Category: On The Record

The Story Behind 10-4 on DC – and the Man Who Helped Keep the Message Alive

A Legacy Born from Loss

Fred Bowerman’s connection to trucking runs deeper than chrome, diesel, and long miles – it’s born from tragedy, resilience, and a lifelong respect for the men and women behind the wheel.

At just five years old, Fred lost his father – an owner-operator – in a fatal crash near Fremont, Indiana.  His dad had just finished prepping a new Peterbilt cabover and was on his first run when he fell asleep, swerved to avoid stopped traffic, and struck an overpass support.  The accident crushed the cab and ended his life instantly.

Despite the loss, trucks remained a part of Fred’s world.  His mother later married another truck driver, and memories of that old ’73 Peterbilt in the driveway kept his fascination alive.

A Dream Redirected

After high school, Fred hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps – but his battle with sleep apnea changed his path.  On his mother’s urging, he stayed off the road and pursued a career in mechanics, earning a journeyman’s card and later moving into robotics and engineering at the Toledo Jeep plant.

Still, he couldn’t stay away from trucks entirely.  At 21, he bought a 1988 Ford CLT 9000 cabover using his inheritance and hired a driver while keeping his factory job.  Three years and $5,000 in losses later, he sold the truck and stepped away – but the passion never left.

The Return of the Cabover – and a New Calling

In 2017, Fred bought a 1978 Peterbilt 352 cabover similar to his father’s.  It wasn’t about business anymore – just love for the machine and the memory it carried.  That same year, his life took another turn when he joined a D.C. protest against the federal Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate.

What started as frustration over government overreach became something bigger.  A convoy of truckers rolled into Washington, parking outside the FMCSA building in protest. Their timing was divine – the meeting that followed took place on October 4, known to drivers by the CB code “10-4,” meaning message received.

The meeting led to real results, including flexible sleeper-berth provisions – proof that when drivers stand together, Washington listens. And just like that, the phrase 10-4 on D.C. was born.

From Protest to Platform

What began as a spontaneous protest grew into a yearly movement of unity and advocacy. Fred – who had initially joined to “fill a seat” – soon became one of its steady hands.

After a chaotic 2018 protest (where one organizer was tased by police during a permit dispute), Fred stepped in to help bring structure and professionalism.  With his engineering mindset, he helped secure proper permits, built the 10-4 on DC website, and turned the loose coalition into an organized event with purpose.

By October 2018, they held their first official event on the National Mall, honoring drivers and educating the public about the challenges of life on the road.  The following year, the movement doubled in size, featuring convoys, concerts, and listening sessions with federal officials.

Eight Years Later: The Message Still Carries

Now in its eighth year, 10-4 on DC has evolved far beyond its original fight.  It stands as a tribute to America’s truckers – a blend of remembrance, awareness, and pride.

Fred’s story reminds us that advocacy doesn’t always come from behind the wheel. Sometimes it comes from someone who understands what’s at stake, even if they never logged a mile.

“Drivers have so much strength if they would use it,” Fred says.  “We’re stronger together than divided.”

As automation rises, policies tighten, and the road gets lonelier, 10-4 on DC continues to symbolize what trucking has always been about – brotherhood, backbone, and the American spirit.

A Big 10-4

I never knew Fred’s story until we sat down and talked.  Like many, I’d always wondered why someone who never drove for a living would pour so much heart into the driver’s cause. Now I get it.

His father’s legacy may have ended on the highway that night in Indiana – but Fred’s work ensures that legacy still drives forward, every October, in the nation’s capital.

Thank you, Fred, for sharing your story and keeping the light burning for the men and women who keep America moving.

Editor’s Note:
While this story highlights Fred’s unique role and perspective, TenFourDC was never the work of one person alone. It was built through the shared efforts, ideas, and time of many who believed in creating something that connected drivers and supporters alike. Fred’s story simply stood out as one part of that bigger picture – alongside others like Miss Arlene Bennett, whose involvement showed how even those who don’t drive a truck still have an important place in the movement. That spirit of teamwork is what TenFourDC was founded on – and what continues to move it forward.

