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Truckers disrupt traffic to
protest fuel prices
Janet McGurty
Reuters
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
U.S. truckers caused minor traffic snags in parts
of the country on Tuesday to protest soaring costs for diesel,
according to members of a major trucking association and law enforcement
officials.
The mild disruptions from New Jersey to Chicago came in the midst
of a week-long effort by independent truckers to get federal help
easing the strain of high fuel prices through public protests
or work stoppages.
"Our fuel costs have doubled over the past five years and
the cost of doing business has doubled," said one Florida-based
driver. "Our industry is in ruins and the rest of the economy
is going into a huge tailspin."
(Article continues below)
On the New Jersey Turnpike, one of the most heavily traveled
highways in the United States, hundreds of people took part in
a protest at a service area and truckers reportedly were driving
at slow speeds to back up traffic.
"There are some localized minor disruptions. We have taken
enforcement actions which resulted in issuing summonses,"
said Lt. Gerald Lewis, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police.
Police also handed out tickets to a few truckers driving below
the legal minimum speed on a three-lane interstate near Chicago,
while other small protests were reported in several other states.
The protests, however, did not appear widespread. A spokesman
for the California Highway Patrol said there was no evidence of
any disruptions in the state, which has some of the nation's worst
highways and biggest ports.
In Florida, four dozen truckers gathered near the Port of Tampa
to rail against high fuel prices but no attempts to block traffic
were reported.
Full
article here.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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