Hundreds of social media posts in recent days have called for truck drivers to boycott picking up and delivering freight in Florida on Saturday — the date the state’s new law targeting undocumented immigrants takes effect.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1719 into law in May, which targets undocumented immigrants by requiring employers to check that workers are authorized to work in the U.S. The new immigration law expands requirements for businesses with more than 25 employees to use E-Verify, a federal system that determines if employees can legally work in the U.S.
With the law set to go into effect this weekend, some truckers have called for a one-day statewide boycott.
It’s unclear how many truckers plan to participate in the boycott, but seasoned industry veterans say, regardless, the protesters’ efforts will likely fail.
In today’s rocky economic climate — and if shippers are forced to raise their rates in order to get their freight moved — there’s always going to be an owner-operator or company driver, who has little say in where they are being dispatched, that will break ranks with a convoy or boycott “if the price is right.”
“I sympathize with those calling for a boycott in Florida, but our industry is in survival mode right now and I have a family to feed,” an owner-operator, who didn’t want to be named for fear of retaliation, told FreightWaves on Friday. “If the rates are there and I can make money on the load, you bet my truck will be fueled up and ready to roll.”
Will Florida truckers be impacted by new law?
Joe Rajkovacz, who is the director of governmental affairs and communications for the Western States Trucking Association, told FreightWaves he started receiving media calls in mid-May seeking comments about how truck drivers will be affected by Florida’s new law, which invalidates out-of-state driver’s licenses held by people living in the country illegally.
However, Rajkovacz said the law wouldn’t impact Florida truck drivers with valid CDLs because, under federal law, states can’t issue a CDL to a truck driver who doesn’t have a green card, which authorizes them to live and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis or isn’t a U.S. citizen.
“When it comes to operating a big truck, the Department of Homeland has always recognized that a truck could be used as a major weapon to attack civilians and infrastructure,” Rajkovacz wrote in a recent article in his association’s magazine.
He said that what happened on 9/11 is why the industry has seen an uptick in “credentialing requirements for truckers, from the TWIC card to expanded vetting just to be issued a hazmat endorsement on a CDL.”
Rajkovacz, who hauled produce for nearly 30 years, said Florida farmers, which rely heavily on migrants to work the fields in the state, will be hit the hardest by the new law.
Prior to Saturday’s planned boycott, some truckers on TikTok have been spreading misinformation about the impact the state’s immigration law is already having on the trucking industry in Florida, posting FreightWaves’ articles from March, including one about a Miami-based trucking company and freight brokerage that filed for bankruptcy protection and another article about Medley, Florida-based Flagship Transport Logistics and its affiliates, which abruptly ceased operations leaving 455 truck drivers unpaid, as occurring in late June.
Alix Miller, president and CEO of the Florida State Trucking Association, said she’s “aware of the reports [of a boycott] but am not aware of any issues.”
One truck driver, who lives in Georgia, said if spot rates don’t spike dramatically in Florida, he plans to stay home, barbecue and enjoy the July Fourth holiday.
“I will be checking spot rates throughout the night,” he said. “If I see something good, I’ll head out because if I don’t, someone else will take it — that’s just how this industry works.”
Noi Mahoney and Joe Antoshak contributed to this report.
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William Hammac
I have been in the construction industry for 40 years and many of my employers have used E-verify to check my eligubity and I am a United States citizen. If I have to go through this repeatedly, I see no reason why truckers and farm workers should not be required as well.
Richard
Thank you for promoting Ron DeSantis. The best governor in the country. Less talk and more action.
L.L.
I for one thank him for doing that..why do you want undocumented migrants illegally coming to your state.. they need to do it legally..that’s the problem people are not being held for their actions.. every action has a reaction..
Corey Ashline
Hahaha
My guess is zero truck drivers will boycott florida because drivers have common sense and all of us Americans with common sense are against illegal immigrants. They broke our laws to get here they shouldn’t be rewarded for that.
Kh
Why would any truck driver involve themselves in any of this? It’s just foolish and will change literally nothing other than angering your customers and wasting your own time.
Fern
No one except this illegal government in office at present, will back illegals taking jobs from Americans. Green cards are a different issues. Even the present illegals don’t want the new ones here. Can’t wait to get Trump back into office!
Al
Florida has the worst rate on the east coast. It should be a crime what they pay for the loads coming out of Florida. Most Owner Operators and smaller carriers already avoid Florida. Unofficially, Florida is already being boycotted. Guess them guys haven’t gotten the memo.
Tracy
It’s already a federal law that requires any employer that hires an undocumented worker will be subject to hefty fines and also jail time. Florida’s law isn’t really doing anything that wasn’t already in place did people forget about the paper work and identification and social security card they had to provide their place of employment when they got hired where they work ?