Part of the appeal of being a trucker is the freedom of the open road. Unlike other professionals, truckers are one with their rigs without a boss breathing down their neck 24/7. Heck, most even say they were born free and chose to be a trucker.
Now many feel that with the upcoming ELD mandate that the freedom that trucking provides will be trampled upon. It’s viewed as a major violation of trucker’s rights and many have taken steps to protest it with no results so far. However, now truckers all across the nation are taking to the streets for a major anti-ELD protest on Monday, December 4th.
Monday’s Anti-ELD Protest
In order to attract the public’s attention to their cause, many truckers are taking to the streets to raise awareness about the impending ELD mandate coming on December 18th. The protest will begin at 9 A.M. local time and over 40 locations are planning to participate so far.
To find out where the ELD protest will be near your state, head to the ‘Monday Information’ group on Facebook. Many truckers in the group are organizing protests in their state, providing more information, and are even helping each other out with protest signs and online flyers.
A few of the protest locations include Bill’s Truck Stop in Linwood, NC, Shoemakers Ambest Truck Stop in Lincoln NE, 116th N. 7th St, Richmond, VA, and many more. Simply post in the group to ask where you can find a rally near you.
This protest is a part of the major ELD media blitz that’s been occurring online for quite some time now. Many protesters have been on Twitter with the ELD or ME campaign to gain attention for their cause. Many tweets and memes have been directed at Trump.
The purpose of this is to educate people on the importance of truckers and so they can learn about the role in their lives. This will also give drivers a chance to share how they feel ELDs will negatively affect them.
This protest is also to support the H.R. 3283 ELD mandate delay bill introduced by Texas Representative, Brian Babin. If the bill was enacted it would give truckers two extra years to comply with the mandate by pushing the deadline back to December 19th.
Also, in attempt to stop or delay the mandate Brian Babin asked Trump halt the ELD mandate by executive order. He specifically asked for the mandate to be delayed until April 1, 2018, as that’s when the CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) will begin enforcing their out-of-service criteria.
What Are Your Thoughts On The Anti-ELD Media Blitz?
We want your feedback. Will you be joining fellow truckers on December 4th to protest ELDs and over-regulation? Or do you think ELDs will financially benefit the trucking industry and make it a safer place? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below and visit ExpressTruckTax for more trucking blogs.