President Trump sits down with truckers to talk health care, jobs - CNBC

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President Donald Trump sits in the drivers seat of a semi-truck as he welcomes truckers and CEOs to the White House in Washington, DC, March 23, 2017, to discuss healthcare.

Many prominent leaders of the trucking industry have said they stand behind Trump and his stance on removing current health-care mandates and empowering individuals and businesses to make their own decisions.

"Having a good, strong health-care platform is really important to us," Spear told CNBC. Further, he wants to see a health-care bill that "makes sense" and one that's easy to understand.

Spear said the industry has seen many negative impacts from Obamacare, such as one Wisconsin trucking company that currently averages monthly premiums of $2,300 and can no longer invest into its business.

Fleet growth has slowed, and there is a shortage of nearly 50,000 drivers in the sector today, industry data show.

Trump has said he intends to make the country more aware of truck drivers' challenges, health care being a top priority.

To be sure, a very small minority of U.S. voters, just 17 percent of them, support the Republican plan to repeal and replace key parts of Obamacare, while 56 percent of voters disapprove of the bill, a new poll shows.

Those attending Thursday's meeting at the White House included Mike Ducker, president and CEO of FedEx Freight'; David Congdon, CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line; and Rich McArdle, president of UPS Freight. A dozen truck drivers were also invited.

— CNBC's Dan Mangan contributed to this story.