After speaking about tax reform at an event where truckers were represented by the American Trucking Association, President Trump faced social media backlash from drivers who feel that they were not well spoken-for.
Yesterday Trump flew into Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to offer up a tax reform plan that he said would help trucking by reducing individual taxes, eliminating the estate tax (also known as the “Death Tax”), and by lowering the corporate tax rate.
While the White House promised that there would be hundreds of truckers in attendance at the speech, many truckers were disappointed that they were largely represented at the event by the American Trucking Association (ATA), which supports perhaps the most controversial pending regulation in the trucking industry — the ELD Mandate.
Though the ATA has called their organization “the nation’s largest and most authoritative voice representing the trucking industry”, many truckers (particularly those in Tony Justice’s “ELD OR ME” Facebook group) took to Twitter to express their displeasure with their representation at the major presidential event.
Truckers to Trump: “ATA Doesn’t Represent Me”
Here’s what truckers had to say to the President.
Tax reform isn’t going to help this trucker, after the ELD mandate puts me out of business. @realDonaldTrump #HR3282 #eldorme
— Andrew Latham (@stardrivepaints) October 12, 2017
@realDonaldTrump the ATA only represents 3% of trucking industry. The rest of us don’t need more regs. #HB3282 #ELDorMe pic.twitter.com/pBbxphe9n4
— Ronald Sanders (@silenteagle999) October 11, 2017
You should have visited with the truckers in your backyard last week. Not the ATA. @realDonaldTrump @POTUS #eldorme #operationblackandblue
— James Johnson (@SEMAJNOSNHOJ) October 12, 2017
Rest assured ATA is scared! They used tonight to lobby FOR the ELD mandate. Tweet @POTUS and tell him truckers say no. #ELDorMe #DelayELD
— ELD or ME (@ELD_or_ME) October 12, 2017
.@realDonaldTrump ATA is NOT for small trucking companies and do not represent me #ELDorMe #knockoutbadregs
— Andrew Latham (@stardrivepaints) October 12, 2017
.@realDonaldTrump #ATA are lobbyists bought & paid for by unsafe mega fleets. Owner Ops have highest safety. Please listen to us. #ELDorme
— Sierra Sugar (@SierraSugar) October 12, 2017
.@realDonaldTrump Stand by your promise to help America’s truckers. #eldorme
— Kate Flanagan (@nekiteflyer830) October 12, 2017
@realDonaldTrump @POTUS please MR President, The ATA is not our friend.. signed, The Real American Truckers#eldorme #OperationBlackAndBlu
— Scott Horton (@ScottHorton1) October 12, 2017
Organizer Tony Justice Tweeted this morning to confirm that the group’s efforts were generating attention.
#ELDofMe has 26.7K mentions
30.4K engagement
1.2million reach. We’re super close to trending at #eldorme— Tony Justice (@TheTonyJustice) October 12, 2017
You can click here to view #eldorme on Twitter.