Truck drivers protest unsafe conditions at Port of Seattle

Hundreds of short-haul truck drivers spent Saturday protesting the unsafe working conditions at the Port of Seattle. The meeting was held at the Teamsters Union Hall in Tukwila, where truck drivers were hoping to get help and to see change.

The short-haul truck drivers are responsible for taking containers from the ports to the rail yard or placing them within 10 miles.

The issue drivers were having was that there is no way of knowing the weight of each container they are hauling. Some drivers told KIRO 7 that some of the containers they are moving are often overweight. 

Drivers at the meeting were contractors and they said if they get stopped by state patrol for the heavy load, they have to pay a fine and not getting paid enough.

Two weeks prior to the meeting, hundreds of the drivers walked off the job and one traveled to Olympia to testify. That driver was suspended for one week by the trucking company after returning to work.

On Saturday afternoon in Olympia, lawmakers voted on some of the legislation, and one of the house bills the drivers were fighting for passed. 

The bill will make the drivers employees instead of contractors and allow them to have benefits and forcing accountability for the trucking companies.