Word is that truckers got hit with higher taxes for 2018

[Honeycombe8]

The word is out that many truckers got hit with higher taxes for 2018, sometimes owing thousands of dollars instead of getting a refund. This is in part related to the removal of an exemption of a per diem expense for meals and travel expenses.

I feel for them, as I would for anyone. Some won't have the money to pay the tax bill. BUT...let's remember:

Trucking industry support helps propel Donald Trump to victory in 2016 presidential race

Businessman and Republican nominee Donald Trump has been elected the 45th president of the United States, defying polling numbers and securing the White House in part due to support from the trucking industry.

Not only did Trump garner broad support from truck drivers, he also secured more in financial campaign contributions from the trucking industry, whose political spending is largely made up of bigger carriers and fleet-backed lobbyists.

https://www.ccjdigital.com/trucking-industry-support-helps-propel-donald-trump-to-victory-in-2016-presidential-race/

States With Truckers Voted Overwhelmingly Trump

Among the 29 states where truck driver is the most common job, all but three — California, Oregon, and Vermont — voted to elect Donald Trump president.

That’s an industry that may soon be decimated by automation, as self-driving vehicles are becoming more and more common.

https://www.vocativ.com/376182/trump-states-truckers-automation/index.html

Trump turns to truckers for help in moving the Republican health-care bill

With the fate of the House Republican health-care legislation hanging in the balance Thursday, President Trump turned to a group of truckers for help with moving the bill along.

Trump welcomed drivers and executives from the American Trucking Association to the White House with a little stagecraft. As he greeted them, two large trucks were parked in front of the White House. After shaking hands of ATA members positioned in front of the trucks, the president hopped into the rig of one of the 18-wheelers and tooted the horn a couple of times, then closed the door and waved to the news media through the window.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/03/23/trump-turns-to-truckers-for-help-in-moving-the-republican-health-care-bill/?utm_term=.7bcd97046c6a

Here he is, driving away with trucker's tax refunds in a Big Mack truck:

[louis-t]

1. When you drive through a lot of southern and western states

it's really hard to find anything on the radio except right-wing noise, religious stations, and heavy metal and country music. I hope the hundreds of thousands of truckers in this country stop listening to right-wing noise and bring cds with them on the road. Boston, Cream, and Queen are some of my favorites.

[maxsolomon]

2. they probably have satellite radio

you forgot Spanish stations! lots of those out west.

[Honeycombe8]

3. Do trucks still have CD players? Cars are coming with digital stuff, now.

Then there's radio. Do they still use CB ham radio? "Hey, good buddy..." They must have a way to communicate with each other, still.

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. First, "Good Buddy" is a pejorative.

Because of that stupid fucking movie “Convoy”, truck drivers have considered that term to be a derogatory term meaning homosexual for 40 years.


Second, CB ( Citizens Band) and Ham are two completely different types of two way radios.

Third, CB traffic is way down from where it used to be primarily because it isn’t needed

And yes, trucks still have CD players but they also have USB ports on the radios so you can play your iPod or phone.

[Honeycombe8]

7. "Good buddy" is not a pejorative. More importantly...who removed your funny bone?

Was it painful?

"Good buddy" has a standard definition. The term has been around for many decades, and is composed of two common words that have existed for centuries. I was referring to the 1970s use of the term, when CB radios were at the height of popularity. Of COURSE, I was using the term as a throw-back to those days, and I used the correct term, which was not a derogatory word.

"Good buddy"....noun
Citizens Band Radio Slang . the operator of a CB radio; fellow operator (often used as a form of direct address while broadcasting).
Informal . a trusted companion or colleague; friend.

Dictionary.com

Wikipedia:

CB slang is the distinctive anti-language, argot or cant which developed among users of Citizens Band radio (CB), especially truck drivers in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s.[1]

The slang itself is not only cyclical, but also geographical. Through time, certain terms are added or dropped as attitudes toward it change. For example, in the early days of the CB radio, the term "Good Buddy" was widely used.[2]

-and-

Good buddy...... In the 1970s, this was the stereotypical term for a friend or acquaintance on the CB airwaves.

"Good buddy" now has an urban dictionary meaning, created by some urbanites. But here in the south, "good buddy" means what it always has. An out of style way to refer to another trucker using a CB radio.

Don't know why you're going on about ham radios, since I didn't mention those at all. A hobby of yours?

Now you've been woman-splained the ins and outs of language. (and yes..."ins and outs" also has an urban dictionary meaning, which has no effect on the real meaning)

When I get a new car, I'll have to buy a good portable CD player, I guess. I don't use mp3 players and such. I'm too old to start over with a new format of music. I've already done it several times...vinyl to 8 tracks to cassettes to CDs. I have too much money invested in CDs. Maybe getting a CD player is an option.

