OTA Dispatch Issue 3, 2020

32 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Driver Security: Protests, Riots, and Defunding Police By Adam Williamson, OTA’s Director of Training & Development THE YEAR 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. It seems at times as if we simply move from one crisis to the next and remain in constant catch up mode. Already well into the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has since been rocked by social and racial unrest in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death while in police custody. Nation-wide protests have followed and—while many have been peaceful—an alarming number have devolved into riotous scenes with vandalism, looting, and violence taking over. Even now—nearly three months after Floyd’s death—the protests continue with no signs of letting up and cities have struggled to maintain order. To further complicate things, there is a movement to defund police departments picking up steam across the country (some are already in the process of being dismantled and replaced with an undefined new model of public safety). The ongoing protests have left our nation uneasy and uncertain about the future of public safety, particularly in large metropolitan cities. The trucking industry has not been unaffected by these events. On the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, truck drivers are now sometimes finding themselves on the wrong side of another line (protesters are intentionally creating human barriers across major highways and roads). This is not just a minor inconvenience; the environment creates an extremely dangerous situation for both protesters and drivers. Protesters have been hit and killed (both intentionally and un- intentionally) by drivers coming upon or trying to escape these human barriers. Alarming video footage of protesters surrounding trapped vehicles has gone viral. Some of these conflicts have shown drivers being dragged out of their vehicles and assaulted. Others have had valuable cargo stolen while they could only watch. In one especially disturbing incident, a truck driver in fear for his life accelerated to escape the crowd not knowing that a protester—who had climbed between the tractor and trailer—had fallen under the wheels and was dragged for several miles. For an industry that works daily for the safety of both its drivers and all members of the public, these stories are simply horrifying. The reality is that most drivers have undergone very little, if any, training for what do to in these situations. Some drivers may even be under the impression that, if they feel threatened, they should drive through the crowd to escape. While this perception is understandable in view of the chaotic environment drivers can be confronted with, the legal basis for such action is far from clear cut. At least one truck driver has already been arrested under suspicion of assault for attempting to drive through a protest crowd blocking a highway in Minneapolis. No one (including the driver) was injured, and the driver was later released without charges. The contradicting opinions on this particular case just go to show that nothing is simple in terms of how either the legal system or the general public will view such actions. A driver should, at all costs, avoid having to resort to this measure. Better to not be in the situation to begin with if possible. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of current events is that no one really knows where all of this is going. Depending on the results of the November elections, protest activity could either decrease or intensify. It is hard to tell exactly what defunding police departments will look like or how it will impact public safety going forward, but some drivers have already gone on record saying that they will refuse to deliver in locations where such experiments are taking place. What is clear is that carriers and drivers need to begin updating their approach to driver security with renewed emphasis on security and awareness as it relates to current events. We hope for the best, but we also prepare for worst-case scenarios. As we have seen in 2020, sometimes worst-case scenarios are not just the stuff of movies. SAFETY