Mission Statement
Operation Black and Blue is an organized protest, in which we endeavor to sustain the integrity and dignity of the trucking industry, and the drivers, by protesting against unfair regulations.
In 2012 Congress passed the MAP 21 Act, which was an infrastructure bill, and by doing so they inserted mandates requiring that the trucking industry must use electronic logging devices to keep track of the record of duty status. A mandate to purchase a product is a means to create a multi billion dollar industry at the expense of an already overburdened industry when it comes to profitability over operating cost. Our concern is that we operate on a just in time delivery system. This means that grocery stores are stocked up for a three day supply of goods to provide to their customers. With this mandate coming into effect on December 18, 2017 many trucks may be removed from service due to the increased cost. Many drivers are planning on vacating the industry over the matter, in an industry where drivers are in high demand, which will put a strain on our supply system. If this happens then we will suffer an increase in grocery cost, in building materials, as well as many other amenities that we come to enjoy. In other words it will lead to an inflationary rate that our country can't afford in an already dismal economy.
Our primary concerns are:
1) Forcing trucking companies, and owner operators to use electronic logging devices
2) The hours of service rules
3) Members of the trucking industry need to be heard during the regulatory process.
We have first hand, useful knowledge, that would be beneficial to creating safer travel conditions on the roads, and we are ignored during the regulatory process. We truck drivers are being treated like criminals and are being regulated based on issues that were of concern decades ago. In fact, we are dedicated to safety in all aspects of the job.
Presently, our goal is to create awareness of our plight to the American people, and the members of Congress for them to understand that they must repeal the mandate passed under the MAP 21 Act, and now carried by FAST Act. That they must require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to repeal 395 Subpart B—Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR). The FMCSA must review the hours of service rules to accommodate the trucking industry with a better standard to allow more flexibility in the process of commercial transportation in a safe manner.
© Operation Black and Blue 2017