Shippers are avoiding the Port of Oakland as trucker protests over gig worker law stop flow of trade

The trucker protests at the Port of Oakland have stopped the flow of trade for at least two days and some vessels are now either pulling up anchor to go to another port or skipping the port. In an effort to restore production, the port has established “Free Speech Zones” which were described in an open letter to the trucking community last night.

Truckers have been protesting since Monday against the California gig labor law. That law classifies workers as employees rather than independent contractors. Truckers who are classified as independent owner and operators were protected from the law during a two-year legal stay, but after the Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, that protection was lifted.

“Strikers say the bill’s classification requirements are unreasonable and will negatively impact around 70,000 truckers, accounting for two-thirds of port truckers in California,” explained Everstream Analytics to clients.