Indiana’s War on Truckers

Posted by Rickey Gooch at 3:24pm

This week it seems that every call I have had or meeting I have attended either began with or ended with the state of trucking matters in Indiana. I would have to say that from my conversations with drivers, carriers and Indiana law enforcement that for some unknown reason the state of Indiana is in the midst of a trucking feeding frenzy.

When the FMCSA rules were released Indiana looked at them and decided that the opportunity of a lifetime was about to take place. CSA was a money tree and Indiana was quick to add laws that added to the size of the money tree. They took a hands on approach with DataQ, controlling every aspect of it so that one Czar in their state would make sure no possible opportunity to slay drivers and carriers could escape his grasp. They passed a law that gives them the right to take over a driver’s life if he is accused of having sleep apnea. They have overridden the CDL law and made drivers with sleep apnea jump through medical hoops every six months in order to renew their CDL’s instead of once a year. The ideal situation in Indiana is to throw the CSA and Indiana law book at any driver who passes through their state. In other words, they ain’t taking no prisoners!!!

Yes, truckers and carriers are at the mercy of Indiana’s fund raising scheme. Or are they? I believe the actions of Indiana law makers are simply, make more money. I think pure greed has taken control and driven lawmakers to this point. I think some law makers may have been duped into believing that the new laws requested by DOT were for safety purposes only and they were taken advantage of. I think the sleep apnea laws passed and other supporting CSA policies put into place by Indiana are nothing more than a system of robbing truckers of more money in the name of safety.

Indiana law enforcement could care less that they have created a hardship on the trucking industry that will take away the careers of drivers and the life of carriers. These actions will drive up the cost of shipping and consumers will, in the end, be paying the bill.

Drivers and their carriers will be blamed and who knows how many will have to leave this industry because of it. Should Indiana be allowed to treat drivers like this then how long do you think it will be before other states join in on this cash cow?


But what can we do to a state like Indiana to keep them from being a highway robbery gang? This is all about money, remember that. It seems that the powers in Indiana were not satisfied with the millions of dollars they collect each month from fuel taxes. They just decided they needed to raise more money and right now the trucking industry is the easiest target to hit.
If all of the truckers who are affected by Indiana law enforcement shared this idea what do you think would happen?

If you asked the truckers you know not to purchase fuel in the state of Indiana or if they had to have fuel, just purchase enough to get out of the state? I tell you what will happen; the love for truckers in Indiana would come back with a roar. Legislators would be up in arms. People would point fingers at the law enforcement officers for destroying the tax base of Indiana. The public would be outraged at officials for having to raise taxes to recover the greatest source of tax revenue coming from outside their state. Yep, all hell would break loose in Indiana.


Yep, that is the ticket! I will do my part. I’ll stop purchasing fuel in Indiana. We will have to wait and see what the other truckers will do. They say truckers don’t stick together these days so you never know. We will just concentrate on one truck at a time and before you know it the troopers in Indiana will greet you with a smile on their face. You might even see a TRUCKERS WELCOME TO INDIANA sign go up. That would be a sight to see wouldn’t it?

Rickey Gooch
Justice for Truckers


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