HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The People’s Convoy has returned to Hagerstown Speedway in Washington County, Maryland.
About two dozen trucks and another 100 cars filed into the speedway around 2 pm Tuesday. The truckers were last in the D.C. region in March. They set up a base camp at the speedway and would then take daily drives around the Beltway.
The convoy says its mission is the same as it was the last time it came to Hagerstown. It wants federal leaders to end the national declaration of emergency concerning COVID-19.
However, some truckers add they are worried about more than just that.
“Trucker G," a trucker from Missouri, said he and others with the convoy are worried many of their individual freedoms are being taken away, adding that nothing had changed for them since their last trip to Maryland.
“I know a lot of people say it’s all about mandates, but for me, mandates are just the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
The convoy also picked up participants along the road. Lorne Smith, a trucker from Florida, said he met the convoy in Ohio. He said he had no prior plans to join them on their ride to Maryland.
“I figured I had nothing to lose with these guys because things are a lot worse now, than they started the first time,” he said.
It remains unclear as to when the truckers will head down to D.C. to continue their traveling protest. However, on a prior livestreamed rally, one trucker said the convoy would come down to D.C. only once.
“I plan on riding down with them this summer, wherever they go,” Hagerstown teenager Shane Stephenson said.
Dr. Chris Rodriguez, director of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said the District is monitoring their activity.