#i broke my 10 months strike of not smoking for this out of stress

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I bring that theo raeken vibe to the function (I'm surrounded by my older sister's friends(ish) and definitely don't wanna be here and I'm uncomfortable so I'm hiding behind her and only smiling at the black cat of the owner of the flat)

[jobsearchtips02]

Truck motorists protests stop traffic in Arizona, Texas, and California

Truck chauffeurs in Arizona, Texas, and California are protesting rock-bottom rates.

The coronavirus has dragged rates in the trucking industry to the lowest levels seen considering that 2009.

Truck drivers in California will object again on May 1.

Go to Organisation Expert’s homepage for more stories

In the previous week, truck drivers in three various states have launched presentations this month as pay plummets.

The rate of moving products through truck has actually been up to the most affordable levels seen given that 2009, according to leading freight payment provider Cass Info Systems. There are nearly 2 million truck motorists in the US. Lots of have had problem with the shuttering of production, building, and other industries that employ chauffeurs to move freight.

Still, some chauffeurs say they’re unable to seek emergency situation aid to keep their companies going; the industry was locked out of the $2 trillion stimulus plan signed into law by President Donald Trump in March.

The low rates have galvanized drivers like Thomas Ramirez to take part in presentations. Ramirez joined lots of other truck chauffeurs in a slow-roll from Los Angeles to San Bernadino on April 24 as his pay dropped by 20%.

Even though his job moving medical materials has actually ended up being more hectic than ever, rates are crashing– and for some, the pay isn’t adequate to cover the expenses of fuel or truck upkeep. “Rates are going to be so bad that truck chauffeurs are not going to move their trucks,” Ramirez told Organisation Expert. “We’re not going to work for complimentary.”

Another protest is prepared in Southern California on Might 1. Here’s where demonstrations have taken place currently:

Texas

— Houston Cops (@houstonpolice) April 20, 2020

Some 70 truck motorists halted traffic in Houston on April 20 prior to local cops broke up the presentation, Service Insider’s Graham Rapier reported One chauffeur was arrested for supposedly inciting a riot, and several were released citations.

These chauffeurs were opposing low rates– specifically intending reviews at freight brokers, who truckers say are low-balling them on rates or stopping working to pay them completely. There are some 18,000 freight brokers in the US, and they play a crucial role matching truck motorists and retailers and makers with loads to move.

” The brokers are the ones who are breaking the economy and breaking truck drivers; they are killing us, actually,” truck driver Addiel Santos told the market news website FreightWaves,

” Brokers are paying for trips from Houston to Midland-Odessa like $1,800 to $1,900 in the past,” said Santos, who owns and runs his own truck. “Right now, they are paying $700 A journey from Houston to Odessa costs me $400 If I get a blowout, require roadway service, I have to pay out of my pocket, and still just get $700”

While Houston police chief Art Acevedo stated these motorists were violating the law with their protest, he vowed to check out brokers who are withholding pay from truck drivers.

” Theft of salaries is untenable and a criminal offense,” Acevedo said on Twitter. “ @MattSlinkard‘s team will be starting a criminal examination into accusations of widespread theft of salaries. We won’t endure exploitation of hard working people, or unlawfully hampering the motion of traffic.”

Arizona

— Rick Davis (@rdavisfox10) April 24, 2020

On April 24, truck motorists circled around the Arizona state capital in Phoenix.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety informed Business Expert that 18 trucks took part in the rally.

Fox-10 Phoenix reported that the protest worried long hours originating from the coronavirus pandemic. In March, the federal government suspended hours-of-work policies nationwide for the first time to ensure the motion of required items.

California

On the very same day as the Arizona protests, a much larger demonstration of truck chauffeurs drove from Los Angeles to San Bernadino to protest low rates. As in the Houston protest, these truck chauffeurs were opposing low rates from brokers.

Ramirez stated a run from Los Angeles over the border to Arizona would usually pay a truck driver $1,800 to $2,300 Now, that rate has actually tumbled to $350 This collapse, partnered with the decrease in rates that took place over 2019, causing an uncommonly high variety of truck driver insolvencies, has actually motivated some drivers to stop running altogether.

” We’re out here risking our lives, providing products, and attempting to assist mankind, however these people are attempting to screw us over,” Ramirez said.

A public details officer with the California Highway Patrol informed Business Insider there were two groups of motorists amounting to 40, while Ramirez stated there were around 100 participants.

These demonstrations stopped traffic, and motorists were ticketed. Ramirez, whose eighteen-wheeler led many of the other motorists, and around a dozen others ultimately got citations from CHP for driving below the minimum speed, reported the Inland Valley Daily Publication, a local California outlet.

Many of these truck chauffeurs work in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Do you work in the trucking industry?

Check out more about truck chauffeur protests:

Thousands of truckers in a Facebook group called ‘Black Smoke Matters’ are planning a one-day nationwide strike this April

There’s a stark reason why America’s 1.8 million long-haul truck drivers can’t strike

A truck motorist demonstration that was expected to rock Indianapolis had less than 80 trucks– and it’s a stressing sign for the vulnerable group of employees

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/truck-motorists-protests-stop-traffic-in-arizona-texas-and-california/

[welcomeeatery]

From Teacher to Trivia Host: This Man's Side Hustle Earns Him $125/Week

As the teams arrive for Trivia Night at the Angry Pepper Taphouse in Seminole, Florida, they find Greg Tipton sitting at the far corner of the bar putting together the final touches of tonight's game.

He's dicing up sheets of paper to make answer slips, sharpening dull pencils, testing the restaurant's audio system and checking his questions one last time. As he walks around the high-top tables and booths passing out packets filled with game supplies, he welcomes his regular players and encourages newcomers to give his game a shot. And when the clock strikes 7 p.m., it's time for trivia.

