Will Trucker Rally be a Concerted Effort or Overblown Capital Chaos?

They say they’re going to clog Washington area traffic for three days starting today. They say they have demands for leaders in Washington, including a mandate that states the president must leave office.

We know many of them have 18 wheels on their trucks. But will they use them to tie up your morning commute?

More than 10,000 truckers are scheduled to participate in the “Ride for the Constitution” and slow traffic on the Capital Beltway in Virginia and Maryland. The ride is billed as a three-day event where big rigs will take up at least two lanes of the Beltway, leaving the left lanes open for emergency vehicles.

The roadway rally is in response to the government shutdown which has put federal workers out of their offices, caused many government websites to go dark and closed many public destinations like National Parks.

And, unlike what you may have read earlier in the week from major media outlets, they say this ride is no hoax.

“Demonstrators under the banner of Truckers Ride for the Constitution will arrive in DC tomorrow morning to snarl traffic as part of “a shot across the bow that will ripple across all branches of government.” 10,000 truckers are expected to continually circle the Beltway for three days, taking up two lanes and keeping a third clear to allow access for emergency vehicles.”

— Ride for the Constitution Facebook page statement

In Virginia, state police will be out on the roads to monitor the situation and the impact it could have on traffic. As of Thursday, there were no plans for troopers to intervene in the rally, according to a statement form spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

So, what do the truckers want? They’ve posted a list of demands on their website, and they say Rep. Louis Buller “Louie” Gohmert, Jr. (R-Texas) will receive those demands Friday at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall.