Truckers mull Idle Day

High diesel prices drive independent truckers to consider strike

By Dave Hannon -- Purchasing, 3/31/2008 2:03:00 PM

According to a variety of news outlets, independent truckers are considering staging an Idle Day this week, most likely Tuesday, where they refuse to deliver shipments in protest of continued high diesel and gasoline prices.

Diesel prices finally ticked down this week, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Average national on-highway diesel costs $3.96/gallon, down more than 2.5¢ from a week ago.

But $3.96 is still extremely high and independent owner-operators are fighting mad. Independent trucker Bob Kuzniar of Churubusco, Ind., told the Indianapolis Star that though there is no centrally organized effort, he has heard some truckers plan to call in sick to protest. He said there are plans for truckers across the nation to pull over and park for two to three hours starting midnight on Tuesday.

And the New York Times reports that about 250 drivers in Georgia plan to form a convoy Tuesday from Macon to Atlanta before turning off their trucks for at least three days, according to Sheila Walker, a log hauler who has organized several meetings for local drivers to plan the protest.

Norita Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, told Reuters that organization does not call for strikes and gave no estimate of how many of its members might participate. "We do not tell our members what to do. They inform us of what they are doing and we support their decisions either way," Taylor said.