall, some DSPs are expected to make 20-30 deliveries an hour. They are also subcontractors so Amazon can't get sued. I get the convenience, but the point of this video, the WSJ, and your statement is that there are *hidden costs* to all this %100 available same-day delivery stuff we enjoy. Those costs are people :(. Definitely need more sunlight on all this. None of it is actually sustainable.

[@MiguelRPD]

@@dreamcoyote it's highly dependent on the route but generally Amazon wants 20 to 30 stops an hour. Although it is possible to go 40 stops if you decent to run and if those stops are houses. If you have apartments naturally your stop count drops dramatically because they take much longer. Also because of other issues like gate access codes not working or security not letting drivers in. Usually I run some of my houses in order to create a "buffer" in case things go wrong later in my route and I need more time. But Amazon doesn't account for this.

[@xfranczeskax]

@@allandill2033 If you are surprised, congrats, you bought into another capitalist lie: the lie that consumers could change the system by not using it. For your info: they can't and won't. Stop putting in on old aunt Betty, who doesn't have much choice on where to buy from with the tight budged she got. It's on Politics to regulate accordingly and the people's pressure via demonstrations, unions, strikes etc.

[@dominicrinaldi8241]

The US is probably the worst "first world" country for average workers.

[@happynappydrj5238]

Do you know that French workers get 5 weeks paid vacation? I was in France a few years ago when a law was passed stating that employers could not call or email employees after work hours. I just wish that more Americans knew more about how other countries function, particularly in healthcare and education. I am so disgusted thinking about how many Americans are working so hard and can barely pay their bills.

[@rkgaustin9043]

@@happynappydrj5238 It's much easier to give people all kinds of "free" stuff when another country (the USA) is providing your national defense.

[@rkgaustin9043]

LoL! Yeah, no. kzbin.info/www/bejne/foS3eHyomdB4lc0 and kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpCYd2CQfrl5h9U Would like to have a word with you.

[@zenaku666]

@@rkgaustin9043 [citation needed]

[@maxmulsanne7054]

@@rkgaustin9043 ... and humanitarian relief. Source anyone? Look it up. Additional note: *I don't know about you guys, but every time post a link for ANYTHING, the Common Wealth of the YT Kingdom deletes my post.*

[@allanwidner9276]

The pictures on the negative money, tho - it's the little details that make the difference. Priceless.

[@osmanautorepair1304]

Thank you for speaking out

[@johnchessant3012]

Broke my heart to hear those truckers explain what their expenses were and how little they ended up with. As the video says, the average trucker makes about half of what they did 50 years ago. The idea that CEOs sit comfortably in their boardrooms making huge profits by making the actually essential workers poorer and their jobs more dangerous, absolutely sickens me.

[@majdavojnikovic]

"We are out of essential workers" yes, you are, because you ate them all. Dear (essentials) workers: unions, unions, unions. Or - cooperations. Which are unions of another, even better kind. We all live in predatory capitalism. Wealth distribution facts tell me that even if I am too stupid to understand the details this John Oliver is explaining here. However those Bezoses are smart, lucky, inovativne, genius etc. they are, the distribution of the wealth their companies are making is idiotic, as it doesn't reflect the core reality of what that company is now - much much bigger then him. If he, and the whole ceo level of Amazon dies tomorrow, nothing special will happen to Amazon. As they are NOT essential for Amazon. In just few days you could find the same quality of workers of that level for the small fraction of the price, and you can diss his function in Amazon all together, as he become just a giant flying leach of the company. But if all essential workers of Amazon die tomorrow, there is no Amazon. So, Amazon is actually in the hands ( literally) of it's workers, and to get that fact understood by everybody, Amazon essential workers just have to somuntaniusly cross their hands and not move till they get their fair share. That is the reality. One has to fight back, or work around it. One can't fight alone,and can't work around it alone. So first you have to recognise and acknowledge your class reality, and that your position in the class system is what is connecting you in the most profound way, and move together. That is what socialism is. Not gulag and I don't know what else Socialism is recognising your social place and the power of your social position. In the case of workers, employers let's call you, it is the waste number of you. You are the whole army. You are that majority.

[@TrickOrRetreat]

And now when prices surge on everything, there will come a moment where truck drivers end up with a negative year income. That´s when America grinds down to a halt.

[@Illlium]

A man's gotta eat, you think cocaine and Crystal just fall out of the sky?

[@TheBenole]

@@majdavojnikovic and this is one reason bezos fights to keep unions out of his company.

[@bishop51807]

Yeah the joke about the guy on that 70's TV show moving anything for a $1.50 a mile, that's still the rate today for some owner operators.

