The topic of safety in truck driving covers many different aspects of the job. Everything from the upcoming ELD mandate to propositions for new maximum speed-limits on large commercial vehicles ties into safety in some way.
However, the subject of gun ownership is one that has a major place in this conversation. This is especially true since many in the industry claim drivers are disproportionately targeted by criminals due to the nature of their work arrangement.
Being in a new city each day and hauling valuable products into unfamiliar territory means trouble is always a possibility. There have been many stories about truck drivers being attacked, with some groups claiming gun ownership is the best way for drivers to defend themselves against harm.
Trucker Lives Matter, a group dedicated to promoting firearm legislation to protect truckers, claims drivers should be able to defend themselves even as they cross state lines for work.
The Michael’s Law Amendment suggests the Commerce Clause should be the basis for drivers being able to carry protection over state lines. Operating in various jurisdictions means being subject to different legislation, but this federal move would make it easier for drivers to stay protected no matter where they’re working.
The legislative suggestion gets its name from a driver who fell victim to criminal violence, showing just how dangerous it is for truckers to be on the roads unprotected.
This isn’t to say that there is no opposition to truckers packing a weapon when they’re on the road. It was reported recently that a trucker called police upon being shot in the leg, only to find out it was his own weapon which had discharged and caused the injury.
Instances like this raise concerns, as a driver’s inability to control their weapon could spell disaster for those they share the roads with. However, judging instances on a case-per-case basis will likely be the deciding point with this debate.
While guns do pose danger, drivers face a greater threat if they’re unable to defend themselves. Trucker Lives Matter and other safety groups will continue pushing for laws that allow drivers to protect their rigs and their lives.
I can’t think of any sensible reason for preventing truckers from being armed, and if I were a trucker, I’d be ready to defend myself.
A lot of criminals and transients on the highways and in rest stops these days.
Not to mention the criminals laying-in-wait to stop them for mammon extraction purposes.
Or worse.
I’m retired now, & I think showing it twice in my 35+ years of over-the-road is why I’m still here. I delivered places the cops wouldn’t go. Assholes sat under a light & slept.