With trucking-related headlines dominating the news, it was a busy week for Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

‘Driver shortage’

ABC 57 in South Bend, Ind., ran a story on Feb. 15 about the perceived “driver shortage.” Pugh sought to dispel that myth citing driver retention issues such as pay, parking and detention time as reason qualified drivers are slow to return to the road. Pugh also said that overregulation – particularly regulations that have nothing to do with safety – make the job of a driver needlessly difficult.

OOIDA has continued to fight to change the narrative of a perceived driver shortage. A November 2021 statement from the Association stated a number of issues within the industry have led to poor driver retention – fueling what many are calling a shortage of drivers.

Canadian protests

On Feb. 12, Pugh joined FOX News to discuss the ongoing protests north of the border and the litany of issues that’s led the trucking industry to this boiling point. He reiterated OOIDA’s stance opposing government vaccine mandates, saying the answer to ending the protests is simple: end the government mandates.

As the Freedom Convoy reached its 27th day, Pugh joined FOX Business on Feb. 17. With tensions mounting between protestors and Canadian police, Pugh said that truckers aren’t the problem – placing the blame on fringe groups looking to hijack the message. He said that OOIDA is not anti-vaccine, but it is anti-government mandate.

Citing the solitude of the job, as well as the lack of evidence that truck drivers present a higher risk of spreading the coronavirus, OOIDA asked both U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Feb. 7 to exempt truck drivers from the countries’ cross-border vaccination requirements. LL

More on the Freedom Convoy from Land Line: