Truck Convoys Reach MD: Here Is Their Plan

MARYLAND — As a convoy of truckers and its supporters heads for Maryland, drivers are not the only ones bracing for an impact.

Schools, police and businesses are making plans based on the potential for several groups to come together in western Maryland before embarking this weekend to Washington, D.C.

A large trucker convoy from points west will be coming into Maryland via Interstate 70, the Allegany County Sheriff's Office reported Friday morning. The route is I-70 east to I-81 north to exit 6A for Hagerstown, with staging at the Hagerstown Speedway.

To avoid the traffic, Washington County Public Schools is letting out students 2½ hours early Friday.

The western Maryland school district is making the change "in anticipation of a motor convoy" that "will likely create traffic congestion and delays on major transportation routes and secondary roads," according to school officials.

U.S. convoys of truckers and their allies are protesting COVID-19-related restrictions at the federal and local levels. They are modeled after the Freedom Convoy that blockaded downtown Ottawa for weeks in protest of vaccine mandates in Canada.

Police across the region are keeping an eye on the convoys.

"Law enforcement, transportation and emergency management agencies in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. are jointly assessing the situation as it develops," Maryland State Police said in a statement provided to Patch on Friday. "Agencies will allocate personnel and additional resources based upon analysis of the situation to ensure safety on our roadways and minimize potential traffic disruptions throughout the region."

A group called The People's Convoy seeks to end the federal proclamation of a national emergency due to COVID-19, which organizers said led to government overreach. Some members embarked from California on Feb. 23 on a cross-country trip that will culminate near D.C. on Saturday.

A group of truckers converged at the Hagerstown Speedway on Thursday night as part of the convoy.

After driving to Maryland from Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania, the so-called northeast convoy prompted restaurants to add staff and gas stations to prepare for an influx of drivers looking to fuel up due to cheaper gas prices in Maryland compared with neighboring Pennsylvania, the Herald-Mail reported.

On Saturday morning, the People's Convoy plans to leave Hagerstown and arrive in the area of the D.C. Beltway by Saturday night.

Troopers are preparing for potential commercial, recreational and passenger vehicle convoys and will join their counterparts in neighboring states "to address any violations of law and to maintain the free flow of traffic," Maryland State Police said in a statement. Officials said commercial vehicle and automotive safety enforcement troopers will be out in force.

Police advised drivers to follow roads.maryland.gov for the latest traffic alerts.

"We haven't announced it yet, but we will when we get closer to where we're going to be," convoy organizer Maureen Steele told WJLA of its final destination.

Metropolitan Police Department officers are reportedly positioned along highway entrances to the District of Columbia and some exit ramps, along with trucks from the Department of Public Works, in case roads need to be blocked from the convoys.

Virginia State Police and D.C. police are mobilizing, while officers from New York City who came to help the U.S. Capitol Police with the State of the Union address remain in D.C. in preparation.

See Also:

• Truck Convoy Threatens To Clog DC Area Roads Over Weekend
• People's Convoy: Truckers Leave CA For DC To Protest COVID Rules
• Trucker Convoys Plan Protest On Capital Beltway, Stop In MD
• White House Unveils New COVID Plan: What It Means In Maryland

Patch editor Mark Hand contributed to this report.