INDIANAPOLIS — Potentially hundreds of truckers are set to protest on Thursday in Indianapolis.
With plans to slow down interstate traffic - on purpose - Thursday morning.
"The pressures that we're feeling now, that has us doing this, is just getting out of hand," Pete Karns, a truck driver who will be protesting for industry changes, said.
Bryan Hutchens and Pete Karns are stopped for the night in Clayton off I-70.
"We're not trying to be hoodlums, or cause a disturbance in anybody's lives. We just want to bring attention," Karns said.
They'll be up early Thursday morning to meet with other truck drivers from surrounding states.
"There could be 1000 trucks that show up, there could be 100 trucks and show up," Karns said.
They'll converge around 11 a.m. on I-465, forming one large convoy. The drivers will slow down to 45 MPH, taking two laps around I-465 to protest what they describe as government overreach.
"We've been to D.C. multiple times," Hutchens said. "We can't get any support or any traction up there because we're going up against lobbyist groups that have millions of dollars to put up against us."
In 2017, a federal agency began forcing all truck drivers to use electronic logging devices to record their hours of service for the day.
The clock doesn't stop until the shift ends. Often, a 14 hour clock.
"These computers actually keep track of every minute of every second of your day. There are times these malfunction," Hutchens said.
According to Hutchens, the devices can lead to lost wages and drivers racing against time.
"So now the data and statistics show that crashes are actually rising and the severity of those crashes is getting worse," Hutchens said.
Sleep deprivation is another concern caused by mandatory ten hour breaks once the clock runs down.
"So then when it comes time for them to drive again, the dispatch is pushing them, go go go go. Well they didn't get the proper rest in the breaks they had, so now they're forced to drive 11 hours," Hutchens said. "They're not gonna make the 11 hours, they're gonna get tired and they're going to fall asleep and they're gonna runoff the road."
They're demanding safety issues be addressed by lawmakers as they get ready to hit the road in force.
"We're not out here to cause any havoc. That's not our goal. Our goal is to just get public awareness," Karns said.
Organizers are planning a nationwide shutdown of the trucking industry on April 12.
State police say they are ware of the demonstration happening Thursday morning.
