SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Truckers say they plan to hold a demonstration Thursday during the morning commute on Interstate 29 in Sioux Falls.
The drivers say they are concerned about automated trucks, down-sizing in the industry, and other problems facing them.
They also say they are generally disrespected for the important role they play in the nation’s economy.
Shawn McIntosh is one of the organizers of the protest. He’s upset about a bill working through the U.S. House that would increase insurance requirements for trucking companies.
“If that goes in, I will have to pay between $50,000 and $60,000 a year in insurance. I’m done. I’m out of the trucking business,” McIntosh said.
They say they will do a “slow roll” on the Interstate as well as have their trucks decorated with signs and flags.
The protest was organized largely through Facebook on a group called “The Disrespected Trucker.”
“The group we have is a group of professional truck drivers,” McIntosh said. “We’re trying to do this with respect and diplomacy.”
The group plans to drive at about 45 mph during rush hour on I-29 and I-229 in Sioux Falls Thursday. The group will stop in Mitchell as well, before finishing at the state capitol in Pierre Friday.
“All we want is support from the community and awareness,” McIntosh said. “We want them to know what we’re doing.”
(Carter Woodiel, KELO.com News, contributed to this report.)