Tipton hosts Trivia Night at the Angry Pepper every Wednesday. A high school math teacher by day, he uses his questions to put restaurant patrons' knowledge to the test. This fun side hustle pays him an extra $125 a week.

“I care about the product,” Tipton, 33, says. “I want it to be good. I want people to have fun. I don't want to mail it in because that's not the kind of person I am.”

Your Friendly Neighborhood Alex Trebek

Trivia participants high five each other as Tipton repeats the answer to a question. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

Tipton says he had no intention of being a trivia host. When he started picking up bartending and server shifts at the Angry Pepper three years ago, the restaurant already had one.

About a year-and-a-half later, the existing trivia host decided to move on, and Angry Pepper owner Al Cowan asked Tipton if he wanted to take over. Cowan figured that the public speaking skills Tipton had developed as a teacher would make him a great host.

Tipton thought it over and realized it was “a no-brainer” to accept the gig - it would allow him to make some extra cash that he could put toward supporting his family.

Learning the ropes was stressful - especially with a live microphone in his hand.

Early on, if he asked a question with any shred of wiggle room in the answer, he would get 30 pairs of angry eyes glaring at him after revealing it.  

Or worse, those aggravated people would march up to his corner spot at the bar and passionately defend their answers. Tipton credits the conflict resolution skills he uses with his students to amicably resolve these disputes.

“It's kind of a natural transition,” he says. “Teachers have that command over a classroom. In here you have a classroom that's basically eating and drinking.”

Over time, Tipton found his rhythm as a host and figured out what type of questions his players enjoy. Now he looks forward to Wednesday nights.

“When I feel like we had a good week of trivia, I feel really positive about it,” he says. “I'm like, 'You know what, I think everyone had fun; we had good questions,' and that's a great feeling, especially when they come up to you -– being on a losing team  -– and they're like, 'Hey, I like your questions this week. That was fun.'”

It's All About the Questions

Tipton keeps a basket of answer sheets and file folders for both regular teams and newcomers. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

On Monday nights, the pressure starts to build for Tipton to start writing questions. He knows that if he comes up with two, he'll get in the zone and be able to write the remaining 14.

“I have come up with these trivia questions,” he says. “There's going to be a hundred people that are depending on me so they can have a good time, and I care about it.”

His questions start off easy and then get progressively more difficult. If they're too tough in the beginning, players might bail. Part of Tipton's job is to keep people engaged so they stick around for a chance to win the prizes (and maybe order another round of food and drinks).

Early in the game, Tipton might ask: “The TV show 'That '70s Show' was set in what state?” (Wisconsin)  

Then in the later rounds, he'll hit them with something like this: “Who was Al Gore's running mate during the 2000 presidential election?” (Joe Lieberman)

The questions that Tipton gets the most joy in creating are meant for the middle of the game, when he wants about half the teams to get them right. He calls these the “I knew that” questions, because that's what the players say when they get them wrong.

For example: “What is the name of the famous house that architect Frank Lloyd Wright built in Pennsylvania in 1935?” (Falling Water)

Tipton describes hearing the mix of half the room cheering and the other half groaning as “a euphoric feeling.”

“It's a good feeling because [the players] respect those type of questions,” he says. “I think in that moment, they realize that was a good question.”

Kevin Brahm, 28, who plays with friends under the team name “Vape Naysh,” says Tipton's laid-back personality and knack for never asking dull questions keeps the team coming back.

“Every now and again, there are president questions where we're like 'Aw… I don't know the 11th president off the back of my head,' but he keeps it fun and keeps the game moving,” says Brahm.

Playing for a Little Respect Around the Neighborhood

Kevin Brahm and Tom Nahon sit outside the Angry Pepper Taphouse as they wait for the rest of their team to show up for the weekly ritual. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

If you plan on playing trivia at the Angry Pepper arrive early to find a good table near an audio speaker. About 45 minutes before game time, teams of four to seven people start to take their seats and order beer and smoked chicken wings.

On any given week, around 15 teams compete for the top prize. As many as 25 teams play during the peak winter months when the seasonal residents are back in town.

And what do they win? The top three teams receive $20, $15 and $10 gift cards to the restaurant.

“It's not exactly high stakes, but people like to come in first, second or third place,” Cowan says. “Every week they're challenging themselves to get on the leaderboard.”

The competition is fierce, as players lean across the table to whisper to their teammates.

“What is the name of each of the seven dwarfs?” Tipton asks. The teams write down as many names they can remember on their slip, then hand in the answer.

The noise in the restaurant dims as Tipton reads the list, followed by an audible moan when he says “Bashful” and “Doc.”

Even the players feeling grumpy about getting the Snow White question wrong leave smiling -  as long as teams play fairly. But they don't always - and one time that caused a fight to break  out on Trivia Night.

Rule No. 1 in bar trivia: using phones to look up answers is forbidden. One night, a rowdy group of non-regulars  came in and decided to play. They were answering all the questions correctly. Tipton determined they were using their phones to Google the answers, so he disqualified them.

One of the regular players confronted the cheating team and ended up getting thrown into a booth.

Tipton, the servers and other patrons broke up the scuffle. The cheating team apologized and never returned.

That's about as high as the drama gets at one of Tipton's Wednesday night trivia games. Most times, it's just fun-loving folks testing their knowledge trying to answer questions like this:

“Who were the two people who served as Speaker of the House in the 2000s?”

And the correct answer is…

Dennis Hastert and Nancy Pelosi

Matt Reinstetle is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. His side hustle of choice was hosting trivia in bars and restaurants around Lakeland, Florida.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.