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Local short-haul truck drivers are protesting working conditions at the Port of Seattle. (97.3 KIRO FM/Chris Sullivan)

Truck drivers protest Port of Seattle

BY Chris Sullivan  on February 13, 2012 @ 10:23 am (Updated: 11:47 am - 2/13/12 )

A handful of short-haul truck drivers are protesting the Port of Seattle on Monday, saying they are being forced to haul over-weight loads on unsafe trailers.

Shimelis Jorga has been driving freight loads from the Port to the BNSF rail yard in South Seattle for 11 years. He told MyNorthwest.com that shippers routinely over-load his truck, and he has no idea what he's carrying.

"We have no control over what kind of can we have loaded from A to B," he said. "We don't know, inside, what kind of weight. We don't even know."

Jorga claims the port removed the scales used to weigh the short-haul loads, making it impossible to know how heavy his rig is. As the truck owner and driver, he is responsible for the weight and if he gets stopped by the State Patrol or the WSDOT, he is the one who gets a ticket.

The Port of Seattle told MyNorthwest.com that no scales have been removed and the weights are listed on the manifests. It said any issues for the drivers are an issue for the shippers and not the port.

Many of the protesting truck drivers are immigrants, and they claim they are being taken advantage of by those major shippers at the port. Several of them are refusing to haul loads until that changes.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (8)


  • Add A Comment

  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    "Safety" or more money for a low-skilled job?
    February 13, 2012 11:08 am
    I saw this on the news. The meeting w/ the union was purported to be about "safety" yet all the drivers speaking complained of not being paid enough. Hilarious. Yes...it's all about "safety"....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    They get paid what their skill is worth.
    February 13, 2012 11:21 am
    Not my problem. Perhaps it's because the majority are "immigrants" with no skills AT ALL. Yet they come to MY country, and "demand" what THEY want?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • black_bart wrote...
    Port turning a blind eye to safety?
    February 13, 2012 11:22 am
    How does the port justify not having scales? These trucks should be inspected by the Port of Seattle before being picked up and weighed before leaving. Trailers with defects or that are overweight should be re packaged at the shippers expense. Why should we have to share the road with unsafe and overweight trucks because the Port of Seattle wants to save a few bucks and shift the blame to drivers?
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  • black_bart wrote...
    And if there is a problem....
    February 13, 2012 11:21 am
    the Port of Seattle should pay the price. If the Port allows an unsafe trailer to leave the facility they should pay the fines and bear the civil liability.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Hey, bart did you even READ the story?
    February 13, 2012 1:45 pm
    Of course not. QUOTE: "The Port of Seattle told MyNorthwest.com that no scales have been removed..." As to your argument that the shipper should pay for it; uhm...you might wanna re-think that. And who do you think will ultimately PAY? The "shipper"? Right. The CONSUMER will pay, which will drive up prices...again this is NOT about "safety". It's about non-skilled workers "demanding" more pay.
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  • black_bart wrote...
    So I went back and read the story again......
    February 13, 2012 2:31 pm
    funny it is the same comment i still have. Port of Seattle is responsible for the loads and to that end should be required to weigh them before they leave the terminal. The fact that there is not a scale at a place with so much freight is mind boggling to say the least. And since the shipper is loading it they should pay if the load is not in compliance with highway weight restrictions. And if the port lets an unsafe load out then they should be held responsible for it.
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  • black_bart wrote...
    and then read it again.....
    February 13, 2012 2:35 pm
    and i didn't see any mention of pay in it. How did driver pay even become part of the discussion when it is not in the article.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    * Truck drivers protest Port of Seattle . . . .
    February 13, 2012 12:26 pm
    good time to form a union. Have the Longshoremen back you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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