Makenzie Huber | Argus Leader

Makenzie Huber, Argus Leader

Update: About 10 trucks participated in the 'slow roll' protest on Thursday morning. Watch video of it above.

Earlier story:

A group of truckers plan to hold a demonstration on interstates around Sioux Falls on Thursday morning to protest problems facing the trucking industry.

The group will have a "slow roll" on I-29, I-229 and I-90, according to Jeremy Johnson, an organizer of the event. The demonstration, which involves a line of semi-trucks driving at a reduced speed, will loop around Sioux Falls and continue onto Pierre, Johnson said.

Abigail Dollins / Argus Leader

The protest comes as part of a local response to the "That's A Big 10-4 On DC," which is a demonstration planned this week in Washington D.C. on safety and regulatory issues in the trucking industry.

Johnson, a Marshall, Minnesota native, hopped over state lines to help organize the event this week. He participated in the Minnesota slow roll in April 2019, where he saw more support from passersby than frustration at the line of trucks, he said.

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"Every time someone hears the word protest they think it's bad," Johnson said. "We're just trying to get our voices heard respectfully."

Truckers taking part in a “slow roll” this morning to protest legislation concerning the trucking industry have entered the Sioux Falls interstate loop. They honked at me as they passed by pic.twitter.com/jRh6BGVrmj — Makenzie Huber (@MakenzieHuber) October 3, 2019

How fast will the trucks be going?

The line of trucks will drive about 50 mph within Sioux Falls city limits and drive about 60 mph outside of city limits, Johnson said.

Other "slow roll" protests held throughout the country have varied in speeds, with one in Indianapolis going as slow as 45 mph. Johnson said he doesn't want the speed of the protest to impact the safety of other drivers on the road, so they will drive about halfway between the minimum and maximum speed limits.

How many trucks are involved?

Between eight to 10 truckers will line up as they loop around Sioux Falls.

Johnson said he knows about 150 other truckers are participating on the "That's A Big 10-4 On DC" event in Washington D.C.

Is it going to affect my commute to work?

Johnson doesn't want the protest to back up traffic or make anyone late to work. He plans to have the trucks drive in the right-hand lane with enough space between each truck so other vehicles can merge and exit between the trucks.

"We don't want to cause any accidents, hurt anyone or prevent anyone from going about their day," Johnson said. "We just want our voices to get heard."

Vehicles can pass the line at speed limit, Johnson said. The semi-trucks will sport signs, banners, American flags and "all that good stuff" to bring awareness to safety and regulatory issues in the trucking industry, he said.

Abigail Dollins / Argus Leader

What's their route?

Truck drivers will meet in Canton at 7 a.m. and start the slow roll on I-29 at 7:45 a.m. Johnson hopes that the protest won't impact rush hour, since they won't reach Sioux Falls until after 8 a.m.

Once the truckers reach Sioux Falls, they'll merge onto I-229 northbound, continue on to I-90 and then head back on I-29 down to Exit 62. Johnson plans to be finished with the loop shortly after 9 a.m.

The slow roll will continue after a short stop in Canton as the group travels to Pierre. Johnson said they'll take I-90 through Mitchell, stop at Mitchell to pass out flyers, and then continue to Pierre. They'll pass out flyers at a truck stop in Pierre on Thursday and then they plan to speak to legislators and others at the state capitol on Friday morning.

What are they protesting?

The slow roll is a protest against three pieces of legislation set before Congress: The Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act, the Stop Underrides Act and a bill that would increase minimum personal liability insurance for truck drivers, Johnson said.

Abigail Dollins / Argus Leader

The Cullum Owings act would limit truck drivers to a 65-mph speed limit, which Johnson said would put more people in danger by increasing interactions between trucks and other vehicles.

"Truck drivers don't want cars around them and cars don't want to be around trucks," Johnson said. "It would be a disaster."

The Stop Underrides Act would mandate every trailer to have an underride carriage in hopes that it would prevent side collisions. Johnson said the legislation wouldn't help in crashes and wouldn't reduce fatalities, saying that the underride carriages only have an impact if a truck is traveling under 35 mph.

The insurance bill would raise minimum personal liability insurance for truckers from $750,000 to $4.9 million, aiming to give victims of crashes involving trucks to get better compensation. The increase would be detrimental for Johnson and other truckers, he said.

"I pay $15,000 a year for my insurance. If the minimum personal liability goes up, my insurance would double or could go up to $35,000," Johnson said. "There's not enough of a profit margin in there for me to take that kind of hit."

The demonstration is also meant to draw attention to the federal government's investment in autonomous trucks. President Donald Trump boasted a $4 billion investment in autonomous vehicles recently, but Johnson said it would wipe out the trucking industry's 3.5 million truckers and would affect the 7.5 million truck stop and cafe workers across the country.