Truckers in despair that the stable genius for whom they voted is destroying their lives

Truckers in despair that the stable genius for whom they vote is destroying their lives

by digby




I'm sure these guys listen to Rush all day long. This is where that ends up:

Morris Coffman has been a truck driver for 35 years. And he's been a conservative for even longer than that — his whole life.

"That said," Coffman told Business Insider, "[Trump] is absolutely a moron. His idiotic ideas will tank the economy even further."

Truckers, like Coffman, lean conservative. A Verdant Labs analysis of Federal Elections Commission data found that nearly three-quarters of truck drivers are Republican — one of the most conservative jobs in America, along with surgeons and farmers.

And truck drivers supported Trump in droves, according to an Overdrive magazine survey from 2016. About 75% said they planned to vote for Trump, up from 66% who supported Sen. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012.

But a sharp downturn in the trucking industry and a slew of tax changes have hampered their ability to make a living. And many connect those two trends to Trump's economic policies.

"He has not affected our business in a positive way," said one truck driver who asked to be quoted anonymously for fear their small business might suffer. "He's killing our business. If consumers aren't buying, then there is no demand. This really isn't about my political leanings — it's pure business."

Trump's tax reworking in 2017 led to many truck drivers having to pay hundreds in taxes this year, thanks to a change in per-diem laws. Dennis Bridges, an accountant who specializes in doing taxes for truckers, told Mother Jones in April that 75% of his clients saw an unusually large tax payment, and about 20% had to fork over more than $5,000.

That might've been bearable in 2018, when trucking capacity was tight, the industry was raking in cash, and truckers saw their pay jump. But now the trucking "bloodbath," as Coffman and other truckers describe current transportation conditions, has meant low rates and low pay for truckers. Trucking has been in a recession since late 2018.

Read more: 2,500 truck drivers have lost their jobs in 2019 as the transportation 'bloodbath' rolls on. Here's the full list of bankrupt trucking companies.

Transport research groups reported that the volume of trucks purchased in July fell to its lowest level in nearly 10 years. The number of loads needing to be moved in the spot market tumbled by 37% this July compared to one year ago, and rates have fallen by as much as 18%.

"I have witnessed many ups and downs in the industry but nothing like this," Coffman told Business Insider. "Many, many owner-operators and drivers have either lost equipment or lost a job in the last year."

[...]

Whatever the cause of the downturn, truckers are a key demographic for any politician to target. The segment of truckers called owner-operators, for instance — who are independent, rather than company drivers — are fiercely engaged with politics on the national level.

Nearly 90% are registered voters, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, compared to about 78% of the general population. More than half have contacted an elected official.

Trump has previously catered to truckers, pledging to slash taxes to help their businesses. "America first means putting American truckers first," he said at a 2017 trucker event.

But truckers, including conservative ones, don't believe Trump has lived up to his promise.

"You can not bully your way to a good economy," Coffman said.

These guys thought that an overfed, silly man on a reality TV show was a business genius. That's what comes of years and years of Limbaugh brain rot. They are learning the hard way. I won't be surprised if they vote for Trump anyway. That kind of hardcore indoctrination isn't easily undone, even with an economic catastrophe. But it only takes a few to make a difference....

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