2006_B_IC

Independent Contractor
News
June 2020
Southern California truckers
organize for ‘slow roll’ for
awareness of low freight rates
On the other side of the country from Washington
D.C. during the ongoing “mayday” protests
on May 1, southern California truckers held
a protest echoing the concerns of other owneroperators
from coast to coast regarding low
freight rates.
While concurrent protests in Washington
D.C. aimed to physically garner the attention of
the federal government and the White House,
one of the southern California event’s organizers,
owner-operator Miguel Ramirez said this
protest was a part of a nationwide effort to call
attention to the low rates truckers are being offered
from brokers for hauling essential goods.
“We are joining a national movement, and it
is taking place from the east coast to the west
coast as we speak,” Rameriz said, noting that
The Trucker: Bobby Ralston
Trucks from throughout southern
California line up for a ‘slow roll’
along the harbor near the Port of
Los Angeles as a part of “mayday”
protests throughout the country.
he feels the rating system that determines how
much a load pays should be changed or at the
very least, analyzed.
“We know it is not going to happen overnight,
but we want a change in the pricing
and ratings systems, and we just want to bring
awareness to the general public,” Rameriz said.
Gio Marz, another of the event’s organizers,
echoed the sentiment that the southern California
protest aims to be a “peaceful, slow roll for
unity.”
He said this legal and peaceful demonstration,
which was assembled at the Port of Los
Angeles in San Pedro, California, will join another
convoy coming from Fontana, California.
Additionally, Marz said he and the participants
see this protest as a way to show they are
standing in solidarity with other truckers across
the country who have selected May Day (May 1,
2020) for their symbolic ‘mayday’ distress call.
“We want to bring awareness from politicians,
to governors, to big corporations, to the
everyday consumer,” Marz said. “If you have
essential goods on your shelves at your house,
it is because, most likely, the truckers brought
it to you.”
The planned protest at the port drew more
than 60 trucks that lined up, blew their air horns
and began a slow drive to Los Angeles City Hall,
where they were joined by the second convoy.
Marz also noted that right now, truck drivers
are risking their well-being to deliver goods
throughout the nation during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Other event organizers, who delivered an
address in a mixture of English and Spanish,
said, “The place is here, and the time is now,”
to recognize the importance of truck drivers and
their efforts in carrying the nation through the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a risk. Every single time we leave our
house, we are at risk,” Marz said. “We’re on
the front lines, and we are not getting paid what
10 Independent Contractor 2020 Hundreds of Jobs www.TheTrucker.com/jobs