News & Politics

The Trucker Convoy Will Return to Hagerstown on Tuesday

The Hagerstown Speedway says it expects 15 to 20 trucks.

Trucks on the Beltway. Photograph by Flickr user Stephen Melkisethian.

The “People’s Convoy” of truckers and fellow travelers said on its website Sunday evening that it is due to arrive at Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Tuesday. The racetrack is the site of the convoy’s staging area for the baffling and results-free demonstration it staged in the area earlier this year.

Reached by phone, a representative of the speedway said the track expects about “15 to 20” trucks for a “week or two” and that they weren’t sure whether any other vehicles would be joining them. The trucks will be parked out back in an old stone area that the rep said should be okay for truck parking despite the recent rains and didn’t expect the convoyers to affect “everyday business” at the speedway, which has events scheduled for May’s remaining weekends. An unrelated “Monster Truck Invasion” is scheduled for July.

The Hagerstown Speedway is about 80 miles from the National Mall. It’s not yet clear if Hagerstown will be the convoy’s only destination in the region. Some members of the group were reportedly frustrated by their great distance from the nation’s capital as well as poor weather toward the end of their stay last time.

One convoy leader gave a speech earlier this month to complain about how people in the DC area “laughed at us, you made fun of us” but said they were coming back regardless. Last night, a leader reportedly addressed the trend of people in cities the convoy visits tossing eggs at the group: “I happen to like eggs,” he said.

The menu for an event to welcome the convoy to Hagerstown does not appear to include eggs, but an organizer asks for donations of 300 hamburgers and 300 hot dogs, plus 400 plates and assorted salads, chips, and drinks.

Senior editor

Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.