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Nov 15, 2016

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * Russia - Tolls to be doubles in 2017

* Moscow - Truckers are resuming a rare display of mass discontentment in Russia
--- Long-distance truck drivers across Russia have begun a new series of protests against a national highway toll system that was implemented last year... The drivers, who snarled traffic across the country last winter, began protesting in numerous cities on November 11 to mark the first anniversary of the implementation of the tolls... The fees are set to be doubled in February 2017 after a compromise reached by protesters and the government in January expires. Under the system, the revenues raised -- estimated at $700 million per year -- are supposed to be used for infrastructure maintenance and development... According to protest organizers, demonstrations were held in at least a dozen cities across Russia, with drivers crowding major thoroughfares by driving at slow speeds in all lanes and then assembling for rallies... In the Moscow suburb of Khimki, police broke up the rally before it got under way and detained about 15 activists, as well as several journalists... Surkhai Alimirzayev, who owns a trucking company in the North Caucasus republic of Daghestan, told RFE/RL that the tolls have crippled his business and that of many other drivers... "Many people are trying to sell their trucks," he said. "I have also sold half of my vehicles and plan to sell another five in the near future. Fuel is expensive. Spare parts are expensive. And the roads haven't gotten any better...
 (Photo from Reuters, by Maxim Shemetov - Drivers stand in front of their trucks, as they take part in a protest against a new fee, at a parking lot in the Moscow region, Russia, December 8, 2015. As of last month, the state has started charging a fee for every kilometre that trucks over 12 tonnes in weight drive over Russian roads)  --  Moscow, Russia - By Robert Coalson, Radio Free Europe/ Business Insider - Nov. 11, 2016

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Feb 18, 2016

TRUCKERS' PROTESTS * Russia: Legislation aimed at thwarting protests by long-haul truckers

* Moscow: Lawmakers tentatively back legislation aimed at trucker protests

-- Russian lawmakers have tentatively backed new legislation aimed at thwarting protests by long-haul truckers, whose highly public demonstrations last year tied up Moscow's already notorious traffic. The protests in December, targeting a new national highway toll system, worried the Kremlin, fearing the country's ongoing economic woes would result in an uptick in antigovernment sentiments among working-class voters. The truckers were angry about the increased costs for using the national toll system, called Platon, and about the fact that a close friend of Putin's controls the toll's payment system. But truck protesters charged that the revenues from the system, predicted at $700 million annually, would merely line the pockets of Kremlin insiders. Dmitry Gudkov, one of the only opposition lawmakers in the Duma, suggested the amendments were aimed at preventing a scenario similar to what happened in Ukraine, when months of government protests culminated in violent clashes and the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014. In a posting on Facebook, Gudkov also criticized the amendments as poorly worded, saying that classifying "road rallies" as political protests could also then apply to wedding convoys -- when newlyweds and their wedding parties drive around in celebration -- or even funeral processions. The measure was the latest in a series pushed by the Kremlin to restrict public displays of antigovernment sentiment... 
(Photo: Truckers have been angry about the increased costs for using the national road-toll system) -- Moscow, Russia - RFE/RL and Mike Ecke - February 16, 2016

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Jul 19, 2013

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * Phillipines

* Philippines - Truckers protest in front of DPWH

(Photo by Noel Alamar, dzMM - Trucks occupying a portion of Bonifacio Drive) 
Manila,Philippines -ABS/CBNnews.com -18 July 2013: -- At least 50 trucks are causing heavy traffic in Manila's Port Area as members of a truckers' association hold their protest in front of the head office of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)... The protest is causing heavy traffic in the area, police said. The drivers continue to occupy both lanes of the avenue and were just driving around the streets surrounding the DPWH office... The truckers are protesting the DPWH load limit imposed last month on cargo trucks... The truckers continued with their protest even if the DPWH already lifted the suspension. This is because the exemption is only meant for cargo trucks carrying farm products and cement...


* India - Manipur bound trucks stranded in Nagaland

(Photo: A Manipuri truck driver speaks to a news cameraman) 
Kohima,Nagaland and Manipur, India -The Hindu, by IBOYAIMA LAITHANGBAM -18 July 2013: -- Citing security reasons, truck drivers, who are stranded near Kohima due to a landslip, refused to take the Jessami-Ukhrul detour to reach Imphal... Drivers of Manipur bound trucks and buses have refused to take the detour as there will be no armed escorts. A few hundreds of vehicles have been stranded near Kohima, capital of Nagaland due a landslip along Highway 2 on July 13... The drivers who had been asked to proceed towards Jessami told The Hindu that militants are ruling the roost along this mountain road. There had been frequent reports of abductions of drivers, torching of trucks and other forms of harassments in the region. Trucks, inter-State buses and private vehicles ply along the two Highways 2 and 37, the lifelines of Manipur only when there are armed security guards... Border Roads Task Force officials said that the landslip cannot be repaired. Instead another bypass has to be constructed by cutting the nearby mountains. Officials added that the legal process for land acquisition and compensation and construction works shall take months to complete... Meanwhile prices of consumer items in Manipur have increased since most of essentials had vanished from the market. Fuel and consumer items cannot be brought via Highway 37 because of the poor condition of the 222-km long road...

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Mar 13, 2012

HAULIERS PROTEST * UK

* UK - Hauliers call on MPs to cut fuel duty

(Photo: Hauliers took their fuel-price protest)
London,EN,UK -Commercial Vehicle, by Christopher Walton -12 March 2012: -- More than 300 hauliers have called on the government to take swift action to cut fuel duty, stimulate the economy and save haulage businesses... Led by campaign group FairFuelUK (FFUK), with support from the FTA and RHA, hauliers entered the House of Commons en masse last Wednesday to vent their frustrations to MPs at the crippling costs record fuel prices are having on their businesses... One owner-operator told that she was considering closing the business unless MPs cut fuel duty... FFUK handed in a report by the Centre for Economic and Business Research that shows an immediate 2ppl cut in fuel duty would create 180,000 jobs and provide a 0.33% GDP boost at no additional cost to the Treasury...

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Oct 26, 2010

DRIVERS' PROTEST * Belgium - Conference disrupted by truckers

The conference was ignoring the dignity of drivers, they said

Brussels,Belgium -Road Transport, by Andy Salter -25 October 2010: -- The Safe and Secure Truck Parking conference, held in Brussels today (25 October), got off to a rowdy start as representatives of the Belgian truck drivers union stormed the stage to make their feelings on the subject known...   The conference was ignoring the dignity of drivers, they said, and the union took the opportunity to present a five-point charter on truck parks covering costs, sanitation, availability, European co-operation and security...   In August a truck driver lost his life in Belgium when his truck ploughed into a line of vehicles overnighting on the hard shoulder of the A15 motorway near Heppignies and the protestors were anxious to ensure such an incident never happened again...   Under the proposed 'LABEL' scheme, truck parks are assessed for security and service and awarded points on both counts. The project is now being passed over to "industry" to take it forward and the International Road Transport Union has picked up the baton with a view to creating an online service showing the Europe-wide network of truck parking areas via its TRANSpark initiative - a directory of truck parks... (Image from cdn.radionetherlands.nl: Netherlands gets first secure lorry parking area)

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Apr 29, 2010

PROTEST * The Netherlands - Truck convoy leaves The Hague in Europe



The Hague,The Netherlands -Expatica -24 April 2010: -- Eleven heavy trucks pulled out of The Hague Monday in a slow convoy to Brussels to protest rules that allow self-employed drivers to work more hours than their salaried counterparts... The trucks, from different European Union countries, will first drive through Germany, Luxembourg and France before reaching Belgium, Jan de Jong, spokesman for Dutch labour federation FNV, told AFP... The vehicles were painted in the colours of their countries of origin: Austria, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands... A European directive that entered into force in March 2005 limits the number of hours a salaried driver is allowed to work per week to 48, but exempts self-employed drivers... A European Parliament committee discussing whether to extend the application to independent workers is set to vote on a set of proposals on Wednesday... EU figures from 2008 showed that 31 percent of European truck drivers were independent operators... (Video from YouTube, by alpendampfer1 —16 May 2009 — Trucking in Europe - short impressions of the trip from Italy to Spain ! - This is my first video attempt ! Enjoy and thanks for watching and voting !)

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Jun 4, 2009

STRIKES & PROTESTS & BLOCKADES WORLDWIDE

* South Korea - Petchems unfazed by possible truck drivers’ strike

Seoul, S. Korea -ICIS news (Singapore), by Bohan Loh & Chow Bee Lin -4 June 2009: -- South Korea’s petrochemical producers are generally unfazed by the prospects of a possible truck drivers’ strike next week as they believe it will be short-lived, industry sources said on Thursday... The Korean Transportation Industrial Labour Union said on its website that it had called for a general strike on 11 June to demand for higher wages. A similar strike last year had disrupted exports to China forcing some producers to cut operating rates... Last year’s labour strike started on 12 June and ended approximately eight days later after companies agreed to a 13% hike in transportation fee... Kim Jae, investment analyst with brokerage house Woori Investments and Securities, also noted the growing influence of the labour unions especially in the current economic downturn when companies were taking steps to tackle declining sale volumes and rising costs... A Truck drivers’ strike last year caused massive transportation issues, forcing many petrochemical plants in Yeosu to cut production as they faced mounting inventories amid the disruption in transportation... Polyolefin exports to the nation’s largest trade partner, China, were also disrupted during last year’s strike...


* Thailand - Farmers threaten to besiege Bangkok with farm trucks next week

Bangkok,Thailand -The Nation -3 June 2009: -- The Thai Farmers Association Wednesday threatened to deploy farm trucks or e-tan trucks to besiege major roads linking Bangkok to other regions... Wichian Puanglamchiak, vice president of the association, said the besieging would stage to pressure the government to continue the rice pledging scheme... The government has planned to use price guarantee instead of the pledging scheme... Wichian said representatives of the association's members from 40 provinces will drive their farm trucks to Bangkok... They would block the Asia Highway from the North, the Phaholyothin from the Northeast, Sukhumvit Road and Motorway from the East and Phetkasem Road from the South and West...

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Jul 23, 2008

TRUCKERS' PROTESTS * WORLDWIDE

* Australia - Slow truck convoy may occur again

Sydney,Australia -AAP/The Sydney Morning Herald -23 July 2008: -- Truck drivers involved in a "go slow" convoy into Sydney to protest against high fuel prices say they may hold similar actions in the future... Up to 150 heavy vehicles joined the convoy which started at 6am (AEST) in the Southern Highlands and set a steady pace of 60km/h along the Hume Highway to Casula, where the vehicles dispersed about 9am (AEST)... Transport Workers Union (TWU) spokesman Joshua McInto said, the convoy's main aim was to attract attention to the impact of rising fuel costs on truck drivers... The union says drivers are having to absorb the price spikes along with the cost of maintaining their vehicles... Retailers increasing the cost of their goods blame the rising price of fuel, but those increases are not being passed on to drivers, it says... Police accompanied the convoy, which used the highway's left lane and caused minimal traffic disruptions...


* Australia - TWU: Woolworths and Coles can help save truckies

Owner drivers and employees protested outside a Woolworths supermarket, claiming the retailers should pass down the revenues they gained from the lifted costs of goods

Sydney,Australia -Transport Logistics News -22 July 2008: -- Truck drivers are calling for a cost recovery system to help sustain the trucking industry amid soaring fuel prices, as their protest against major retailers continues... “The major retailers like Coles and Woolworths increase the costs of goods for every member of the public and use the rising fuel costs as an excuse, yet this money isn’t passed down the transport chain to the drivers,” said the Transport Workers Union (TWU) secretary Tony Sheldon... Mr Sheldon said the industry would continue to fight for national legislation that permits a system of safe enforceable rates and cost recovery from the major retailers to support the already crippled sector...