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. So who did you drive OTR for?

Or did you spend your entire career driving tractor trailers and using a CB in the only county in the country where calling another truck driver a “Good Buddy” is NOT considered an insult?

So....was it flat or van? If flat, step? Skateboard? Drop? Low boy? Gooseneck? Or were you in the Parking Lots? Lift gate? Or tanks? Smooth bore or baffled? Maybe you did wiggle wagons? Bed bugger? Bulk? Coal bucket? If van, dry? Reefer perhaps. Or was it Hot shots? Did you stay on the big roads or were you most often running through the woods? Being as well versed in trucker vernacular as you clearly are, I’m sure you know precisely what each and every one of those terms refers to without the need to Google them.


You said:

Then there's radio. Do they still use CB ham radio? "Hey, good buddy..." They must have a way to communicate with each other, still.

Which is, for such a short statement, loaded with ignorance.

"Good buddy" has a standard definition. The term has been around for many decades, and is composed of two common words that have existed for centuries. I was referring to the 1970s use of the term, when CB radios were at the height of popularity. Of COURSE, I was using the term as a throw-back to those days, and I used the correct term, which was not a derogatory word.

Using that expression in an off hand way as you did is tantamount to calling a complete stranger a “Faggot”. THAT’S WHAT IT MEANS. “Referring to the 1970’s use of the term” means you are clueless as to how the term has evolved and is currently used, PERIOD. It wasn’t a derogatory term until the movie “Convoy” came out and the popularity of CB’s soared. Then every schmuck with a radio in their car thought they were “The Rubber Duck” and the rest of the industry got sick of it. It took all of 6 months for the meaning to universally change. Using that saying in the way you did, without proper context, displays an understanding of Trucking culture and CB slang as deep as a mud puddle.

"Good buddy"....noun
Citizens Band Radio Slang . the operator of a CB radio; fellow operator (often used as a form of direct address while broadcasting).
Informal . a trusted companion or colleague; friend.

Except that’s not what it means to every truck driver in the country older than 45, which is the vast majority of them.

Wikipedia:
CB slang is the distinctive anti-language, argot or cant which developed among users of Citizens Band radio (CB), especially truck drivers in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s.[1]

The slang itself is not only cyclical, but also geographical. Through time, certain terms are added or dropped as attitudes toward it change. For example, in the early days of the CB radio, the term "Good Buddy" was widely used.[2]

That is not only selective editing, it is inaccurate and shows you didn’t really do the research.

Googleling the term “Good Buddy” gives a shitload of results that clearly explain that it is most assuredly a pejorative.

Good buddy...... In the 1970s, this was the stereotypical term for a friend or acquaintance on the CB airwaves.

Yeah. In the seventies.. Do you often make references to disco as if it is common or something that everyone regularly participates in?

"Good buddy" now has an urban dictionary meaning, created by some urbanites. But here in the south, "good buddy" means what it always has. An out of style way to refer to another trucker using a CB radio

Keyword “out of style”. Yeah. No shit. By at LEAST 30 years. “23 Skidoo” and all.

Don't know why you're going on about ham radios, since I didn't mention those at all. A hobby of yours?

Actually, you DID mention those, as I highlited above;

“Do they still use CB ham radio?”

There is no such thing as a “CB Ham Radio”. CB and Ham are 2 different radio types, using different frequencies. A Ham radio can call around the planet, basically. A legal (unmodified) Citizens Band will barely reach 5 miles. If you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about, at least try and get some understanding of the subject matter.

I took issue with this because I, like millions of other professional drivers, are sick and fucking tired of people thinking that throwing around the term “Good Buddy” makes them sound as if they are in the know, when all it does is display a profound ignorance of the industry and culture shared by over 4 million of your fellow Americans.

If you still think I’m wrong, and that the term is harmless, go to any large truck stop, get on a CB and ask “Are there any good buddies around?”

Try it. I dare you. You’ll get an earful you won’t soon forget.

[Honeycombe8]

11. Whoa. You're taking a humorous post (that was correct) far too seriously....

You might want to take a step back to see why you are so invested in a harmless, non-provocative, humorous, friendly post on a forum.

Here's hoping you make some progress. Good luck.

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. How dare you.

Last edited Mon Jun 15, 2020, 01:21 PM - Edit history (1)

There was nothing humorous about your post in the least. NOTHING. And it wasn’t correct at all, nor was it harmless or non provocative. It demonstrates an ignorant attitude toward current vernacular.