Will Cook

A Driver’s Perspective

[TenFourDC.org]

GOOD MONDAY MORNING – Let’s kick off the week with a flashback from the past that still hits hard today.  The title alone says it all:

[ YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH ]

I had the opportunity to sit down with a man who’s never been afraid to tell it like it is – Charles Claburn. For more than 20 years, Charles has been a relentless voice for truckers, speaking out about the hard truths most people don’t want to hear.

In this conversation, he opens up about unity, manipulation, and the ongoing fight to reclaim trucking from the inside out. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s long overdue.

October 6, 2025

When I sat down with Charles Claburn, I wasn’t talking to a man who read about trucking from behind a desk or built a following by shouting on social media.  I was talking to a man who lived it – who fought the battle for drivers long before hashtags and livestreams ever existed.

He’s a name that carries weight among the ones who remember when drivers stood shoulder to shoulder, not screen to screen.

Charles has been speaking out for truckers for more than two decades. Not because he wanted to – but because other drivers, the ones who respected him, told him he needed to.

“I didn’t volunteer for it,” he told me.  “Older drivers pulled me aside and said, ‘Charlie, you’ve got a way with words, and you ain’t scared.  Go tell them what we’re dealing with.’  I told them I’d rather be hauling milk.  That’s how it started.”

The Early Fight

The story goes back to New York in the early 2000s. Fuel prices were choking the small carriers and independents. Nobody in Albany wanted to hear about it – until Charles and a handful of drivers made them.

“We didn’t have sponsors.  We didn’t have GoFundMe. We had CB radios, word of mouth, and conviction,” Charles said.  “When we told the state police we were coming, they said, ‘You’re not convoying into Albany.’  I told them, ‘You try to stop 200 trucks and you’ll have a bigger problem than a fuel protest.’  Guess what?  We rolled.”

When those rigs pulled into the capital, they didn’t come to make noise – they came to make a point.  A sitting governor walked down the steps to meet them face to face.

“We didn’t need a celebrity or a livestream,” Charles said.  “We needed a message, and we had it: stop killing the little guy.  That day proved that if you organize right and you speak with purpose, they will listen.  But you’ve got to mean what you say.”

Those early wins, he told me, weren’t about personality – they were about presence.  Real drivers.  Real sacrifice. Real unity.

The Albany Lesson

Charles explained what made those movements work – discipline, respect, and leadership that didn’t need a camera to validate it.

“We weren’t perfect,” he said, “but we had structure.  We didn’t call ourselves heroes.  We just did what had to be done.  Guys like me were still hauling loads in between calls.  We’d park, protest, and go right back to work. It wasn’t about ego.”

That mindset – humility in the fight – is what made the difference.  The press couldn’t twist it, and the public couldn’t deny it.

But Charles watched the industry change.  The unity that once made trucking powerful started to fracture under politics, personality, and pay-to-play leadership.

“You can’t build a movement on selfies,” he told me.  “Once they started chasing views instead of results, it stopped being about drivers.  It became about branding.”

The Modern Problem

When the People’s Convoy hit the headlines and social-media voices started claiming to represent “all truckers,” Charles saw a familiar pattern forming – the same manipulation he’d witnessed years before, now weaponized through algorithms.

“The problem isn’t that drivers don’t care,” he said.  “It’s that every time one of us stands up, someone with a microphone tries to tear us down – especially if they can’t control the message.  The system knows how to exploit that.”

We talked about the ATU livestream incident, where Charles was silenced mid-conversation for asking a fair question.

“I didn’t come to fight,” he said.  “I came to ask, ‘What’s your plan?’  And they muted me. That right there told me everything.  Real leaders don’t fear questions.  They fear exposure.”

He compared it to an old farming lesson:

“When you want to keep cattle from going through the gate, you hang a shiny broom across the opening.  They’ll stop every time. Social media works the same way – every week it’s a new broom.  New distraction.  New ego.  Meanwhile, the same people in D.C. are tightening the leash on our livelihood.”

