'TRUCKER LIVES MATTER' Announces September 5th, 2017 is "DAY WITHOUT A TRUCKER."
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 01, 2017 -- Traditionally, the day after Labor Day represents the first day back to work after the holiday weekend, and an unofficial end to Summer vacations. But this year, that may be different for hundreds of thousands of members of the trucking industry...
Just as the rest of America will be returning to work on Tuesday, September 5th, 2017, including members of Congress-- who return from Summer recess and formally go back into session that day, hundreds of interstate truckers who have joined and support the TRUCKER LIVES MATTER (TLM) movement, which is sponsored by the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC), a 501(c)(6) industry trade group, are planning to take that day off and instead, drive to Washington, D.C. to pay tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters and publicize the need for them to be able to carry firearms nationwide to protect themselves while living and working on the road and prevent terrorist hijackings to inflict death and destruction on Americans using trucks similar to recent motor vehicle attacks in Barcelona, London, Berlin and Nice, France.
Dubbed by TLM as a "DAY WITHOUT A TRUCKER" --an obvious pun on the "Day Without a Woman" event held earlier this year, this TLM event is being billed by TLM leaders as a "memorial procession" to honor and remember the 500 workers in interstate transportation slain over the past decade, a statistic cited by U.S. Department of Labor, like over-the-road, interstate trucker Michael Boeglin, who was killed and burned in his truck in Detroit in June of 2014, an incident that sparked the beginnings of the TLM movement. Boeglin's wife, Ashley, will be on hand on September 5th to lead the procession of over 400 vehicles in the lead vehicle.
"In the wake of yet another murder of an interstate trucker in August and three more drivers shot in Cleveland and St. Louis just last week-- three days in a row, truckers will be in DC on Sept 5th to demand Congress "Make the Roads Safe Again," SBTC President and TLM Spokesman James Lamb said today.
PROPOSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION
Currently, the patchwork of state laws and lack of nationwide reciprocity for firearms permits puts truckers in precarious if not dangerous life threatening-situations. Lamb has therefore sent requested legislation to Senator Marco Rubio's (R-FL) office as SBTC is based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. According to Lamb, Rubio's staff members are currently drafting a bill for introduction into the Senate and have asked SBTC to help them find a sponsor for a companion bill in the House of Representatives. With respect to interstate travel among the states, the bill seeks to endorse the Second Amendment as a matter of "Constitutional Carry" for all Americans and pre-empt the states from regulating firearms carried into, out of, or through their states. Lamb said more than 7,000 members of his group have petitioned the NRA to support his bill but the NRA-ILA remains silent to date.
LATEST VIOLENCE AGAINST TRUCKERS
Today's announcement comes on the heels of the latest murder of trucker Keith Odom in August in Baton Rouge, and the shooting of three drivers three days in a row just last week. Lamb has asked the Teamsters to support the event to encourage wider participation among union truck drivers and has yet to receive a response.
A MOMENT OF SILENCE
Event organizers have asked drivers across America to observe a "Moment of Silence" at Noon Eastern on September 5th, 2017 immediately before the procession gets underway. Lamb has asked for all trucking media, including Sirius XM Radio's "Road Dog Trucking," to broadcast the "Moment of Silence" to pay respects to the industry's fallen due to violence.
THE SHUT DOWN
"Driver up & Shut down!" Given the reaction on social media, hundreds of thousands of drivers are expected to shut down on Sept. 5th across America to show solidarity. Those drivers who cannot shut down have been asked to drive 5mph under the speed limit to "slow down" and wear all black that day. Event organizers, who have stated this is not a general strike event designed to harm consumers, have asked drivers who are assigned to support disaster relief in South Texas in the aftermath of the recent hurricane, NOT to shut down, as the exception to their message, so that much needed supplies can be delivered to the affected areas.
PRESS CONFERENCE
TLM has scheduled a live press conference on September 5th, 2017 at 11:30 AM at the I-95 Dale City Truck-Only Safety Rest Area North, the meeting point and staging area for the memorial procession.
Truckers and other interested parties can connect with TLM on Facebook or through the group's website http://www.TruckerLivesMatter.com.
The event is being publicized through the event website: http://www.DayWithoutATrucker.org and the Facebook event page on which, 400 truckers have pledged to drive to Washington, D.C..
ABOUT SBTC
The SBTC is a network of transportation professionals, associations, and industry suppliers that is on the front lines when it comes to issues that affect transportation professionals in small business. We seek to promote and protect the interests of small businesses in the transportation industry. We support teamwork, cooperation, transparency, and partnerships among truckers, carriers, brokers, and shippers and seek to promote ethical business practices and do business with the utmost integrity.
James Lamb, TRUCKER LIVES MATTER, http://www.TruckerLivesMatter.com, +1 (800) 215-6704, [email protected]
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