Do you think you are talking to some wet behind the ears neophyte? Madam, I’ve been a truck driver for over 30 years and have had Citizens Band Radios since the 70’s. I know what the fuck I’m talking about and I am not about to be corrected by someone who doesn’t know the difference between a steering wheel and a fifth wheel.

The expression “Good Buddy” when used in the context of, or directed at truck drivers IS AN INSULT. The is ZERO evidence, anecdotal or otherwise to suggest you are correct when you insist it is innocuous.

There are plenty of words and phrases that evolve to the point of falling out of favor or are otherwise currently regarded as insulting or insensitive. “Retard” is a perfect example. I can say that the brakes on my truck retard it’s forward movement but it is not acceptable for me to say that the guy who adjusted them is a retard.

Get it?

People think that “good buddy” is acceptable when talking about trucking and truck drivers because of ONE SINGLE STUPID MOVIE that came out in 1978 that had as its inspiration a song that was a hit 3 years earlier.

When you throw that out casually as you have done in an attempt to sound cute or cool or in the know, as if you have some special insight into the trucking industry, you are demonstrating just how much you are NONE of those things.

Again, Google the term and you will see that the vast majority of results you will get indicate the term has had its meaning changed over time and it presently means you are calling someone you don’t know a homosexual, and within the trucking industry it has had that meaning since at least the early 80’s.

I’m constantly amazed at how many DU’ers REFUSE to admit they’re wrong when presented with facts.

[Honeycombe8]

18. Placing on ignore.

I suggest you do the same.

I'm not going to be sucked down into the hole with you.

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. I'm heartbroken

It DOES matter that you are using a term that millions find insulting yet refuse to acknowledge it

[Hortensis]

34. Heretic, save it for the Republicans?

They so deserve it.

[Mariana]

48. I have a question.

Why is it considered insulting? What does it imply about truck drivers that makes it a slur?

[A HERETIC I AM]

51. The way I understand the genesis......

Last edited Mon Jun 15, 2020, 01:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Is that it was sort of a case of “familiarity breeds contempt “

Back in the late 70’s when the popularity of CB’s was booming among the general public, the “Breaker Channel - ch 19 - became overwhelmed with traffic, The rise in number of radios in use can be traced to the change in the national speed limit to 55 in 1973. Prior to that, Truck Drivers pretty much had the CB radio to themselves.

The term “Good Buddy” was fairly common parlance back then but with the new and overwhelming number of radio users, the term began to be co-opted by the “4 wheelers” to the point of annoyance.

Side note; The traffic on channel 19 got so heavy that in California, the drivers switched to channels 17 and 15 as their breaker channels in order to get away from the madness 19 had become.

Where and exactly why and by whom the change began is anyone’s guess, but the flash point was the movie “Convoy” as I said before. EVERYBODY in a car thought they were Kris Kristofferson driving a black Mack with a duck hood ornament! “Good Buddy” became so overused that a response from a trucker to a car driver asking for information (where the cops are, etc.) would end up being acrimonious. “Good Buddy? I ain’t your god damned good buddy, pal” etc. etc.

As a way of easily distinguishing between fellow truckers and the general public, the word took on the new meaning I’ve discussed.

Now...some points should be made;

Is it homophobic? Well, yeah, I suppose it is, although I agree with the point made by I think Morgan Freeman who said that it isn’t really a phobia - these people aren’t afraid of homosexuals, they’re just bigoted assholes.

But trucking is a male dominated industry and always has been and as such, has a “macho” image, of this there can be no doubt. Also, you don’t need an advanced degree to drive a truck so this isn’t the most well educated demographic in the country. A certain amount of ignorance and bigotry in this regard must be expected.

So having this large group of individuals, who now feel as if a slice of their space was being overrun by unwanted and unwelcome outsiders, begin to associate an annoying car driver calling them “Good Buddy”, in other words, being unduly familiar, to being gay was a very short step.

It just morphed into this connotation because its usage among truck drivers tailed off dramatically and as such, anyone using that term was immediately identifiable as outside the group.

Does that make sense?

Again, it is now and has been for years, a slur, a pejorative, an insult. Having someone who is not a trucker, say “10-4, good buddy” is taken by truckers as basically saying “Ok, you faggot”. That’s just its meaning these days and that’s not going to change. As I said in one of my other responses, if you don’t believe me, just go to a large truck stop on a night it’s packed to the gills, get on a CB and ask “Are there any Good Buddy’s here tonight?”

You will quickly see I’m not making any of this up.

ONE LAST THING;

It might seem strange to some, and clearly to the person I had the exchange with earlier, why I would get so defensive or worked up over what many obviously see as a harmless phrase.

