Illegal Immigrants In Trucking??

I don't think it's fair to say that all illegals are super-hard-working and busting their @$$es to make a living, just as it's not fair to say that they are all lazy good-for-nothing criminals who are milking the system. But you can't deny that there are both kinds, plus everything in between.

The exact same thing can be said for a whole helluva lot of people who were born and raised in this country, though. It has nothing to do with where you were born. It's all about your own personal ethical code.

Their crime was improper paperwork.

Sounds like people trying to move around Soviet-era eastern Europe to me. Leave us not forget the famous line "my papers are in order!"

A system that the "other group which is large" contributes nothing to other than sales tax.

They're contribuing more than just sales tax. They're also contributing gas taxes--those that drive a vehicle, anyway. They're also putting money into the retail and food service sectors beyond sales taxes. After all, they need to eat and clothe themselves just like the rest of us, and the money they spend in stores and restaurants supports the wages of the people working in those establishments, just like the money you and I spend. Something like 70% of our economy is based on consumer spending, and Target and McDonald's don't segregate their revenue based on the immigration status of their customers. To say that illegal immigrants contribute "nothing" is absurd to say the least.

I have noticed a large amount of Somalians that are training with Swift, when I was in training in West Valley, Utah out of 100 guys on training pad 75 percent were Somalian, I was shocked. I had found out that the government is paying Swift to bring these guys in and "try" to train them to drive a truck, and also the Somalian students were given money each week for food and etc while they were in training. It kind of bothered me because there were some of us eating mayo sandwiches and drinking water and struggling to make it through 3 1/2 weeks of training while others were getting a weekly allowance to live on. And their ability to drive, well most of them, is horrible. Most of them couldn't understand English or speak it, and when an instructor would give an instruction like "accelerate" or put down your splitter, they would stare and not do anything. When instructor would look at their license they would see that they had only had a US operators license for a year. There were Somalians jack knifing trucks all over the yard, and that's was on straight line back. I had Somalian student in my truck on road trip that bumped into a construction worker in an industrial park, then hit an instructor out on training pad and Swift still didn't want to send him home, the final straw was when he was doing a straight line back and was in high reverse and almost ran over 10 students and a guard rail and lamp post and jack knifed truck again. I have no issues with immigrants coming here to work, but it was not a safe situation and unless they are going to get a Somalian instructor they shouldn't be taking some of these guys because they cant speak and read basic English. Now there were a couple that were pretty good, the difference with them though is they were in country longer and could speak and read English and was able to understand instruction. I feel like Swift needs to rethink bringing in some of these guys. Since I have been on the road I have noticed a lot of the Somalian drivers and they aren't able to go into a truck stop that they cant pull forward in, most can't do any backing maneuvers, I had to help a CR England driver back into a dock at Tractor Supply in Washington because he didn't understand the basics of backing. I can understand why Swift has bad rep out on the road, but I also know we as a company have a lot of good veteran drivers out there also.

Regarding illegals taking jobs -- seems like a lot of illegals are working in strawberry fields, lemon groves, janitorial, restaurants...very tough low-paying work. If they deport Jose who is washing my pans, I'll have to pay twice as much for some high school kid who won't do half the job. Are we focusing on the right people? How about the Asian MBA's and PhD's who are coming in, buying up businesses, slashing headcount, wages and benefits, or bringing in more of their countrymen to replace domestic workers? That's probably more of an economic problem than Ricardo pulling onions for $2 an hour.

A) There's lots of crummy jobs that no one wants to do -- why not allow guest workers who will do them well and cheaply? B) To maintain living standards for American workers, you need protections: minimum wages, benefits, maybe even unions. Our government, which is supposed to work for us, could help a lot: partnership with industry, health insurance for workers, more tax on corporations and the super-wealthy tycoons and tax breaks (I mean REAL tax breaks) for the working class. (What we have now is the opposite, it's unbelievable how we let the leadership bend us over a barrel.) C) Economic revolutions (like industrial revolution, free trade revolution, tech revolution) are painful and a lot of people get displaced. Other opportunities will eventually appear for the displaced -- we don't have have masses of unemployed stocking knitters or wheelwrights anymore -- but the transition can be painful. Try to look and plan ahead.

There's lots of crummy jobs that no one wants to do -- why not allow guest workers who will do them well and cheaply?

I don't agree with this at all. There's not a lot of crummy jobs that no one wants to do. There are a lot of crummy employers who will do whatever it takes to avoid paying someone a legal wage. We don't need guest workers. There are plenty of people who need a decent paying job.

So yeah, all this xenophobic "dey terk our jerbs!" BS is pretty much just a bunch of blowhards making noise. If you actually want to look at who terk yer jerbs, look at the labels on your clothing, and the doorframe plate on your truck. See where all your textiles are now being made. See where your vehicles are now being assembled. It ain't in America.

Sorry, but illegals DO take jobs. They may not take many trucking jobs but with more states granting illegals drivers licenses you can bet your azz that they are taking local Class B jobs.

But, hey, we can't complain about that. We can't complain that US citizens are competing against people that shouldn't even be here. Why, that's xenophobic!

Better step up your game if someone is beating you with one hand tied behind their back...

Oh boy, my turn. I used to deliver paint to new construction. The illegal immigrants (cause that's what they are) weren't just pushing a shovel. They were carpenters, electricians, tile guys, etc. Skilled trades that should have payed X amount of dollars but were now paying alot less because the illegal immigrants were willing to take a lot less, not cause they out work an American.

When I traveled with the fair, 80% of the workforce was Mexican. That miniscule check in America was worth 10 to 12 pesos on the dollar in Mexico . The government runs the 4b (or something like that) Program. All a company has to do is sign some papers saying that they made an effort but couldn't find Americans for the job openings. They don't have to offer proof that they tried just have to say they did. This allowed them to bring the Mexicans in. If they paid fair wages, plenty of Americans would have applied. But because of the program they don't have to.

The Statue of Liberty welcomes immigrants - who are yearning to be free. If you're being persecuted in your homeland because of your religious beliefs or your an ethnic minority, etc., then by all means Welcome. But if you want to come here just because your country doesn't have it's act together then no. Stay out! Engage in the same generations long struggle for betterment that Americans have been engaged in. Remember it all started by basically telling the British there's 10 of us standing in front of you, you got 6 bullets in that gun, any 6 of us will die for the other 4.

What would happen if all the Mexican/Guatemalans/Salvadorians disappeared? Companies would be forced to pay market based wages withput an artificial influence depressing them.

BTW before y'all going thinking I got a David Duke tramp stamp & I'm on my way to the dry cleaners to pick up my hood - my family is from Cuba.

Maybe trucking companies that don't work within the law? You have to be a citizen to get your CDL A. I'm not sure if a temporary visa will even work. If one of those trucks got pulled for inspection, they'd be as screwed as screwed could be. It'd be nearly impossible to insure the trucks. Deportation, hefty fines, revocation of business license, jail time. More risk than it'd be worth.

I'm not entirely sure why you're concerned with this at all anyways?

Not quite a citizen. I have a Green Card and have a CDL A, Hazmat and TWIC card.