* USA - Labor rally at Port of Oakland

Oakland,CAL,USA -The Bay City News/ABC7 -July 22, 2008: -- Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke briefly at a labor rally today aimed at pressuring the Port of Oakland to require that trucking companies hire drivers as employees instead of just using them as independent contractors... Speaking to about 300 cheering truck drivers, union members, public health advocates and environmentalists... Dellums said the current system in which truck drivers who work at the Port of Oakland work as contractors and only get small hourly wages and no benefits is "a false wage perpetuation of poverty and pollution"... Public health advocates say the diesel-spewing rigs used by truckers who can't afford to upgrade to cleaner trucks pollute the air in neighborhoods near ports, such as the West Oakland community... Dellums praised Los Angeles for being the first city in the state to have a "clean truck program" and said he hopes Oakland will be the second city to have such a program... The program in Los Angeles has three elements: incentives and fees for clean trucks, a requirement that trucks operating at its port be owned by companies, not by individual drivers, and creating community-friendly provisions for areas near the port... (Photo KGO: About 300 people gathered to protest trucking companies' hiring practices)

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Jul 19, 2008

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * Iran - More than 300 truck drivers blocked Tehran-Jajroud Highway

More than 300 truck drivers protesting to the police corruption by demanding kickbacks from them blocked Tehran-Jajroud highway

Tehran,Iran -NCRI -19 July 2008: -- ... Truckers blocked Tehran-Jajroud highway in protest to police corruptions. The participating drivers explained to vehicles stopping that the police was allowed only to intervene when a crime was in the making or to issue tickets for traffic violations... However, they [police] stop us on the road and demand bribes for something they made up as traffic violations... The demonstration by the truckers lasted until 3 a.m. on Friday... In recent months with prices of all goods sky rocking in the country, and corrupt managements, citizens of various professions go on strike...

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Jul 5, 2008

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * New Zealand - About 4,400 trucks protest across the country

About 4,400 trucks took part in a stand-off on Friday which slowed down much of New Zealand and blockaded 13 cities and towns around the country in a protest against road-user charges

Auckland,New Zealand -TVNZ One News -Jul 4, 2008: -- ... Police praised motorists for their co-operation during the peak-time protests... Road Transport Forum Chief Executive Officer Tony Friedlander says to have nearly 20% of New Zealand's commercial transport fleet on the road in support of the forum's position is a stunning result... Convoys of trucks drove into town and city centres to demonstrate their anger at the way the government's higher Road User Charges were brought in. Transport operators say the government raised the charges without warning after promising to give them notice... Transit New Zealand urged motorists in the main city centres to try and avoid the morning rush hour or if they must travel, allow extra time for their journeys. And it seemed many heeded the call with morning commuter traffic peaking earlier than usual... Transit worked closely with police and local councils but there were still lengthy delays for motorists... (See Video)


* Cullen: Politics behind truck protest

Auckland,New Zealand -Stuff.co.nz/Manawatu Standard, by MICHAEL CUMMINGS -5 July 2008: -- Finance Minister Michael Cullen has accused Road Transport Forum chief executive Tony Friedlander, a former National cabinet minister, of organising yesterday's truck protest for political motives... Speaking in Palmerston North just hours after thousands of trucks clogged roads in main centres around the country, Dr Cullen accepted there may have been a misunderstanding between the Transport Ministry and the trucking industry over whether notice would be given before road user charges (RUC) were increased...

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Jul 3, 2008

Fuel Protest * UK - Haulage firms threaten wildcat action over tax

A section of the A40 in west London was turned into a car park by hauliers - London go-slow may be repeated on motorways

London,UK -The Guardian, by Dan Milmo, Jo Adetunji & Lucy Taylor -July 3, 2008 : -- The government faces the prospect of wildcat action by lorry drivers if fuel taxes remain at current levels, hauliers warned... Hundreds of truck owners travelled to the capital to demand the postponement of a planned 2p increase in fuel duty in October. A section of the A40 in west London was turned into a car park by hauliers for the second time this year while police motorcyclists led groups of lorries through central London... The Road Haulage Association said wildcat protests, including go-slows on Britain's busiest motorways, were possible if the government did not reduce or freeze the tax burden on motorists... Every 1p increase in the price of fuel adds £600 a year to the cost of driving a heavy goods vehicle, according to the RHA, and a 5p increase in the cost of diesel in recent weeks has already added £3,000 to a trucker's annual fuel bill...

