A former United States Air Force Crew Chief expressed opposition in a private Facebook group of American truckers on the efforts being made by the American Convoy, calling it a waste of money that does not really help the needs of local drivers.
Jeff Tingle, a "two million miler" for the Safe driver club and long-term dedicated account driver for a local trucking enterprise, voiced out that the money gathered by the American convoy could have been used directly for the needs of drivers, especially in their membership for the non-profit Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which is the national organization of all professional truckers in the country and represents them to the government.
"I'm thinking that if all the money wasted on that convoy were paid in OOIDA memberships, we could buy congress and really get stuff done in Washington," Tingle said.
To which another trucker, Bill Lobger, affirmed and even pointed out as divisive among truckers.
"Jeff Tingle, true, unfortunately, the current American convoy is too little, too late, and ill-conceived," Lobger responded.
A trucker, whose name is kept in confidentiality, explained to Christianity Daily that the sentiments of Tingle and Lobger represent the pulse of a majority of drivers in the country. The trucker said that the American convoy is not like that of the Freedom Convoy of Canada where a majority of truckers participated in. The trucker explained that the livelihood of the Canadian Convoy was greatly affected by the COVID-19 mandates.
"Yes, Canadians were made because even the vaccinated were kept from seeing families in hospitals and the requirements for border passing. Not everyone can get the vaccine due to health and religious issues. That's why the border mandate irked them. They were missing with their families and then their livelihood," the trucker said.
The trucker went on to explain that American drivers are subject to rules and regulations implemented by the Department of Transportation, which was never run by someone from the industry but a mere political appointee. This is where the bulk of concerns affecting American truckers come from. The trucker elaborated that Tingle and the rest of them contest the influence big-time industry couriers have in Congress because of money, which in turn, have negative consequences on them.
"What he (Tingle) means by buying Congress is that corporations like Warner Swift US Express throw money at politicians to get their way. But if more truckers would quit being divided by politics and start working together with OOIDA we would be a force to reckon with. Deregulation in trucking has taken our pay and our dignity to below average. There's not a driver shortage, there is a pay and respect shortage," the trucker explained.
Accordingly, American truckers have created Facebook groups out of these issues that the OOIDA allegedly are unable to usher in their behalf to the government. Prompting truckers to call for a change in leadership in OOIDA.
Although the OOIDA has written President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month to exempt cross-border truckers from the COVID-19 mandates that took effect last January. The letter came in response to news on Freedom Convoy. OOIDA President Todd Spencer pointed out to Biden and Trudeau that there is a low risk for drivers to spread the virus since they spend most of their time alone on the road.
The People's Convoy, expected to be in Washington DC on Monday, arrived at the DC Beltway on Sunday and announced they will be going through it a second time. Jalopnik reported that only a few truckers--not more than ten--were sighted to take part in the said group's protest, pointing to the Daily Beast Reporter Zachary Petrizzo's report on the matter. Petrizzo said the truckers were "defeated" due to their small turnout caused by the traffic that separated the convoy that they had to do a second round at it.
"I just pulled off near the I-270 interchange and so far six trucks have peeled off after seemingly only completing one of two Beltway laps--as the lead trucks push on for a second," Petrizzo said.
The convoy did confirm Petrizzo's statement through their Facebook page on Monday that they heading for the DC Beltway for the second time.
WUSA9, on the other hand, said hundreds of truckers are bound for Washington DC. However, organizers raised concerns of having a security conflict like that to January 6's due to some children riding along in the convoy. Although local enforcement has commended the group for strictly adhering to guidelines to maintain security and order throughout their journey to Washington, fulfilling their statement that they are a peaceful protest.
