ODESSA, Texas — A peaceful protest was held Monday by a group of of truckers who are looking to get better rates and working conditions.
The protest happened at the El Dorado San Plant Vest Facility, between Kermit and Odessa.
The company they are protesting against is called Fifth Floor Freights, or "5F" for short.
According to their website, Fifth Floor Freights finds and leases any trucks or trailers a driver needs and gives shippers access to those drivers, who can then haul any equipment that needs hauling.
However, according to the protestors, they believe Fifth Floor Freights have been lowering the rates that drivers get paid for hauling equipment. They essentially act as the middle men between drivers and companies.
According to Jose Chaves - who spoke with NewsWest 9 via a translator - truckers began protesting.
“This has been going on for a few days," Chavez said. "We’re just here trying to express ourselves because the work is going down, the prices are going down and we’re not making enough money.”
According to protestors, working with Fifth Floor Freights wasn't always like this.
They say that, to make up for lost wages, they have to speed and drive for longer periods of time.
“We don’t know everything, or why everything has been changing so quickly, it was just recently, a few days ago, that everything changed," Chavez said. "Percentages are going down, they’re not increasing fuel and they’re adding fees."
If you ask the protestors what they really want, they just want things to go back to the way it was before: less fees, more rest and better rates.
“Everyone is looking to better up the work. They’re putting us fees on the time that we have to rest," Chavez said. "We used to have some days off, but now we cannot rest because they are putting some fees that we have to pay. Everybody is looking just to better up.”
When asked for comment, Fifth Floor Freights officially said they had no comment on the situation.