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Jul 2, 2008

TRUCKERS' STRIKES, PROTESTS & CONVOYS, WORLDWIDE

* UK - British Truckers Protest in London on Fuel Prices


London,UK -Bloomberg, by Brian Lysaght & Camilla Hall -July 2, 2008: -- Hundreds of U.K. truckers converged on London demanding lower diesel fuel prices in a demonstration that tied up traffic in the city center... Trucks from across the country gathered on the eastbound lanes of the A40 Westway...Four hundred trucks joined the protest, which ended at 4 p.m. local time, the Road Haulage Association said... The rising price of crude oil has spurred protests across Europe. Oil touched a record of $143.67 a barrel on June 30 and has doubled in the last year. British truckers want a cut of 25 pence in the tax on diesel, arguing it would allow them to compete with continental European companies, which pay less tax... Fuel prices in Britain are among the highest in Europe. A liter of diesel costs about 1.30 pounds (U$S 2.60) in London -- equivalent to $9.85 a U.S. gallon. More than half of the price reflects taxes, with 39 percent levied in fuel duty and 17.5 percent charged as value-added tax... Chancellor Alistair Darling deferred a planned increase in fuel duty in April and is considering doing so again in October, the Treasury said in an e-mailed statement... The RHA has urged the government to freeze fuel duty as prices rise and to scrap plans for an increase in the levy... (Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg News -1: A truck carrying a protest banner drives in front on the Houses of Parliament during the fuel demonstrations,in London, on July 2, 2008 / 2: Truck drivers wait by their vehicles on the A40 Westway at the start of the fuel protest in London, on July 2, 2008)


* India - Truck operators launch indefinite strike; fuel supply on

New Delhi,India -PTI/Press Trust of India -July 2, 2008: -- Truckers today stopped ferrying goods, barring fuel and other essential commodities, as part a nationwide strike to protest the levy of toll tax and high duty on diesel among other issues... Talks to end the strike, which began early today, collapsed after Highways and Road Transport Minister T R Baalu said it was not possible to roll back a hike in toll tax... "We will continue with the indefinite strike," All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) President Charan Singh Lohara told reporters after the meeting with the minister... Baalu, however, said that his ministry has talked to the Petroleum Ministry on the truckers' demand for levying fixed duty on per litre of diesel instead of the prevailing ad-valorem duty and that a clarification was expected soon... Separately, the Finance Ministry said it was open to offering concessions on service tax, another issue on which the strike action was called by transporters...


* USA - Drivers’ Strike Stalls New York City Construction

New York,NY,USA -The New York Times, by STEVEN GREENHOUSE -July 2, 2008: -- Most of New York City’s largest construction projects ground to a halt or near-halt on Tuesday because of an unanticipated strike by more than 400 cement-truck drivers... The concrete companies hit by the strike predicted that the walkout would last at least through Monday and perhaps considerably longer, putting thousands of construction workers temporarily out of work... Carolyn Daly, a spokeswoman for the striking union, Local 282 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said the main issues were wages and working conditions. She said the union expected the strike to last only a few days, adding, “The posture is positive; it’s not angry”... (Photo by Rob Bennett/The New York Times - At the Jenna Concrete Corporation in the Bronx, cement trucks sat idle on Tuesday)


* New Zealand - Truckies plan protest over road user charges

Trucking companies, furious at surprise new road user charges introduced by the Government this week, plan a nation-wide protest designed to disrupt commuters heading to work on Friday

New Zealand -Stuff.co.nz -2 July 2008: -- ... Truck drivers will bring their vehicles into city centres throughout the country between 7.30am and 9am on Friday in what trucking representatives say is the first national protest taken by the industry... Transport Minister Annette King announced the increase in road user charges (RUC) on Monday, and they came into effect yesterday... Diesel vehicles and all other vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes are affected... Road Transport Forum chief executive officer Tony Friedlander said the organisation's members were outraged... Further protest action could be taken, he said... For a larger vehicles, such as a three tonne SUV, it will cost an extra $49.20 per 10,000km... A typical five tonne truck will pay an additional $53.80 per 10,000km, while a 23 tonne four-axle truck can expect to pay an additional $198... (Photo by Lionel Cironneau/AP: French truck drivers at Nice, southern France, Monday, June 30, 2008, as they protest against rising fuel costs. France takes over the presidency of the 27-nation European Union on Tuesday as the EU facing slowing growth, rising inflation and soaring fuel prices)


