Truckers.com Fires Back at City Councilman J. Ross Lacy of Midland, Texas

Here is the latest on the SBTC's fight against the bullying of truckers...

From: "James Lamb" <[email protected]>

Date: Thu, Oct 18, 2018 10:12 am

To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

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Subject: Your ignorant remarks about trucks and lack of sensitivity about the lack of safe truck parking in Midland

Mr. Lacy:

I am the president of the Small Business in Transportation Coalition ("SBTC"), a nationwide 501(c)(6) transportation industry trade group operating through the domain www.truckers.com. The SBTC is a network of over 14,000 transportation professionals, associations, and industry suppliers that is on the front lines when it comes to issues that affect transportation professionals operating small businesses. We seek to promote and protect the interests of small businesses in the transportation industry. SBTC encourages ethical business practices and supports teamwork, cooperation, transparency, and partnerships among truckers, carriers, brokers, and shippers who seek to do business with the utmost integrity.

In reading a number of articles including this article, and this one, I understand that during a ride-along with Midland Police on Tuesday, August 14, 2018, you spotted several trucks parked at a Walmart lot off of I-20 where you called the parked trucks ” just completely disgusting” and said, “What we need to do is step up our enforcement, have the laws on the books that allows our police department code officers to go after these 18-wheelers.”

Since you apparently do not have any appreciation whatsoever for the role truckers and trucks play in the American economy and supply chain or the plight of truckers, allow me to enlighten you...

According to industry data, there are 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States. Over 9 billion tons of freight are moved annually in the United States. nearly 70% of all freight tonnage moved in the United States goes on trucks. Some of that freight is delivered by truck to Midland, Texas. About 200,000 drivers (5.7%) are women. There has been a 50% increase in women drivers over the past decade.

Over-the-road truckers essentially work and live on the road. Unlike city councilmen, who return to the comfort and safety of their residential buildings at night after their work day, the truck is truck drivers' home-away-from-home. Male and female truckers make a unique sacrifice of being away from their families to supply America. They usually sleep alone in their sleeper berths inside their vehicles at night without the lawful right to carry firearms interstate to protect themselves. They are therefore targets by those who would prey on the vulnerable.

In fact, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, more than 600 Americans working in interstate transportation have been murdered on the job. Many of these murders --such as the killing of truckers Jason Rivenburg and Michael Boeglin, happened because the truck drivers find themselves out of driving time (they may not drive more than 11 hours under Federal Regulations) and without enough safe places to park. Many are forced to pull over in desolate areas such as abandoned gas stations and are then killed in the middle of the night. Given the onset of the implementation of the new electronic logging device mandate, truckers are now forced by a computer to shut down often in unsafe areas such as highway ramps and shoulders when they run out of time. In fact, on the very day of your joyride with your city's police officers hunting for trucks, this article was published about a trucker being shot at a rest area in Florida. Truckers are routinely and viciously attacked even at more populated truck stops such as this violent attack this week.

To combat this problem, we launched the Trucker Lives Matter movement. See www.truckerlivesmatter.com.

Congress has recognized the seriousness of the truck parking shortage and has passed Jason's Law to encourage the states and municipalities to create and expand safe truck parking facilities. According to the USDOT: “We know truck parking has been a longstanding problem in our nation and we need new approaches to fix it,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Victor Mendez last year. “Now more than ever, this country needs better planning, investment, and innovation from those who have a stake in safe truck parking and transportation.”

On behalf of the trucking industry, I want you to know that we find it highly offensive, insensitive and-- to use your words "completely disgusting"-- that an elected city government official would politically attack truckers who supply your city with everything from groceries to clothing to building materials. Be advised that truckers across America are becoming aware of your city's NIMBY hostility toward truckers on social media and your complete wanton disregard for their personal safety.

What you obviously should be doing in accordance with Jason's Law is working with the rest of the country to create safe truck parking facilities for truckers as a way of addressing your new favorite issue of "illegal truck parking." In launching your campaign to use city police to harass truck drivers who cannot find legal places to park because your city has not planned accordingly to accommodate visiting trucks delivering to your city, you may very well be responsible for the next trucker attack or murder. We find that absolutely reckless and believe your city may very well have risk exposure for liability should an incident like that happen. If it does, SBTC will be there for the trucker and his family.

Less than three weeks ago, the city of Texarkana, Texas embraced truckers and celebrated their contributions to the local economy as we remembered the late Burt Reynolds. I visited Texarkana personally and Mayor Bruggeman presented me with a lapel pin as a symbolic gift from the city to the trucking industry. You might learn something from that municipality about working together with business rather than alienating truckers for personal political gain.

Lastly, in the event that your city finds it difficult, moving forward, to secure trucks willing to deliver to your city, you will know why. But rest assured, we understand there is a Target in Odessa, the next city over, that you can always direct your residents to if truckers refuse to deliver to your city. That might solve your problem so that you no longer have to "go after these 18-wheelers."

I am copying the USDOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Administrator Raymond Martinez here, along with our Congressional lobbyist Laurence Socci, so that the federal government is made aware of the lack of hospitality for truckers working in cities like yours and the challenges they face on the road. Walmart is copied here for their information as well. Your Mayor, city managers, the other members of your city council and local media are copied as well in case the city wishes to offer the trucking industry an apology on your behalf.

Sincerely,

/s/JAMES LAMB,

SBTC President

www.Truckers.com

@The SBTC