Sikh truck drivers say they are being targeted since the deadly u-turn crash in Florida

Sikh truck drivers in California say that they are being targeted since the now-infamous deadly u-turn crash in Florida caused by a Sikh truck driver. 

The August 12th crash in Florida led to the arrest of 28-year-old truck driver Harjinder Singh just a few days later. Since then, images of Harjinder wearing a turban, as is common for Sikh men, have circulated the internet, and the Sikh trucking community in California says that its drivers now feel targeted as a result. 

“We’re really concerned about the safety of our drivers,” said Jasdeep Pannu, CEO of Fresno-based trucking company Orbital Express Inc. “There’s fear in the community about the misinformation, about being targeted because you wear a turban.” 

Founder and CEO of the North American Punjabi Trucking Association, Raman Dhillon, says that drivers are particularly encountering trouble at truck stops, with the issues coming from both fellow drivers, and even the police officers who respond to the incidents. 

 “People are throwing water bottles, eggs at their trucks,” Dhillon said, outlining an incident where a driver called 911 for an altercation at a truck stop, and the officer ordered the Sikh truck driver to leave instead of taking down a police report. The details of that incident are not known. 

Punjabi Sikhs make up an estimated 20% of the trucking business across the United States, and about 40% of the trucking business in California, reported The Fresno Bee.

Some trucking companies in California say that the discrimination is already impacting the way they run their business. 

Gurjant Singh, president of the Fresno-based Newline Transport Inc, says that he is working to reorganize his schedule and routes after two drivers quit earlier this week, and three more insist that they “don’t want to go anywhere near Florida,” despite the company’s frequent loads of produce hauled to the state. 

Pannu also says that he has had to restructure company protocols related to driver security. Drivers are now instructed to always stay in view of the dash cam, and to avoid any and all arguments while OTR. He says his drivers are facing “extra harassment just based on the identity of the driver,” from law enforcement in Florida. 

“All we’re asking is there should be a fair transparent trial, not a political spectacle,” Pannu said. “And that’s that’s what you’re seeing since this happened.”