This is death by a thousand cuts. You don't even notice the first hundred. Then, someone says, they aren't doing it to every one. Or, they'll stop soon enough. The next two hundred begin to cause pain, but that same some one says, If you don't like it, go somewhere else. Or, it's only a little bit of pain, it's part of your job. By the time they hit 500 cuts, you are now too weak to respond and they'll continue with or without your approval. The final step is using IC's and leaving you home. Then, the layoffs begin and you are forced to leave because you need a paycheck. Finally, we have the Ceva model. It's what an asset light company like XPO intended all along. Independent owner operators running what used to be your freight and cashing what used to be your paycheck. The only thing that stops them in Europe is the union. That's the only thing that can stop them here. If it wasn't for the threat of unionization, they would have put this plan into motion years ago. Now that they have their decert in Laredo, I assure you that they are planning another, although I can't say where. Contract talks will grind to a snail's pace in anticipation of their next step.
If you let a company this massive implement this model, EVERY LTL company will have to follow suit or they will be unable to compete with XPO's rates. Drivers will still make money, but you can forget about health insurance, pensions, IRA contributions, vacations and so much more.