Truckers Protest High Diesel Prices

Small groups of truckers across the U.S. shut down their rigs on April 1, in an effort to protest the skyrocketing price of diesel, Today’s Trucking reports.

According to the Lancaster (Pa.) Intelligencer Journal, hundreds of truckers circled the state Capitol in Harrisburg, blaring their horns in protest and calling on Gov. Ed Rendell to eliminate Pennsylvania's diesel-fuel tax of 38.1 cents per gallon - the highest in the nation.

On the New Jersey Turnpike, about 200 people took part in a protest at a service area in the northern part of the state, while truckers reportedly were driving at slow speeds and disrupting traffic.

By midday, the Bradenton Herald reported that about 70 big rigs lined up in a protest outside the Port of Tampa; and in Georgia, about 30 trucks convoyed to the state capital with a plan to call on policymakers to cut the state's fuel tax.

Police were handing out tickets to truckers accused of impeding traffic near Chicago.

Some truckers put signs on their rigs saying "$4 diesel = higher food costs. Can you afford to eat?" while driving slowly enough to attract attention.