Truckers Viral Meme Continues to Grow - Copy

An effort to get truckers to engage in a nationwide shutdown, along with an organized convoy to Washington D.C.’s Capitol, on October 11-13 is getting some traction through a simple Facebook page.

Although the idea may be far-fetched, it has begun getting some support since it was first posted on Facebook by Zeeda Andrews, a former country singer who has little connection to the trucking industry outside of a few truck-stop performances. While Andrews’ original Facebook page with 77,000 likes was taken down, a new “Truckers Ride for the Constitution” Facebook page emerged on September 23 and already has gained nearly 40,000 likes from people who are showing their support for the potential trucker strike.

Andrews began making a list of demands on her Facebook page, which mostly concentrated on rolling back various perceived regulatory and business encroachments on trucking viability.

These include:

• Regulations that are “forcing the industry to put unproven technology in new trucks just to reduce emissions.”
• Federal allowance of “states, municipalities and businesses to pass anti-idling laws” that are making government mandated rest breaks more problematic to succeed while in a vehicle.
• Insurance companies not covering “trucking companies that don’t install in their trucks expensive logging software, GPS, and communications devices … thereby pushing independent truck drivers out of business because they can’t compete.”
• An attempt to “push legislation through that requires the independents to carry $1 million bond in addition to the insurance.”
• Obamacare’s impending changes that could cause “trucking companies to keep drivers’ hours below 30 hours … as they can’t afford the insurance increases.”

Beyond her efforts on social media, Andrews also recently appeared on an online radio show on the Guerilla Media Network hosted by Pete Santilli, owner of Ride for the Constitution’s official website. Since then, Andrews has been given her own daily show on the site that is focused on the potential driver shutdown.

Andrews and Santilli also recently announced that the convoy will begin at the TravelCenters of America on Lewiston Road in Ashland, VA on October 10.