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Monday, June 30, 2025

ELD or Me Stages Another Protest

 

The group ELD or Me started out as a Facebook group for truckers who want lawmakers and the public to hear their concerns about the ELD mandate. In October, the group took their grievances to the streets, engaging with other trucking groups in a series of protests in Washington, D.C.

On Monday, Dec. 4, the 19,000-strong group is aiming to hold protests in every state. Charlie Claburn, one of the organizers for the groupโ€™s national effort, said there are more than 40 separate locations slated to have events on Monday. Larger states will have multiple rallies. All are scheduled to commence at 9 a.m. local time.

โ€œItโ€™s absolutely amazing whatโ€™s happened,โ€ said Claburn, a trucker from Diberville, Miss. โ€œYou couldnโ€™t get a handful of truckers to agree on something. โ€ฆ Every one of these groups started with one person. Before you know it, we had teams of five and then teams of 15. Itโ€™s about refining the message and letting drivers have their voice, so the people in D.C. can see that weโ€™re united on this.โ€

Claburn said he opposes a mandate for electronic logs because he believes the devices will add burdensome costs to his business, violate his privacy, and provide no tangible safety benefit.

โ€œA well-trained, veteran driver is the best safety device you can have in a truck,โ€ he said. โ€œWe have a problem with being forced to do something that weโ€™re paying for, that we donโ€™t want to use, that we know is not safe.โ€

Claburn said the Monday events are open to the public. He also said the group is seeking truckers who would like to participate as well. A public Facebook group for the Monday events has been set up to distribute information, including locations of events in each state.

โ€œWe need good people, people of courage, to step up everywhere,โ€ he said. โ€œWeโ€™re not blocking traffic. Weโ€™re not having convoys. Weโ€™re not interrupting interstate commerce. We just want the opportunity to have our voices heard.โ€

Some of the events are scheduled to take place at state capitols, however many others are planned for truck stops.

โ€œUnlike (the American Trucking Associations) and FMCSA, we want people to participate in what weโ€™re doing,โ€ he said. โ€œSo weโ€™ve made it accessible for people.โ€