Posted on 04/01/2008 11:12:34 AM PDT by Xenalyte
TRENTON, N.J. - Independent truckers around the country pulled their rigs off the road and others slowed to a crawl on major highways in a loosely organized protest of high fuel prices.
Some truckers, on CB radios and trucking Web sites, had called for a strike Tuesday to protest the high cost of diesel fuel, saying the action might pressure President Bush to stabilize prices by using the nation's oil reserves. But the protests were scattered because major trucking companies were not on board and there did not appear to be any central coordination.
On New Jersey's Turnpike, southbound rigs "as far as the eye can see" were moving at about 20 mph near Newark, said Turnpike Authority spokesman Joe Orlando. Other truckers had gathered at a service area near Newark chanting and protesting.
Outside Chicago, three truck drivers were ticketed for impeding traffic on Interstate 55, driving three abreast at low speeds, said Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Luis Gutierrez.
Near Florida's Port of Tampa, more than 50 tractor-trailer rigs sat idle as their drivers demanded that contractors pay them more to cover their fuel and other costs.
"We can no longer haul their stuff for what they're paying," said David Santiago, 35, a trucker for the past 17 years.
Santiago, like many of the more than 50 truckers gathered on a side street near the Port of Tampa, said he can't support his family on what he makes. "If it wasn't for my wife, we would have been bankrupt already," he said.
"The oil company is the boss, what are we going to be able to do about it?" said Charles Rotenbarger, 49, a trucker from Columbus, Ohio, who was at a truck stop at Baldwin, Fla., about 20 miles west of Jacksonville. "The whole world economy is going to be controlled by the oil companies. There's nothing we can do about it."
Jimmy Lowry, 51, of St. Petersburg, Fla., and others said it costs about $1 a mile to drive one of the big rigs, although some companies are offering as little as 87 cents a mile. Diesel cost $4.03 a gallon at the Jacksonville-area truck stop.
Teamsters union officials said they had nothing to do with any kind of protests. An independent truck drivers group, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said it also was not organizing anything. Federal law prohibits the association from calling for a strike because it is a trade association.
In Washington, meanwhile, top executives of the five biggest U.S. oil companies said Tuesday they know high fuel prices are hurting consumers but deflected any blame and argued their profits — $123 billion last year — were in line with other industries.
Rather than joining the protests, some truckers were forced to sit idle because of shippers' fears of a possible strike.
In western Michigan, independent trucker William Gentry had been scheduled to pick up a load and take it to Boston, but his dispatcher told him there was a change of plans.
"She told me that her shipper was shutting down," fearing that someone would sabotage deliveries if their drivers worked during the protest, Gentry said at the Tulip City Truck Stop outside Holland, Mich.
He and Bob Sizemore, 55, a 30-year veteran trucker, decided to return to their homes in Ohio, 280-mile trips that would cost each one about $200 of their own money for fuel alone.
"We can't ride around here looking for freight," said Gentry, 47, a driver for 23 years.
If something isn't done about fuel prices, the cost of consumer goods will shoot up, Gentry said. "People aren't seeing that the more we pay, the more they're going to pay," he said.
If they want to strike, more power to them.
If they start blocking traffic, give them some hefty tickets.
If someone dies in an Ambulance trying to get to a hospital, bring manslaughter charges on them.
It’s time to start drilling.
It's misleading to say that the truckers are protesting high fuel prices. It's not like the truckers expect OPEC to take a more reasonable stance. The truckers are unhappy with the stance taken by the contractors. That's the problem.
It looks like freight by rail should soon be making a BIG comeback!
How many Congersscritters have ever been or will ever be a trucker? most of them are just what rhymes with truckers.
Exactly. Those idiots need to understand that, in Chicago at least, they just pissed-off a lot of people going to work. I would’ve passed on the shoulder myself, but I would’ve flipped the bird while doing so. Life is tough guys and girls, and I’m truly sorry you have been hit more than I by rising gas prices. Making me mad is not the way to get more sympathy.
We can thank liberals and spineless republocants for this.
If it weren’t for truckers, our economy would come to a grinding halt (pun intended).
They need to unify and demand that we start drilling and refining our own oil. Then, we won’t be held hostage to the cartels.
But of course, the Teamsters back the demonrats, who are totally against energy independence due to the unholy alliance with the environmentalists.
Viva Truck Drivers!
It’s $10.50 a gallon in England, I wonder how they handle shipping...
The airline industry absorbs transient fuel prices but their industry has sufficient cash flow to give them a little flexibility. Small independent truckers don't have this luxury. The nation needs the small independent trucker and the shipping industry needs to be flexible enough to allow the fuel cost of shipping to float.
I’m surprised that they are doing this. The last trucker’s strike in the 70’s wasn’t all that sucessful. From what I remember a lot of places then stopped using independants and only would use larger firms and railroads started beign used more so thay only needed local trucking.
It’s misleading to say that the truckers are protesting high fuel prices. It’s not like the truckers expect OPEC to take a more reasonable stance. The truckers are unhappy with the stance taken by the contractors. That’s the problem.
My son contracted for companies in the past that will do everything in their power to save a buck including not paying the trucker for 60-90 days on a 30 day pay schedule. You can sue but then you don’t work. Trust me for all the insurance and gov. regulations that have to be met, truckers work hard for their money!
Apparently it’s not a very well-known strike. The major news radio station in Los Angeles went to a major truck stop and started interviewing the truckers this morning regarding the strike. They couldn’t find any that knew about it. Those who went on the radio said they wouldn’t participate anyway—they needed their pay.
I appreciate these truckers right to strike and protest, but they should be screaming loud and long for the US to open up ANWAR and offshore to drilling
Freight transportation in the U.S. is one area where REAL inflation (not the "monetary inflation" we are dealing with now) will soon become a reality.
It looks like freight by rail should soon be making a BIG comeback!”
There are thousands of locations in this country no longer served by rail or never served by rail.
Everything gets to the railroad by truck, and then gets off the rails onto a truck for final delivery.
You cannot ask a person to work for nothing or to go into the hole. The USA truckers are fighting Mexican and Eastern Asian drivers who will work for any price, but who knows how long they can do that. Makes one wonder how many tax returns these cheaper truckers are filing.
Teamsters have supported developing ANWR.
They just don’t support candidates that do.
Almost everything. Not many semi-trucks loading and unloading coal for power plants.
It's self-organized by owner-operators. Primarily east of the Mississippi. That would explain that.
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