Here’s why;

Because it comes from a really stupid place, was overused to the point of annoyance and now means something else. The fact that people still use it as if it doesn’t mean what it means, indicates they got their information on the culture of trucking from a horribly badly written movie that ridiculously exaggerated what truckers do and how they conduct themselves, that came out in 1978, and those people seemed to stop learning about the culture right there and then!! It’s fucking stupid and people need to learn it’s stupid, and it means something else now. Like I said, no one reading this would likely call an African American person “Colored” yet that term was very commonly used by white people when they talked about black people about the time the CB boom started.

Words evolve. This term means something else now, and people should stop using it as if it didn’t.

I hope what I have written helps clear up any misunderstanding.

I apologize for the delay in responding, but I am on a trip right now, and my co-driver and I just switched 25 minutes ago.

So...time for bed for me..

[Lordquinton]

16. It's not funny when you are actually insulting people

When you find out from a primary source that a word or phrase you are using I'm just is actually a slit, you should listen, take in the new information and move on.

It's the other guys who say "it's just a joke" when they are told they are actually hurting people.

[Honeycombe8]

17. He insulted me. Not the other way around.

Read his post. He went on and on about all my incorrect usage of "CB," and other things.

And yes...it is correct to use a term, in the context I used it in, for the way it was used then. Especially since that is the definition of it.

My point being...he spent about an hour doing a looooong post about a non-provocative, friendly, post.

I suspect if I were male, he wouldn't have felt the need to "explain" things to me. For a small, inconsequential, friendly, humorous post.

[Lordquinton]

41. He was correcting you on being unintentionally offensive

He is a trucker in the south, so he knows what he is talking about. You are repeatedly insulting him in this thread and telling him to get over it. He told you what it means to truckers, and you are just insisting on doubling down.

Step back, learn from this moment.

[A HERETIC I AM]

20. I wonder if she thinks calling an African American "colored" is ok too

Because that is a perfect example of how words evolve.

Thanks, LQ

[Arazi]

36. You got schooled by an expert and now you double down?

[SlogginThroughIt]

39. Man you said something not knowing that it isn't cool to say...

And all you had to say was something like: “Wow I didn’t realize that. Thanks for the update”. Instead you are trying to say that your humor should be respected above what this guy is telling you that you are using a disparaging saying.... whether you it or not.

[TeamPooka]

21. Certain Truckers can take their homophobia and shove it up their ass.

[A HERETIC I AM]

23. I agree 100%

But that doesn’t change the point I was making.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. So many of these Folks are in hock

up to their ears.

This is not going to play out well at all for these Folks.

Most are hard core Trumpers and they were warned of these changes.

[Honeycombe8]

5. What do you wanna bet that Congress & Trump are going to promise to fix it, for the election?

I'd bet money on it. Will the truckers and others believe them? I guess we'll see how sucked into the cult they are.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. The only thing that will change

is more Drivers will be forced to walk away and end up on the streets.

Tax Rules will not change anytime soon. Once a proposed change is offered,McConnell will never let it see the light of day.

This is the Wet Kiss the Heritage Foundation has wanted since the days of Bill Buckley.

[Honeycombe8]

12. Exactly. nt

[Hortensis]

35. Many tens of thousands will no longer BE truckers

in short order. The technology and corporate will are there, it's just a matter of implementing. Hopefully this little betrayal of ALL of us will be a wakeup call for some. It's not them against us and vice versa.

[Wellstone ruled]

37. Sounds like there will only be a hand full of

Mega Trucking companies in the next few years. The Turn over rate caused by management by decention Management and Wage theft is taking it's toll. The big killer is theft of layover pay and their Accounting Departments not keeping their Drivers up dated on changing Tax Rules.

[Hortensis]

40. Umhm. In industry after industry businesses are

slowly driving employees out of their lines of work, knowing that many will have to leave but that many others will hang in to be exploited for various reasons until their employers call an end and kick them out.

[Wellstone ruled]

42. Most first year Drivers working for a Major,

might make 45-50k. Talking Non Union OTR Drivers working 70 hours depending on their breaks in service during their driving day. Yes there are exceptions,and they are few and far between .

[Hortensis]

43. Ouch. It's been 20 years since someone we knew for some

unexplained reason tried become a truck driver. They assigned him to driving logging trucks over narrow, winding roads in the mountains separating the LA basin from the desert, and he was terrified because he was nowhere near skilled enough for that kind of thing, forget being able to tear along fast enough to make a modest income at it.

[Wellstone ruled]

44. That is one of the most dangerous

Driving jobs in the World. But,there are Folks who just love Jockeying those brutes day in and day out. Known to many who fell for the "big promise of mega dollars" only to end up broke and homeless.

