DOT's Duffy earns high praise from American truckers for turning industry concerns into real policy wins

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's visit to the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, in late March drew overwhelmingly positive reactions from truckers and other industry professionals.

"Truckers are the BACKBONE of our great country," Duffy wrote in a post on social media. "I am so impressed by every one of them at the Mid-America Trucking Show! I promise to fight as hard as the truckers do to MAKE TRUCKING GREAT AGAIN."

'We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like the right people are finally listening.'

A press release from MATS following the completion of its event, which over 53,000 people attended, called Duffy's participation "a major highlight," noting that the secretary "met with industry leaders, exhibitors, and professional drivers to discuss the importance of trucking to the nation's economy, supply chain, and infrastructure."

"The visit underscored the federal government's recognition of trucking as a critical pillar of American commerce and mobility," MATS wrote.

Duffy delivered a speech at the event, promising to advocate for American truckers.

"You make up what is great about America. The work you do, makes our country great," he told attendees.

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Sean Duffy. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Industry professionals like Danielle Chaffin shared their video interviews with Duffy and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs, who spoke to truckers on the show floor.

"So you guys do pay attention to us?" Chaffin asked Duffy and Barrs.

"100%," Duffy responded.

"Even when I think we're doing great things, I get a little hard time from those on X. But I do appreciate the feedback, and we see it's a very loud voice — a vocal industry. And I think that's fair because, if you've been forgotten, you felt like you're screaming into the storm. Well, you're not screaming into the storm anymore because we're actually listening, and you see the work that we're doing."

"We are watching because that's some of the ways that we can actually make some of the changes that we're making is because of X and people on social media," Barrs told Chaffin.

“This industry has spent years shouting into a void. Finally, years later, our voices and concerns are being heard,” Chaffin told Blaze News. “Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs stood in a room full of truckers and treated them as the experts they are. They spoke with genuine concern and care for the people who actually move this country. They made it very clear they are paying attention to the operators, the owners, and those of us who have been sounding the alarm on X.”

“We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like the right people are finally listening,” Chaffin continued. “Not only are they listening, but they are taking action. We are making progress to save the American trucking industry!”

Charles Gracey, who hosts SiriusXM's "Trucking Sense" and FreightWaves' "Brake Check," gave Duffy and Barrs high praise for their attendance at MATS.

"When an administration is truly paying attention to the people it represents, there will be signs," Gracey wrote. "One of those signs is showing up where those people actually are, and that is exactly what U.S. @USDOT @SecDuffy and @FMCSA @BarrsDerek did at the Mid-America @truckingshow in #Louisville."

"What makes it even more powerful is that they did not just show up for optics. They showed up, they engaged, and they took time to hear our thoughts about the industry we know and love, and the very same industry they say they are working to protect for us and for the future of trucking," Gracey added.

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Sean Duffy. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Duffy and Barrs were joined at MATS by Dalilah Coleman, a young girl who sustained critical and life-altering injuries as a result of a 2024 car wreck involving an illegal alien truck driver.

Dalilah's Law, a bill named after Coleman, was introduced in the Senate in February. If passed, it would prohibit states from issuing commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens, allowing them to be issued only to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and holders of specific work visas. Additionally, the bill mandates the revocation of existing CDLs held by individuals who do not meet these eligibility criteria.

"Proud to see Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy standing in the gap for Dalilah at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY," the American Truckers United wrote. "Stand with Secretary Duffy. Stand with Dalilah. Pass Dalilah's Law!"

Justin Martin, a trucking industry professional who goes by SuperTrucker on X, called on government leaders to attend MATS more frequently.

"DOT/FMCSA leadership should be at MATS every year to hear from drivers in the industry directly. Thanks for coming out this year," Martin wrote.

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