MARION/EFFINGHAM, Ill. - If you're going to be traveling north out of or through Marion in Williamson County, Illinois, on Saturday, January 26, you might want to consider Route 37 as an alternative to ordinarily faster-moving Interstate 57.
That'd be because truckers are going to be staging a protest on 57 tomorrow, in opposition to ever-increasing regulations that are choking the life out of the industry.
Truckers from around the region, calling themselves "Black Smoke Matters," are meeting at the Marion Pilot truck stop at 10 a.m. tomorrow, and at 11 a.m., they'll be rolling out - slowly - to I-57 and will travel all the way up to Effingham as evidence of the protest. You can read about it at their Facebook page; click the hotlink (it's a group, so you'll have to join, but they really have a HUGE membership.)
Authorities are warning the public to avoid northbound Interstate 57 to the best of their abilities during this time tomorrow morning. The group will be traveling only in the right lane, but still...give them a break to make their point. Regulations are getting oppressive, and driverless trucks are insane...and that's what the industry is facing. Give em their time to call attention to the cause...and support them. We as a country can't really do without em.