Isn't trying to congest the beltway a little redundant?
I know, right? I have been looking at it on traffic cams, and I can't see any difference than any other day. I 95 and the DC beltway, the worlds largest parking lot.
Jim
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07:52 AM
Old Lar Member
Posts: 13798 From: Palm Bay, Florida Registered: Nov 1999
My drives north and south, I tried going through the DC routes a couple of times. I found an alternate route east of Fredericksburg Va. to by pass the mess. Traffic where Rt. 17 meets I-95 is still congested going both north or south, but not as bad as going up through the beltway.
The MSM news "sez" it was a "flop"------------about 30 trucks total.
That was my take on it. The beltway looked no different than any other day. I can't say that I know the truckers mindset, but I am around them a lot, and if there is a load to be delivered, they're taking the job. I don't believe many of them would have been free to do something like this. At least not in the numbers to make a difference.
I thought this thread was going to be about Kenny F'in Powers
I was hoping so as well.
In regards to their protest, this guy has a pretty good take on it.
quote
Here is a list of the reasons I think all truck drivers and small business owner operators need to stay away from this group and their radical ideas. Take just a moment; step back from your anger and frustration with the government and the current state of our political system. Think through this issue logically instead of emotionally, and you will see that this can only end badly for the trucking industry ...and the country in general.
1) Shutting down roads and highways is dangerous and illegal and can lead to very dire consequences. The trucking industry prides itself on the fact that the country would stop without us. That's a true statement; now think for just a minute about what kinds of things could happen around major cities with massive roadblocks caused by trucks. For one, emergency vehicles would not be able to get through—people could die because of this one consequence alone. Do you want that on your conscience? Road rage incidents will flare up everywhere and could lead to violence. The general public would not see the industry members as heroes, but as angry thugs.
2) The protest has been planned for a weekend when federal legislators and Obama are not scheduled to be in town, and there’s a hefty fine for being inside the beltway and clogging highways. The resulting traffic jam would do nothing to get legislators to pay attention to trucking issues. So this grassroots-planned event would be staged when no one is in town to hear or see it; when it’s over, there will be lots of tickets to pay. It simply makes the trucking industry and its drivers look foolish and uninformed.
3) Drivers are being urged to shut down roads not only in Washington, DC, but all over the country as well. The general public will not understand what is happening and will not look kindly on the danger and havoc being wreaked upon their roadways.
4) Shippers and receivers not getting their products would have their entire business jeopardized and would not hesitate to move their freight by other means.
5) Groups that already oppose the trucking industry would jump on the chance to vilify the trucking industry even further and call for stricter regulations—and more of them.
6) This effort and protest is being organized and led by two people who have no connection to the trucking industry; they are using drivers to further their own radical agenda. They have even misled drivers into believing that they have been truck drivers themselves. There is no real leadership and no clear agenda.
7) I have found conversations on their Facebook page that urge company drivers to intentionally damage their company-owned trucks so that they can participate in the shutdown. I have also found similar conversations recommending that they park trucks at fuel pumps and service bays before disabling them in order to shut down services. This goes way beyond a government protest and would disrupt and hurt the private business we rely on to conduct our own business.
8) I read through a list of demands published by this group on both Facebook and their own website. The list was all over the place and had huge flaws in logic. The group claims to want less government regulation and a more constitutional government, yet the first two demands had to do with minimum wage for drivers and minimum rates for the trucking industry. This is anti-free market and requires huge amounts of government intrusion and regulation on the industry. You can't have it both ways. When I interviewed the two organizers of the event, they refused to talk about those points and then later that day removed them from their websites. It's too late—we know what their true agenda is.
9) They are now asking for donations so that they can provide fuel money for owner operators who can't afford the fuel to drive to Washington, DC and participate. This is outrageous and may even be a scam to get your money. Do you really want to be represented by owner operators who can't afford fuel for one trip? Is this the group you want to be associated with?
The group claims to want input from the trucking community but immediately deletes any comments that aren’t in agreement with any part of their agenda.
This ill conceived action punishes and endangers the general public and businesses we rely on and does nothing to the politicians we need to reach.
Please take some time to read and think through this issue. If you agree with me, let's make our voices heard. Let's make sure that the public knows there are members of the trucking industry that are informed and are a part of the political process and are not anarchist thugs.
Not even sure what they were protesting about. The media sure fired it up and Fox News gave them a bunch of air time.
Oh...I forgot...these are working men and women, not the out of work hippie liberals who are paid to protest liberal causes. That explains it.
Working people who make everyday things that make every ones lives bearable and livable, with the things that they make, deliver, create. Working people, the ones that are the true Americans.
Never underestimate the workers of America, they made this country from the beginning and continue to make it great every day.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.
[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 10-12-2013).]