[@om3g4888]

Imagine if those drivers formed like a group. A group that could use their leverage to bargain for better wages and conditions. If only we had something like that here... whatever could they do?

[@42Mrgreenman]

Maybe like a team...yeah...that's the ticket...truck driving worker's team enthusiasts ...may need to work on the name...

[@mikemanning5019]

Maybe they could form some sort of convoy and drive across America and bring attention to all these issues?

[@kainhall]

Republicans say they are on the truckers side . Republicans tell them unions are going to make you loose money and jobs . Truckers belive them....as no one else even mentions them . . And so truckers vote against their own interests and pass "right to work" BS

[@miket3100]

.... a union guys he has referring to a truckers union.

[@michelleisaloser]

Funny thing is, it's literally illegal for truckers to have a union.

[@ShuRugal]

"This Desk isn't moving towards you at eighty miles per hour" I am now imagining John Oliver seated at his desk with that manic grin on as the desk flies around the studio mowing down audience and film crew members.

[@mkultramarcos]

As a former Amazon Driver, the segment about Amazon Drivers was fucking spot on.

[@ryangiesbers]

I’m a truck driver, just hit my 5 years as a CDL holder. I’m on my SIXTH company. I went through 5 companies before I finally found one that was worth a damn.

[@elmoisamac]

Glad you found a decent company! Everyone who works for years in an industry deserves to make a decent living.

[@BasicPsychology101]

I said fuck it after 4 years. Hoped out, went home, and got my life back.

[@jimjones5530]

Same. Funny how easy you can be let go, yet they look at your employment history.

[@josephsmith886]

@@jimjones5530 honestly, that's any job in any profession. The best one is always "you don't have enough experience", yet people won't hire you to gain the experience needed. Again, that is in any/all industries these days in America. So, we have people in their 30s, 40s, 50s working as a cashier or stocker in Walmart or burger flipper at McDonald's and 2 other jobs in order to barely pay their bills and take care of themselves and others. Damn sad is what it is. You have to have a piece of paper called a degree in whatever field in order to take a phone call from people, yet you may be the absolute dumbest person out there, but you have that degree that says you're hireable. And the degree doesn't even have to have anything to do with your chosen career. It helps, but nothing that really effects your chances.

[@jimjones5530]

@@josephsmith886 college is a rip/scam. Wasted most of my GI bill on ITT tech (was getting paid to go) only for them to entirely shut the place down, because it was a rip off. Used my GI bill again to attend the HCA Heavy Construction Academy (all the while knowing I had no interest in working in that industry (was paid to attend/free lunch/hotel. Something to do while looking for a CDL gig. That's a $20,000 school. Worked IT fresh outta the military -hated it. Telecomnications - hated it Manufacturing- hated it Food/service - hated it Local driver - hated it 37 yo and I can't think of any other industry Id want to work in other thank trucking. Can get fired and have a job lined up in a few days! Or even before you quit. Only thing matters is driving record. Companies will train you.

[@maargenbx1454]

The issues with fast delivery are ridiculous, considering that consumers never asked for that in the first place. So the new thing now is “groceries in 15 minutes”. I live in NYC and there are delivery people running into pedestrians on the sidewalk in order to beat the clock. But just last year if I wanted groceries in a few minutes i just got them myself. If I did order groceries, they could be scheduled to arrive the next day during whatever 4 hour window that was available, and I was fine with that. The guys in the marketing room create these time constraints that no one asked for, then make it a problem for delivery people to fulfill those promises. Seriously - what’s wrong with ‘groceries in under an hour’ or ‘you’ll get your stuff in a week’?

[@Tokahfang]

Absolutely this!

[@ryankowdley5985]

Our wonderful, investor driven economy which is trying to squeeze blood from every stone.

[@joeanthony7759]

Spoiled Americans and their “convenience”

[@nekonatauzanto1758]

I want this. And I love setting a stopwatch when I make the order - if it is late I report it. I could care less about the person delivering it. They are nothing more that a peon attending to me.

[@maschaorsomething]

@@nekonatauzanto1758 Cringe. Go and do your homework, child.

[@jnnnnzzzggg]

I love that John Oliver talks about these issues, someone with a platform has to highlight the real issues of the (American) people…. And there’s a lot of material. Truckers are our lifeline to material goods, food, healthcare equipment, EVERYTHING.

[@gabbysingh868]

I am a freight broker and i have seen industry go to ruins. I felt fine before when line haul rates were good and we knew drivers can afford our commission. Now it feels like drivers should contact the shippers directly. Even a small trucker with one or two truck should have direct approach to shipper. They don't need us in this time of technology.