[TeamPooka]

22. They will need the House to pass any changes and if we're fixing the tax law for Truckers then

we will fix it for everyone, not just one special interest group.
Tax the Rich!

[Honeycombe8]

24. Oh, I don't think they'll really "fix" it. They'll just SAY they will.

Just my guess.

How they explain the increases in a bill that supposedly cut taxes for everyone, will be interesting. It fell through the cracks?

[TeamPooka]

25. Let them try to explain it and promise because it just opens up their tax bill for debate

it's a lose lose for them now.
They can't promise to fix that thing people hate because they did it and they can't remind the voters about it.

[Honeycombe8]

26. True. Good points. nt

[dalton99a]

8. They should call Rush

[smirkymonkey]

13. I still can't get over that fucking insane picture of Trump at the wheel of a truck.

What a psycho! Just look at him! WTF is wrong with that guy?

[Honeycombe8]

14. I remember that on tv. It was a YUGE photo-op.

There were a bunch of truckers & trucker owners/managers there. Trump is a P T Barnum guy. He's all about puttin' on a show.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. They did it to themselves

I don't care - seriously.

When a teacher and an accountant in NJ living in a very modest home can get their SALT deduction back - that's when I'll care.

Seriously - folks in my community - active in our Borough and State Campaigns this year . . . this is one couple who is reeling.

I don't know any truckers, they did it, they deserve it - not Jay and Nicole.

[Honeycombe8]

32. To make matters worse, McConnell implied that it was an intentional hit to Democrats...

since Democrats live in the highest property tax states. But then I thought...well, not JUST Democrats. All parties, and independents, live in those states, too. And lost the full SALT deduction.

(At least, I think it was McConnell who made a comment about that. It was one of them.)

[Honeycombe8]

29. I have a Trump-lubber trucker in the family, too. I wonder....

but I'm afraid to ask. I don't see him often, and I avoid politics with the Trumpers. Still, I wonder if his taxes went up.

[MaryMagdaline]

31. They can console themselves by listening to Limbaugh

[donkeypoofed]

33. They voted for a dumbass, so fuck'em

They're unapologetic for their vote so not many people care what happens to them now.

[Blue Owl]

38. Time for a good ol' fashioned Neoconvoy

n/t

[RB TexLa]

45. An occupation that hopefully goes the way of the blacksmith as soon as possible

Time to move on and advance.

[A HERETIC I AM]

46. Thanks

Glad to know you hope for my financial ruin

[oasis]

47. America needs plenty more truckers. nt

[RB TexLa]

49. So we should stop making advances that will lead to self driving

trucks?

Lowering the cost of shipping for ..... everything. And freeing capital and labor for other things? That would be how you make sure you never move forward.

It would be like saying we should not have developed tractors to work farms because there were people who's jobs depended on the horses being used for that work.

[ProfessorGAC]

54. To Your 2nd Paragraph

Freeing capital and labor for other things?
The capital would BE the self-driving steps, and what other things for the freed up labor?
What is the secondary skill set all such people who chose driving a truck?

It seems a very broad assumption that freeing up labor will work out just fine at either the micro or macro state.

[alphafemale]

50. Possibly something to do with deductions allowed.

Most truckers are not employers but independent contractors and while they make what looks like a great paycheck for a single haul.

They have to pay all their federal/state/SSI out of that.

Fuel/meals/maintenance.

[A HERETIC I AM]

52. Most truck drivers are NOT independent contractors

The vast majority of truckers in this country are company drivers, not independent contractors

Don’t know where you got your information but a quick search will clear it up for you.

The amount of misinformation on this thread is startling

[alphafemale]

55. I am not saying most drivers own...or even lease their rigs.

But generally a trucker is going to be paid by the job.

If you can do two loads in one day - for six days to the point of exhaustion.

And your SSI and all those other taxes are not taken out in that cash or check you are handed.

The rent needs paid and you need groceries and diapers.

Tax time seems a long way away.

[A HERETIC I AM]

57. Most truckers are paid by the mile...

Not “by the job”

Also, the vast majority are working under a W-4, NOT a 1099, so taxes and SS are taken out of their pay.

I have no idea where you got your information or the notion that most drivers have to pay for
All the items you listed, but whatever the source, it has left you laboring under a massive misconception.

[Honeycombe8]

53. Yes. The per diem for expenses was either removed or capped.

I would have thought they would have checked on that beforehand, or someone would have told them. They seem to have been caught by surprise.

[ellie]

56. Oh well.

[sarabelle]

58. They will never admit it. They will take the losses and continue to support their fellow bigot. nt