Rows of tractor trailers were parked in protest along Okeechobee Road in Florida, as truck drivers gathered to continue their fight against the ELD mandate, which has now gone into effect.
The protest took place on Monday, December 18th, in Hialeah, Florida.
The major roadway was filled with the sounds of honking horns and the figures of truckers huddled together on the shoulder, as they united to display their opposition to the mandate.
“The problem that we have is that this electronic mandate is actually going to stop us from working what we normally work with common sense. And that’s where the safety goes for us and for the public,” said Fernando Collazo, a trucker of 22 years who was present at the protest, to NBC Miami.
“It’s gonna tell us when to sleep, when we gotta drive…. We are not a machine, we’re humans,” said Joel Varela, another trucking veteran of more than 20 years present at the demonstration.
“What we’re trying to achieve is to tell Washington: listen, we’re here and we’re trying not to lose our trucks, we’re trying not to lose our business,” Collazo added.
“We give everything to this country. We’re truck drivers because, in a way, it’s in our blood.”