Truckers Take to the Streets to Protest ELDs
Truckers around the country and in the nation’s capital gathered to protest the upcoming electronic logging device mandate, which goes into effect this December.
Some are participating in the ELD or Me protest in the nation’s capital, while others took to the streets in Fresno, California, as part of Operation Black and Blue, to protest the implementation of electronic logging devices which have proved controversial among small trucking companies and owner-operators.
Some truck drivers protested in front of the Fresno City Hall to voice concerns over the ELD’s effect on their daily work habits, telling local media that the inflexible devices would be forcing them to take breaks when they don’t need to, or worse, when they need more time. For independent drivers who need to be on the road as much as possible, and for whom quick turnarounds are key, this issue is about maintaining their livelihood.
With paper logs, drivers were able to add in the extra time they needed to find a suitable parking spot or to account for unavoidable delays at loading docks. To many of the drivers who participated in the protest, ELDs with their cold precision and complete adherence to regulations down to the second can seem out of touch with the human realities on the road.
Operation Black and Blue states on the group’s Facebook page, “Operation Black and Blue was created expressly for the support and coordination of efforts by truck drivers to help put a stop to the FMCSA, DOT, and ATA. We are against government overreach and over-regulation.”
The group has more than 3,500 followers.
Many of the protesting truckers, the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association and a coalition of other transportation associations, have put their support behind a bill that, if passed, would halt …Read the rest of this story