The Truth They Don’t Teach

We dug into policy – because that’s where Charles and I both believe the real war is fought.

“Executive orders ain’t law,” Charles said flatly.  “They come and go like campaign slogans. Until Congress writes it, it’s nothing but smoke.  But drivers see a headline and think we won.  Nah.  We just bought time.”

He shook his head when we talked about the FMCSA and DOT.

“They don’t make policy,” he said.  “They enforce what Congress funds. You want to fix trucking? You fix the people writing the checks – not the ones stamping the forms.”

That kind of plain talk is rare today. Too many influencers push narratives that sound patriotic but ignore how the system actually works.

“Most of these folks don’t want you educated,” he said.  “They want you emotional. Because when you understand who signs the bills – when you realize Congress controls labor, visas, pay, and automation funding – the whole game changes.  That’s why they keep us divided.”

What Drivers Really Need

Charles and I found ourselves circling the same three words: classification, pay, and training.

“Drivers need to be recognized as skilled labor,” he said.  “This isn’t fast food. It’s 80,000 pounds moving at 70 miles an hour.  You want better safety?  Start by paying people what the job’s worth.  Start by training them like professionals, not filling seats for bonuses.”

He pointed out that technology has become a crutch – and an excuse.

“Every sensor, every camera, every ‘safety feature’ is another way to justify undertraining and underpaying.  The more they automate, the less they have to respect you.  But here’s the truth: no machine will ever replace the judgment of a driver who cares.”

The Need for a Driver Voting Bloc

We talked about the one solution that keeps surfacing: power in numbers.

“Until we start voting as a bloc,” Charles said, “we’re just noise.  I don’t mean unionizing under one flag.  I mean using our voice as a class – the working class.  The ones who actually keep the lights on.  We need drivers in every district calling their reps, asking the same three questions: Where do you stand on classification, pay, and training?”

He grinned when he mentioned Truck the Vote, the movement that never got the traction it deserved.

“That was the right idea,” he said.  “We just didn’t have the infrastructure.  The ATA’s got millions.  We’ve got miles.  But if we ever aim those miles in the same direction, Congress will have to listen.”

That’s where Charles still puts his hope – not in influencers, not in organizations, but in the people behind the wheel who refuse to be silenced.

Where We Go from Here

As the conversation wound down, I asked Charles what keeps him speaking out after twenty years. His answer was simple.

“Because nobody else will. And because I still believe this industry can be saved – if drivers stop following personalities and start following purpose.”

In a world full of noise, Charles is still that steady voice cutting through the static – the kind of man who doesn’t just remember what trucking was, but what it stood for.

And that, more than anything, is what A Driver’s Perspective stands for.

Will. — A Driver’s Perspective

A Conversation with Doug Morris, Director of Safety, Security & State Affairs

I got the opportunity to sit down with one of the many men and women who keep OOIDA going – just one of many important people who make this association what it is.  That’s the point of this new series: to give an inside look at the folks fighting for drivers and owner-operators inside OOIDA – what they do, how they do it, and why it matters.

For this first interview, I sat down with Doug Morris, OOIDA’s Director of Safety, Security & State Affairs. Before he became a voice for truckers in Washington, D.C., Morris spent more than 25 years with the Maryland State Police, leading transportation security after 9/11, working with federal and state agencies, and training in specialized commercial-vehicle inspections – including radiological, at a time when only a handful in the country had that expertise.  Since joining OOIDA in 2009, he’s become one of the industry’s most persistent watchdogs on safety regs, enforcement policy, and driver rights.

From Lawman to Driver Advocate
Morris didn’t set out to work for OOIDA. A trip to Kansas City to meet the team – and a dinner with the late Jim Johnston – changed his mind.

“When you see someone’s passion for trucking and for drivers, you want to be part of that,” Morris told me.

He took early retirement, joined OOIDA, and his role quickly expanded: national security initiatives, regulatory analysis, then lobbying, plus a heavy load of state-level legislative work during the first half of each year.

