Following the lead of their Canadian freedom-loving colleagues, American truckers are planning to form a nationwide chain of semi-trucks and other vehicles in protest of COVID-19 authoritarian policies. The news comes as the reportedly 50,000-strong group of Canadian long-haul truck drivers — dubbed the “Freedom Convoy” — made its way across the country to Ottawa this past Saturday to protest against the vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 government measures. A large number of truckers from the United States has been joining the convoy along the way.
A rapidly growing Facebook group called “Convoy to DC 2022” is now calling upon all truckers to join forces against the government overreach in the Land of the Free.
“We are part of many large groups who believe in our founding fathers. We believe everyone has a voice. We support our freedom. Help us spread the word about this group and together we all can make it a better place. God Bless America,” the group states.
Brian Von D, the administrator of “Convoy to DC 2022” announced over the weekend that “America is next.”
In a Facebook video posted on January 27, he said that the American convoy will start in California and will head to Washington, D.C.
“We’re done with the mandates, we’re done with the government telling us what to do, we will continue, and we will follow just like the rest of the world on these trucker protests, and they will be 100 percent legal, they will abide by the law,” Brian said.
He added that if a trucker violates the laws and convoy’s rules, he or she would be “kicked out of the convoy.” That, however, has never happened so far in the Canadian “Freedom Convoy,” and “everybody was amazing,” Brian noted.
“America, it’s your turn,” Brian continued, “It’s your turn to step up and show what you’re made of.”
Saying that the vaccines have proven to be neither safe nor effective, Brian implied, “It is all about control.” He continued by stating that the pushback against that power grab depends on all people who value freedom.
“The government overreach is coming to an end, and this is how we do it,” he said.
Brian observed that while the Canadian and American convoys pursue the same goal, they would differ by one detail — their size. “America has a lot more trucks,” he said, describing that the organization of a much larger convoy would require more effort, but would also be even more powerful. Many of the other professional groups have also joined forces with the truckers. According to Brian, many teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, union workers, and others are supporting and collaborating with the movement.
In addition to that, private businesses and families in the two countries gave truckers “nothing but love,” and have helped the convoys with food, shelter, and gas.
Brian called on people to join and help the movement, which, he said, “will be in the history books.”
Regarding the dates of the American convoy, Brian noted that they will be announced once the Canadian truckers “get what they want.” When that happens, the dates will be posted on the “Convoy to DC” page. Brian later added that the information will likely be updated “within two weeks.”
The organizer also encouraged people to donate to the movement. The web address of the GoFundMe page, he said, will be published soon on the group’s Facebook page.
The truckers and other participants of the D.C. convoy, like their Canadian counterparts, would stay in the capital for as long as possible until the government drops its coercive policies.
In a video posted Monday, Brian Brase, another group’s organizer and a trucker, has reiterated the call to all Americans, “everybody and anybody,” regardless of their vaccination status, political affiliations, personal and religious beliefs, and occupation, to be a part of the freedom movement.
“Our convoy needs to be big. We need to make a statement that we will not take it anymore. And we need to hold the line until our Constitutional freedoms are respected,” Brase said.
He added that the convoy can start any time, and expressed his belief that American truckers should have taken a convoy to Washington, D.C., simultaneously with their Canadian friends.
“If some group out there, anybody out there and they start doing it sooner, we’re going to do it then.”
As of Monday, more than 102,300 people have joined “Convoy to DC 2022” Facebook group.
The Biden administration is now requiring all non-U.S. citizens entering the country, including Canadian and Mexican truck drivers, to present proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID. The same regulation was earlier implemented in Canada.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA), the largest and most comprehensive national trade association for the trucking industry, representing more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the United States, is urging leaders in Ottawa and Washington to reconsider the cross-border mandates in order to “avoid any further economic disruptions,” per a Wall Street Journal report.
Truckers in other countries such as Australia, Brazil, and the Netherlands have organized their own convoys to push back against authoritarian COVID measures.