''HOW ARE TRUCKERS SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE?''

Tekin said: "Both the individual truckers and corporate companies are in trouble. We need a chamber of truckers for the trucker community! All the institutions have already found their chambers; however, despite being so strong, we couldn't establish our own chamber."

Here are the details of our interview...

"Our community has adopted transportation as a profession. Both the executives and members of our cooperative are very hardworking, honest and loyal to their cooperatives. We carry the agricultural products of Thrace with our cooperative members. We transport products to the oil and feed factories. When we're accepting a member to our cooperative, we act as required by the law. We are very serious with our work. We continue our operations without offending and displeasing our members, and we explain daily events to them. I don't know about the other cooperatives but ours is like a family. If we make a mistake on the management level, our members would come up and tell us about it."

"Havsa is a small settlement with a population of just 9 thousand. Honestly, we're standing with the dedicated efforts of our members. Our cooperative has its own administration building, 5 vehicles and a service vehicle. We also have a 10-acre garage area. Ever since it was found, all our executives have contributed to the structure of our cooperative. We continue to maintain that structure."

"We Are Back to The Same Place We Were Prior To the Law No. 4925"

"Problems of transporters are never fully solved in Turkey. I don't know why but there is always consistent problem. Ours is a very large sector but we have a weak organization. Even when we're trying to organize, other things pop up instead of fully structuring the process. I believe that if everyone could be serious about it, things would have been much more different. For instance, let's consider the Law No. 4925. This law has done a lot for all cooperatives. It has made a lot of contributions; however, we are back to the same place we were prior to the Law No. 4925."

"We Couldn't Establish Our Own Chamber Despite Being So Strong"

"They don't see us as a part of the transportation sector; they just call us truckers. Of course, we don't look down on the truckers. Truckers are the people who work under the most difficult conditions to carry the most basic needs of all of us. Truckers have to borrow their capital from the bank. They begin the job in debt, try to establish their own businesses, try to bring bread to their children, pay their own social security debts, try to pay taxes... Today, if a trucker doesn't pay his taxes, they would impound his car. Then, he wouldn't even be able pay for his taxes or instalments and just go bankrupt. They put locks on our doors even as we work. How are truckers supposed to survive? Bothe the individual truckers and corporate companies are in trouble. We need a chamber of truckers for the trucker community! All the institutions have already found their chambers; however, despite being so strong, we couldn't establish our own chamber."

"Our Inability to Organise Is Our Biggest Weakness"

"Our inability to organise is our biggest weakness, our shortcoming. Our colleagues are very conscious people. However, somehow, we can't organize. The new generation doesn't pay much attention to the profession. Today, heavy-duty vehicle drivers are in demand. The profession is getting lost somehow. This profession will never end as long as the world keeps turning but we will have a bitter end."

"Our Cooperative Did Not Receive Any New Vehicles for The Last Few Years"

"We've been in this sector for many years. Our colleagues who are currently working abroad, used to be just like us. Then, they gave large and long-term loans to companies that work abroad. Now, the companies that work abroad as exceptionally strong. It is very hard for us to achieve that kind of power now. Cooperatives can't receive any state incentives. Cooperatives must also be given such incentives. Our cooperative did not receive any new vehicles for the last few years. A new vehicle costs 100 thousand Euros. The prices between old and new vehicles are at very extreme levels. It has become really hard to handle this business any longer!

"We Can't Explain Ourselves"

"Either the state has a different perspective for different sectors or we just can't explain ourselves. Our members can barely make a living; they're trying to survive on bank loans. We can't receive any incentives from the state. The state needs to offer us the same incentives they offer to other institutions. Of course, there are strong cooperatives; but there are also a lot of cooperatives like ours that are just trying to make a living. The number of our members diminish due to the problems of the sector and the disregard of the youth for this profession.

"It Isn't Clear Who Is a Transporter and Who Is a Trucker in This Sector"

"It isn't clear who is a transporter and who is a trucker in this sector. It is a very complicated system. In the end, everything can be regulated by laws. At this point, we hope that the Ministry of Transport works very sensitively on these issues. We had high hopes for this profession; but unfortunately, there is no trucker and no institution that has found what they were looking for. And today, we have arrived at a much tougher point."

"Member Vehicles Are Also Self Owned Vehicles but Legally, These Are Not Accepted When We're Bidding at Tenders"

"Mine is a logistics company. I've received a document to operate 49 vehicles and serve my members. But now, I'm almost unable to serve my members. Even if I accept more vehicles, there is not much business potential in this region. You have an operating cost, responsibility for the drivers... They are saying that you don't need self-owned vehicles because you are a cooperative. Member vehicles are also self-owned vehicles but legally, these are not accepted when we're bidding at tenders. In order to obtain a logistics document, you have to have 1 self-owned vehicle for every 10 vehicles; but they don't consider member vehicles as self-owned vehicles. The biggest issue starts here. Even if I have 100 vehicles, I have to purchase 10 self-owned vehicles."

"Sector's Problems Won't Be Solved by Talking"

"All our colleagues are working under very harsh conditions in the sector. Their income levels must be increased. And that is only possible through a good research. If a trucker has a low-level income, you can't expect anything from him. If they can't leave cash to their wives when they're leaving home, pay their taxes and even change their tires, you can't expect much efficiency from them. Sector's problems won't be solved by talking. There must be new laws that will improve the economic situation of our colleagues. They are thinking about how to make money on the backs of truckers; that shouldn't be the case. We hope that our Ministry of Transport will make efforts to solve this delicately."