* France - Truckers protest high fuel prices

Paris,France -AP -July 1, 2008: -- Truck drivers protesting soaring fuel prices have slowed highway traffic outside Paris and other French cities... Labor union officials say 40 protests nationwide are designed to win reductions in gasoline taxes and other government measures to offset rising world fuel prices... France's traffic information center says truckers who were driving at a snail's pace brought highway traffic to a near-standstill on highways around the French capital... Protesters also blockaded highways in the southeastern Rhone-Alpes region and in other parts of eastern France... The protests Monday were a continuation of weeks of protests over high fuel prices... (Photo by Lionel Cironneau/AP - French truck drivers demonstrate close to the airport of Nice, southern France, Monday, June 30, 2008, as they protest against rising fuel costs. France takes over the presidency of the 27-nation European Union on Tuesday as the EU facing slowing growth, rising inflation and soaring fuel prices)


* Australia - Petrol protest causes F3 chaos

Sydney,Australia -The Sydney Morning Herald, by Josephine Tovey & Arjun Ramachandran -July 1, 2008: -- Traffic delays on the F3 are easing as a protest involving a convoy of hundreds of trucks begins to disperse in Wahroonga... Motorists travelling from the Central Coast experienced significant delays and heavy traffic this morning after hundreds of truck drivers protesting against rising petrol costs took over two lanes of the freeway between the Caltex service station at Warnervale and Wahroonga... About 100 trucks were originally involved in the go-slow on the F3 freeway this morning, as they drove towards Sydney at speeds of between 60kmh and 80kmh, but up to 300 more joined in, according to a spokesman from the Transport Workers Union (TWU). The protest was about soaring fuel prices, the TWU said... "Drivers are currently having to absorb the spikes in fuel prices," NSW TWU secretary Tony Sheldon said... (Photo by Lisa Wiltse - Go slow ... a convoy of trucks held up traffic this morning)

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Jun 27, 2008

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * Australia - Truck Drivers Protest Fuel Prices

Mathaba,Australia -Mathaba.Net -25 June 2008: -- Australia's National Secretary of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), Tony Sheldon, addressing the media outside New Parliament House in Canberra, said that tens of thousands of truckers and small businesses face collapse due to the rising fuel prices... This affects safety on the road and the lack of government help means workers will have to work longer and harder. 228 lives, 4 times the national average, should not have been lost due to deaths in the past year due to the pressures of rising fuel costs, he pointed out, and criticised the lack of "cost recovery" action by the Australian regime... The TWU National Secretary told that "in the trucking industry if you don't get cost recovery it means drivers work longer, harder in what is already an extremely dangerous industry, or leave the industry in droves"... Now more than ever we need cost recovery, safe rates for employees, and owner drivers to make sure those businesses continue, and be able to operate in what is a highly competitive industry.. The truckers staged a blockade of the road outside Australia's federal parliament as a photo shoot opportunity for the media... (Photo: Tony Sheldon, National Secretary of Australia's Transport Workers Union with truck drivers and their families outside Parliament House in Canberra yesterday)


* ATA won't support trucking shut down

Australia -Farm On Line - 27 June 2008: -- The Australian Trucking Association does not support the trucking industry shutdowns that some people are proposing for the two weeks from 28 July 2008.
ATA chairman, Trevor Martyn, said he understood the hardships that many in the industry were going through, but warned that shutdowns were not the answer... "But going on strike and standing around truck stops for two weeks isn’t the answer... Instead of going on strike, I urge every owner-driver and trucking operator to think through how their business can deal with the rising price of fuel."... Mr Martyn said truckies need to: ... "Some companies will need to increase their freight rates by more than 20 per cent; and most importantly, refuse to accept jobs that do not pay enough to cover their costs."...

