I know it's and OLD, TIRED topic, but since I've never put my two-cents in on this one...here it goes...
A one board seniority system based on company seniority would be the most fair and equitable way to operate, that is, had it always been done that way. It probably still would be even if it were changed, except maybe for all the people that paid their dues on the road board back when it wasn't very attractive to do so. These guy ran the "system" on extra-boards and did laydowns, and waited for untold hours in teminals and motels for loads. These guys did what many city drivers would not do, because they wouldn't want to go through all of that. Hey, now that the system is much more "driver (family) friendly" let's get them to change it to where we can go charging up the seniority board and take these really cool, high paying daytime meet-and-turns from the guys that were below us on the city board once upon a time. Yeah yeah, we know they sacrificed and all that stuff back then...but, man we REALLY want the goodies now, and you know, had we known it would have turned out like this, we would have gone to the road years ago. Well, anyway, too bad for them, we want the company to rearrange everything so we can correct our previous poor judgment and "have what should be rightfully ours anyway". From someone who went through much of that "early days" stuff and has it good now, I say NO THANK YOU, VERY MUCH!!!! This is one point-of-view anyway.
To the guys that want this because they are miserable on "dead-end" shuttle bids with no way out, and don't want to transfer back to the city thereby giving up seniority, I would propose the following solution to your dilemma. Start pushing for all shuttle bids to be turned back over to the city board. Yes, I said "back over" because once-upon-a-time that was where they were. You could be allowed to dovetail back into the city. Truthfully, shuttle jobs more closely resemble city work than road work anyway. Hopefully this would resolve the greater source of most people's misery, while preserving what so many fought so hard to attain. Just an idea.