Trucker Protest Aims To Stop Washington Beltway Traffic, Arrest Congressmen

A trucker protest aims at clogging traffic in the inner loop of Washington, D.C., as a way to take action against the federal government shutdown.

The protest, known as “Truckers Ride for the Constitution” is set to start on Friday morning and last for three days.

Earl Conlon, a Georgia trucker helping to organize the trucker protest, told U.S. News that drivers will line up in rows of three to clog the lanes of D.C,.’s busy roadway. They will leave the left lane open for emergency vehicles but block others out.

The trucks won’t go above the 55 miles per hour speed limit.

“Everybody that doesn’t have a supporter sticker on their window, good luck: Nobody in, nobody out,” he said.

Conlon said he is looking forward to the protest.

“It’s going to be real fun for anyone who is not a supporter,” he said, “[and] if cops decide to give us a hard time, we’re going to lock the brakes up, we’re going to stop right there, we’re going to be a three lane roadblock.”

While the truckers are using civic disobedience to further their cause, other opponents of the government shutdown are opening up their checkbooks. A group of private donors raised $10 million to fund the early childhood education program Head Start, which would have been frozen during the shutdown.

The ultimate goal of the trucker protest is to seek the arrest of congressmen for disregarding their oath to uphold the Constitution.

For Washington, D.C., commuters looking to avoid the trucker protest and its inevitable gridlock, there is one way. Those who have signs that say “T2SDA” (Truckers to Shut Down America) written on their windows will be allowed to pass, Conlon said.