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Jun 24, 2008

TRUCKER4S' PROTEST * Taiwan - Highway freight rates poised to go up soon

The government will let highway freight companies increase transport service charges but turned down trucking firms' requests for subsidies in fuel costs and the exemption of license plate and fuel taxes

Taipei, Taiwan -The China National Post/CNA -24 June 2008: -- ... After more than 100 truck drivers staged a protest at Loudong Park in northeastern Yilan County on Sunday, a group of drivers took dozens of trucks and trailers to the Legislative Yuan yesterday to press their case... They complained that fuel used to account for 15 percent of their total operating cost but the percentage has soared to between 50 and 60 percent following the skyrocketing oil prices... It is unfair for them to receive no subsidies for fuel costs from the government, unlike other mass transport firms, they said... In addition to seeking subsidies for fuel costs, they demanded license plate tax and fuel tax exemptions to alleviate their financial burden... In order to stay in business, three highway freight associations had submitted a plan to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to raise freight charges by an average of 8.8 percent... (Photo: A group of truck and trailer drivers hold a protest outside the Legislative Yuan with banners calling for “fair treatment” from the government. They demanded a hike in freight rates yesterday. They also asked the government to give subsidies for their fuel costs as given to other public transport companies)

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Jun 22, 2008

Truckers Protests * Thailand - Govt agrees to provide diesel subsidy and loans

Truck operators called off their planned protest to bring convoys of trucks to Bangkok after the Transport Ministry gave in to their demand for subsidised diesel prices and low-interest loans

Bangkopk,Thailand -The Bangkok Post/Thailand Crisis -22 June 2008: -- ... to convert their engines to compressed natural gas... Deputy Transport permanent secretary Piyaphan Champasut, who chaired the meeting, said the ministry would seek cabinet approval to allocate cheap diesel and provide low-interest loans to hauliers as well as reduce taxes on new trucks powered by compressed natural gas (NGV)... The Energy Ministry could allocate only 122 million litres of subsidised priced diesel per month for a period of six months... The government has so far knocked three baht a litre off the price of diesel for fishery, farm and bus operators. This leaves only 40-50 million litres of cheap diesel per month for truckers...Well, it wasn’t too long… The government, in a very weak political position, had no other choice. After giving up to fishermen and bus companies (very quickly)… it was impossible to say no to the very powerfull truckers sector... They are just too vital for the country’s economy... And their power of coercition is too strong. Can you imagine a rallye… of trucks ? All the thai cities could be blocked... However, the “deal” could end badly. When the truckers will understand that 40 to 50 millions litres per month… is not enough. Not all of them would be able to enjoy the subsidy… Tricky situation... So to summarize : the government might have won a few months… and the truckers some relief. But after ?...

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May 28, 2008

TRUCKERS' PROTEST * UK - Lorry drivers flex their muscles

Hundreds of lorry drivers converged on London yesterday to protest at rising fuel costs

London,Uk -Times On Line, by Fran Yeoman - May 28, 2008: -- ... Police closed a section of the A40 — one of the capital’s main arteries — so that it could be used as a massive lorry park... From there the drivers made their way to a rally at Marble Arch, where they told of jobs under threat, severe belt-tightening and family companies facing closure... Early yesterday morning, as the convoys set off from Kent, Essex and all points north and west, they were greeted with spontaneous applause from motorists, who are also feeling the pinch with petrol prices rising to an average of about 114p a litre and diesel to 126p... The hauliers were in good spirits, with horns blaring and banners waving, but by the time they reached Marble Arch — where a sign lamented “Dying for a rebate” — the mood was more sombre... A delegation will hand in a letter to Brown's office, calling for the immediate introduction of an "essential user" rebate of 20-25 pence per litre, allowing heavy goods vehicles to claim some of the fuel duty back... The rally organisers, TransAction 2007, had hoped for 1,000 lorries but seemed satisfied with the 200-300 parked in rows on the A40, and another 100 that joined a protest in Wales... (See Video) (Picture: Oil prices have risen by a third since the start of 2008)

