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Truckers feel threatened by automation and regulation, demand action from Indiana lawmakers

INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER — Truck drivers from around the country stopped in Indianapolis and parked their trucks outside of the state capitol building Oct. 4 to bring attention to their issues with autonomous vehicles, along with safety measures they say are too expensive for small companies and drivers who work as contractors.

Published

5 years ago

October 8, 2019

Oakland Post

Byron Alderman, from Mississippi, was in Indianapolis Oct. 4 to bring awareness to issues truckers like him will face with advancing automation and safety requirements. He's part of Truckers United on 10-4 and stood next to Paul Massett's cab. Massett is from Ohio. (Photo by: Tyler Fenwick)

By Tyler Fenwick

Truck drivers from around the country stopped in Indianapolis and parked their trucks outside of the state capitol building Oct. 4 to bring attention to their issues with autonomous vehicles, along with safety measures they say are too expensive for small companies and drivers who work as contractors.

Members of Truckers United on 10-4 did the same thing in other cities. Drivers are concerned about federal bills that would increase the amount of insurance drivers are required to carry and mandate more technological safety measures, including automatic emergency braking and limiting speed to 65 miles an hour.

In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb has made autonomous vehicles a legislative priority. A 2018 bill would have given an autonomous driving task group authority to approve self-driving cars, but legislators couldn’t pass it before the deadline. The bill wasn’t introduced in the 2019 session that ended in April.

Byron Alderman, from Mississippi, started driving trucks out of high school and has been doing it for about 10 years as a contractor. Part of what he’s worried about is the safety of other drivers on the road, especially highways.

“What happens if this truck going down the road at 65 miles an hour and blows a tire and doesn’t know which way to go?” he said. “Your family’s driving beside it, and you don’t want that to happen. A professional driver can counter steer.”

Drivers in Indianapolis brought with them some proposals for a bill that acknowledged some level of automation is inevitable. Those demands include still having a human on board who can activate an override or fail-safe system. They met with some legislators and aides.

Alderman, 28, is also concerned about his job security. A March study from the Government Accountability Office found most technology developers said they’ll have trucks that can travel without a driver for at least parts of a trip and that those trucks will be available in the next five to 10 years.

There appears to be a consensus from researchers that long-term job loss is inevitable, especially in long-haul trucking, but the extent of job loss isn’t clear.

Charles Claburn, national spokesman for the Truckers United on 10-4, said changes to the industry will disproportionately hurt contractors and small businesses but thinks it’s the big companies that actually need the oversight.

One example: In the 24-month period prior to Dec. 3, 2017, Swift Transportation was involved in 2,256 crashes that resulted in 657 injuries and 67 deaths, according to Fried Rogers Goldberg LLC, a firm that focuses truck accidents

Two recent crashes involving semis on the east side killed two people and two dogs. It isn’t clear what companies the drivers were with.

“The government always wants to try to regulate the people that are already doing the job safely instead of punishing the bad actors,” said Claburn, who’s been driving for 28 years and said he hasn’t been in any crashes.

Claburn, 49, said truckers are getting to the point now where they’re better organized.

“American people are starting to find their voice, right? Truckers are no different,” said Claburn, who is Alderman’s future father-in-law. “We’re gonna fight to protect this industry and protect our reputations and protect what we do.”

Claburn’s prediction: If drivers don’t feel like legislators are taking them seriously within the next year, plenty will go on strike and block the highways with their trucks. That would be just before the 2020 election.

Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.

This article originally appeared in The Indianapolis Recorder.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.