In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as America grappled with unprecedented challenges, President Donald J. Trump stood before the nation and praised our truck drivers as "heroes" and "essential." He acknowledged us as the "lifeblood of our economy," highlighting our crucial role in delivering the food, fuel, medicine, and supplies that families, hospitals, and businesses across the country rely on to survive.

As a proud American truck driver I have dedicated my life to this vital work. Yet, despite the admiration and thanks, I have personally faced the profound challenge of making it home to vote. The very nature of our job demands endless hours on the road, far from our home bases and polling places, making the simple act of voting not just difficult, but sometimes impossible.

This struggle is not mine alone. Thousands of truck drivers across the nation share this burden. Despite being recognized as essential, the ability to exercise one of our most fundamental rights—the right to vote—is not protected or facilitated in the ways it should be for such a crucial segment of our workforce.

Right now, the United States military is granted nationwide absentee voting protections through federal law. This is not optional. It is not dependent on state politics. It is a guaranteed right backed by federal authority. Truck drivers deserve the same respect and the same protection.

We are calling for the creation of the National American Commercial Driver Voting Rights Act; a federal law that guarantees secure nationwide absentee voting for CDL truck drivers in every state. This law would ensure that every long haul, regional, and OTR driver has the same protected voting access that our military receives. It would standardize absentee protections, require fair ballot deadlines, require states to honor truckers’ absentee rights, and ensure that truck drivers cannot be disenfranchised simply because their duty keeps them on the road.

If necessary, we also call on the President of the United States to issue an Executive Order establishing immediate federal protections for truck driver absentee voting, modeled after existing military absentee voting programs, until Congress passes permanent legislation.

This is not partisan. This is American. Protecting lawful citizens, protecting essential workers, and protecting the constitutional right to vote are fundamental American values. Failing to protect the vote of truck drivers is not just unfair. It is un-American. It restricts freedom, weakens democracy, and silences the very workforce that keeps this nation moving.

Truck drivers were declared essential. Now it is time to turn words into real policy and real protection.

Stand with America’s truck drivers. Support the National American Commercial Driver Voting Rights Act.  Protect freedom. Protect democracy. Protect the voices of the men and women who fuel and sustain this great nation.

Sign this petition and demand action now.