BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Truck drivers in Alabama could soon be feeling the pain in the wake of the International Longshoremen’s Association Union members’ decision to go on strike.
The President and CEO of the Alabama Trucking Association, Mark Colson, said small businesses, whether they are small trucking companies or the small business owners that depend on things coming in and out of the ports, are the ones who will feel the brunt of the impact.
Joseph Rosario, who drives for a trucking line out of Kentucky, knew about the ILA strike. While Rosario’s relieved he’s an over-the-road driver, he said he feels bad for those impacted by strike.
“I feel a lot of compassion for them; if they want to stay in business, they’re going to have react quick,” he said. “The overhead doesn’t go away, you know?”
That’s exactly what Ben Smith, the President of S and M Transportation Inc. out of Saraland, is having to do right now.
“We’re trying to find every piece of freight we can find just to help our team get paychecks and keep people employed,” Smith remarked.