OOIDA asks President Trump to meet ‘real’ truckers

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is calling on President Donald Trump to meet with the real men and women behind the wheels of America’s trucks to discuss the mandate for electronic logging devices.

In a Feb. 5 letter to the White House, OOIDA’s acting president Todd Spencer urged Trump to meet with “Americans who actually drive for a living.”

“When Trump was elected, the vast majority of our members applauded, because what he was saying about regulatory reform was music to their ears,” Spencer told Land Line. “They’re on the front lines in terms of trying to deal with regulations that are totally disconnected from common-sense reality and even safety.”

While Trump’s first year in office was marked by some regulatory relief for the trucking industry, and at least one high-profile photo session of the commander in chief behind the wheel of commercial truck, Spencer said the president still hasn’t heard from small-business truckers like the ones represented by OOIDA, who make up about 96 percent of registered motor carriers in the U.S.

“While President Trump believes he’s talked to truckers, the segment he’s had a dialogue with represents the management of the largest 5 percent of carriers in the country,” Spencer said. “Their message misrepresents the perspective of the overwhelming majority of the men and women behind the wheel … We can’t let misinformation go unchallenged and uncorrected.”

Among the topics OOIDA hopes to engage with Trump on is regulatory relief for the ELD mandate.

“While your administration has done a remarkable job rolling back several excessive trucking regulations, professional drivers are perplexed and disappointed that their shouts for relief from the disastrous electronic logging device mandate have not been embraced by the White House,” the letter states. “This $2 billion Obama-era regulation is the most costly, disruptive and controversial trucking mandate in the history of our industry.”

The Association is asking its members and truckers in general to share the letter on social media, using the hashtag #meetREALtruckers, tagging @POTUS both on Facebook and Twitter.