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May 21, 2008

HIGHER FUEL COSTS PROTESTS * WORLDWIDE

* Europe - Protests Over Soaring Fuel Costs Spread In

New York,NY,USA -Dow Jones Newswires, by Emma Charlton & Christopher Emsden -May 21 2008: -- ... The protests create seismic conflicts for European policymakers who have used every tool available to governments - taxes, congestion charges, and public transport incentives - and even bicycle rentals - to reduce their countries' reliance on cars and trucks to protect the environment... France's politically powerful fishing unions want the government to better a $480 million rescue plan aimed at offsetting a doubling in the cost of diesel fuel since November. The fishing fleet also has been blockading French ports and oil terminals on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coasts for more than a week... The Paris clashes came as Brent crude oil futures for July delivery, the benchmark product for Europe, jumped more than $1.00 Wednesday to hit an all-time high of $129.70, driven up by apparently robust demand and evident reluctance among oil producers to increase output... European governments are under pressure to cut excise taxes on fuel to provide relief. Rising oil and gas prices already pose an inflation conundrum for central banks and impose higher costs for businesses and commuters that could put economic growth at risk. Now fuel prices risk triggering strikes and roadblocks that could wreak havoc in Europe's largely fragmented transport industry... Governments have so far been reluctant to cut these taxes, seeking instead to shift the blame on oil producers... Germany's some analysts lobby group for car drivers, say lower fuel taxes would only magnify demand... Enrico D'Elia, a senior economist at Italian think-tank ISAE noted, excise taxes are levied on volume, not price, and so actually dampen price volatility... Italy's new industry minister, Claudio Scajola, called the price Italians pay for fuel "intolerable"... He met with oil-industry leaders last Friday and warned he might take "structural measures" if the companies didn't bring their prices more in line with the rest of Europe... Roman Smidbersky, head of sales at the Czech Republic's largest trucking and logistics operator, CS Cargo AS, estimated that logistics companies will have to lift their rates by as much as 10% just to keep their trucks on the road... In Bulgaria, around 1,000 truckers besieged roads leading into Sofia earlier this week to protest the rise in diesel prices. They are particularly incensed that the price of diesel is now above that of regular gasoline, and note excises taxes on diesel have been hiked fourfold in only a few years. Those tax hikes were largely designed to comply with European Union rules and eliminate previous subsidy schemes... Up to a thousand British truckers coordinated by protest group TransAction 2007 plan to drive their rigs into London next Tuesday, snarling traffic as they deliver demands for relief on fuel taxes to Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Downing Street... Brown, the U.K. prime minister, hardened his anti-OPEC rhetoric this week, denouncing the cartel as a "scandal" and calling on the E.U. and G8 to break down its control...


* UK - No backing for protesters

London,UK -Road Transport/Motor Transport, by Dominic Perry -21 May 2008: -- The RHA and FTA insist they will not lead next Tuesday's Park Lane fuel protest despite overwhelming support for such a move in last week's MT poll... But Roger King, RHA chief executive, insists that another Park Lane protest does not fit in with the association's strategy. Instead it is focusing on a mass lobby of parliament "on a date yet to be announced". This is in response to an amendment to the Finance Bill proposed by the SNP, which would introduce a fuel duty regulator... Mike Presneill, co-organiser of TransAction, says that he has been promised support by a large number of major haulage firms. He adds: "People are telling us that they are ashamed of the RHA because it is not heading the protest."...


* UK - Scots hauliers plan their own demonstration

London,UK -Road Transport/Motor Transport,by Laura Hailstone -21 May 2008: -- A group of Scottish hauliers are planning to hold their own fuel protest next week in solidarity with the plan-ned protest by TransAction in London. Cameron Young, managing director of Cameron Young Transport, says: "I'll be sending a truck down to London to support TransAction's protest, but myself and several other hauliers also want to stage something up here on the same day."... This time last year Young ran around 25 trucks, but over the past couple of months has been gradually downsizing his fleet due to escalating fuel prices. "I've just sold another nine vehicles, so I'm down to 12. If the government does something soon about diesel prices, then I just might survive."...

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