Truckers protest heavy load
Truckers demanded mandatory fuel surcharges in a protest convoy along South Florida's freeways
Posted on Thu, Aug. 11, 2005
BY JANE BUSSEY AND LARRY LEBOWITZ
Hundreds of towering truck cabs streamed down South Florida's freeways on Wednesday in a protest convoy to demand mandatory fuel surcharges, snarling traffic and irritating travelers across the Miami metropolitan region in the process.
Trucker Marvin Palacios had grievances as broad as the wide-brimmed cowboy hat that topped his 6-foot-2-inch frame.
''Oil is becoming more expensive every day and the owners of the trucking companies don't want to pass fuel surcharge to the drivers,'' said Palacios. ``I have a family. The cost of living is going up and we aren't earning any more.''
The caravan, organized by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the International Longshoremen's Association, was staged to encourage Congress to pass a mandatory fuel surcharge law that would automatically pay truckers more as diesel prices rise.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12352600.htm