Companies lose or make money because of resource management. Your hero SOR refuses to admit that. He doesn't believe that ABF has prospered while other companies failed because of excellent management.
Trucking has no product. They own nothing on the truck. The only controllable cost is labor. So, unfortunately, when management fails to properly manage resources, the only significant savings must come from labor. That requires a labor force that is cooperative and willing to compromise to save jobs. The easiest place to find cost savings is in work rules not wages. The companies that do more with less are the most profitable.