Independent truckers may be run off the road

Trucker Robert Griffith is on the road three weeks out of four, pulling oversize loads like crane booms, railroad ties and air conditioning ducts. One of his biggest worries: How he'll find the money to buy his daughter a prom dress.

As the cost of diesel doubled over the last four years, his take-home pay has plummeted, from $50,000 to $11,000 last year. He's literally burning money; he spent $64,000 on diesel in the last eight months. Since he canceled his satellite radio, he's on citizens band radio constantly (handle: Instigator) talking about what needs to change so truckers like him can survive.

"I had to learn to live totally different," said Griffith, 41, of Lebanon, Tenn. No more $150 family outings to Shogun sushi. No more weekly washes for his Western Star 4900 EX truck. No more health insurance for him and his family.

"It hurts," he said. "I'm a man who's trying to make a living for my family and I'm not succeeding."

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Due to many outside influences, such as rising diesel prises and decreasing aggregate demand, the truckers are taking a huge hit. They're like dentists trying to make a living in an area where everyone has perfect teeth. Thousands of products are transported via who? truckers. Since there is less of a need for products to be transported, a surplus of truckers exists. Along with rising diesel prices, the lessening need for truckers has created a population that are part of structural unemployment and they will now have the chance to go and become more educated: hopefully researching methods to reduce our dependence on oil.

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