Who Writes the Rules (and Who Enforces Them)
One point Morris wants drivers to understand: Congress writes the laws; FMCSA implements what Congress funds; CVSA (a coalition of state enforcement) standardizes the inspection process and out-of-service criteria that states adopt and enforce.

“If you’re mad at FMCSA for something Congress mandated – or for how states are enforcing -it’s easy to yell at the wrong building,” he said.  “Know which committee holds the pen.”

The Non-Domiciled CDL Mess
On the hottest issue right now – non-domiciled CDLs and visa drivers – Morris is blunt.  The original intent of non-domiciled CDLs was simple: when a U.S. trainee tested in a different state than their residence, they’d transfer the temporary credential back home for a standard CDL.  It wasn’t meant as a backdoor for foreign drivers.

OOIDA, he says, had raised alarms for years, but national traction followed public attention and grassroots pressure after a series of fatal crashes and fraud cases made headlines.

• OOIDA pressed FMCSA to restore English-language proficiency with real teeth in out-of-service criteria.
• They engaged DHS and the DOT Secretary to tighten guidance and close loopholes.
• They continue pushing states that still don’t track or properly gate non-domiciled issuances.

“It’s complicated for agencies that don’t live in this space,” Morris said. “You literally have to walk them through how CDL issuance works and where the guidance went sideways.”

Speed Limiters, ELDs, and Regulation by Megacarrier
Morris argues that some high-dollar lobbying campaigns push rules that benefit large fleets more than safety.

• Speed limiters: “Great for fuel budgets, not a magic wand for crashes,” he said, noting increased rear-end collisions.
• ELDs: Sold as a silver bullet, but in practice they’ve increased stress and congestion and boxed experienced drivers into unsafe timing.

“Talk to working drivers before you regulate drivers,” he said. OOIDA’s 21-member board—all truckers with hundreds of cumulative years behind the wheel—is built for that.

Money, Access, and the Grind
OOIDA’s lobbying dollars are modest compared to the millions spent by major trade groups and allied interests.

“Every dollar has to work,” Morris said.

The counterweight is grassroots: members calling and visiting lawmakers, especially those sitting on Transportation & Infrastructure (House) and Commerce, Science & Transportation (Senate).

“Lawmakers listen to constituents – and to money,” Morris said.  “We need members engaged so our side of the story is in the room.”

Parking, Pay, and Predatory Leases
Beyond the headline fights, Morris points to other critical issues:

• Guaranteed overtime for drivers – to push rates up and pay drivers for their time.
• Free truck parking – while some paid-parking interests fight to preserve scarcity.
• Predatory lease-purchase contracts – OOIDA’s Business Services reviews agreements and warns drivers when the math sinks them from day one.

On AB5/independent contractor rules, Morris deferred details to OOIDA’s legal team, but confirmed the fight is active and crucial to the owner-operator model.

Automation: The Existential Question
Morris’s starkest warning is about driverless trucks.  If Congress authorizes interstate operation without a driver in the cab, he believes small-business trucking will be gutted.  Billions in hedge funds and tech money are pushing hard; some states already allow AV pilots; federal preemption could accelerate it.

“There will be niches,” he said, “but for dry van, reefer, and flatbed – if we don’t act now – the handwriting is on the wall.”

What Drivers Can Do Right Now
Morris’s call to action is simple:

1. Visit fightingfortruckers.com.
2. Identify your House and Senate members.
3. Meet staffers who cover transportation.
4. Speak to specific bills – support or oppose – and explain the impact on your business.
5. Build a relationship and follow up.
   

“Don’t waste your time shouting at the wind,” he said.  “Show up where decisions are made.”

Why This Series Matters
OOIDA is not just a logo – it’s hundreds of people grinding in meetings, drafting testimony, managing state fights, and walking the halls of Congress so drivers still have a future in this industry.  Doug Morris is one of them.

In the coming pieces, we’ll keep pulling the curtain back on the men and women inside OOIDA who spend their days fighting for drivers and owner-operators.

If you’re a driver or owner-operator, your voice matters.  Get informed, plug in, and stand with the folks who show up for you every day.

Will Cook | A Driver’s Perspective

[FightingForTruckers.Com]