Operation Black and Blue has scheduled a protest from Oct. 3 through Oct. 8 in Washington D.C. to protest electronic logging devices and other industry issues. They don’t plan to disclose the exact location until Sept. 30 so as to avoid outside interference. The group says they have over 2000 members.
According to their 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. We exist to support groups like “ELD or ME” and others who are against ELDs. As industry leaders we demand a revision of the Hours of Service. And as a group we are working diligently to bring back respect to the trucking industry. We are about peaceful, legal, progress to benefit all truck drivers.”
The grassroots organization has written a Commercial Drivers Bill of Rights. Their website lists the first two points of the Bill as:
ELD MANDATE – Trucker’s should have a choice of whether they want to run with paper logs or electronic logs, ELD’s should not be forced, by law, on a driver. Also, no driver should be monitored or expected to install an electronic tracking device that records times and is viewable to others including employers and government agencies, against his/her will.
14 HOUR RULE – Drivers should not be held to a continuous running clock. A truck driver should have the ability to stop and rest as needed without the consequence of running out of time to complete his/her task for the day.
Other issues in their Bill of Rights include safe parking, abolishing the CSA system, detention pay, lumping and the right to carry firearms.
