Only a few dozen independent
truckers were spotted on rain-swept
highways around the nation's capital
Friday morning at the beginning of a
purported three-day "Ride for the
Constitution" rolling protest seeking
to impeach President Obama and
pressure Congress.
There were no signs that the trucks
were slowing down traffic any more
than normal on the congested
capital area highway, particularly
during steady rain.
Video cams on I-495, which circles
the city, and I-95, which runs north
and south through the region,
showed normal traffic at mid-
morning.
There were reports of scattered
groups of trucks making their way
toward Washington, D.C. About 15
pickup trucks bearing the official
Twitter hashtag of the ride --
#T2SDA (Truckers to Shut Down
America) -- were spotted early
Friday near Doswell, about 85 miles
south of the capital.
By about 8:45 a.m., Virginia State
Police officials said that about 30
tractor trailers left the Dumfries
truckers' scales, about 30 miles
south of Washington, heading north
in the right lane with their hazard
lights on, WUSA-TV reports .
The Virginia State Police reports that
at 8:50 a.m., four commercial
vehicles began driving side-by-side
across all four northbound lanes of
I-495 on the Inner Loop in Virginia,
slowing traffic to 15 mph. The police
says the drivers of the four tractor-
trailers were warned not to impede
traffic.
"No summons/ticket was issued,"
police said in a statement. "The
tractor-trailers were then allowed to
proceed on their way," officials said
in a news release.
The planned protest was beset by
confusion over message and tactics
as the holiday weekend
approached..
Organizers said sympathetic
demonstrations by veterans and Tea
Party supporters were also planned
in various state capitals and on
highway overpasses during the
three-day "Ride for the
Constitution."
A "few thousand" tractor-trailer
drivers were expected to converge
on the Capital Beltway on Friday
afternoon from staging areas on
Interstate 95 in Virginia and
Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania, co-
organizer and conservative activist
Zeeda Andrews told The Washington
Post.
Drivers planned to occupy three
lanes of Interstate 495, driving 55
mph, with the fourth lane kept clear
for emergency vehicles and
supporters. Only motorists
displaying the group's Twitter
hashtag on their vehicles will be
allowed to pass, Andrews and other
organizers say, adding that the
protest would be peaceful and
lawful.
Read More:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/10/truckers-washington-beltway-protest/2962045/
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