The issue for truckers, as claimed in media reports and on discussion boards and elsewhere, is primarily the upward spiral in the cost of diesel fuel, which has the effect of substantially reducing their income. Owner-operators in many cases are not making enough profit to pay the costs of operating their vehicles.

Nationwide, diesel is currently averaging $3.989 per gallon and has gone up 70.9 cents in the last five weeks — all of which have been record-breaking — according to the Department of Energy's Energy Information Association (EIA). In some parts of the U.S. diesel is already exceeding the $4 per gallon mark.

Yet the gripe is about more than fuel.

Owner-operators of small trucking firms, which make up the majority of trucks that move freight about our nation, are faced with sizable big-rig costs as well as maintenance, lack of government oversight on insurance premiums and myriad federal regulations.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has projected a record-high diesel bill for 2008, noting that that trucking industry is on pace to spend $135 billion on fuel in 2008 — based on current price forecasts. This estimate, the ATA claimed, would be a $22 billion increase over the trucking industry's $112.6 billion 2007 fuel tab.

Last week, the ATA called on the Bush Administration to "act quickly to ensure that strategies are in place to ensure an affordable supply of oil for the nation's 3.5 million truck drivers and American consumers." Specifically, the ATA urged the White House to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), along with 11 other points for curtailing this ongoing historical run-up in crude oil prices.

Apparently, it all started when Dan Little, owner-operator of Little & Little Trucking, L.L.C., a livestock hauling company based in Carrollton, Mo., posted an open letter to his fellow independent truckers on USCATTLEHAULERS.com, a Web site set up to give smaller, independent trucking companies exposure to prospective shippers anywhere in the U.S.

In his letter, Little vowed to shut down his trucking company at 8 a.m. April 1, 2008, and no longer accept loads at any price until the federal government puts into action a plan that will give all owner-operators some help. Components of the plan include the following (paraphrased from the letter):

• Suspension of all federal and state fuel taxes until the economy is back on its feet;
• Creation of a federal oversight committee to oversee insurance premiums charged for Class 8 truck insurance;
• Creation of a more level playing field for all trucking companies by not allowing large trucking companies to self-insure their fleets;
• Enforcement of federal regulations — that include set maximum amounts for violations — for brokers and shippers; and
• Standardization of fines for safety violations from coast to coast.

Little noted on USCATTLEHAULERS.com that although he fully supports this upcoming shutdown and will personally shut down his trucking company on April 1, 2008, he is "not the leader in this action."

Nonetheless, Little's plan to park his rig tomorrow morning has truckers lining up across the nation to join him.

"I have heard from over 400 trucking Co.'s from coast to coast," Little has written. "All agree, shut down or go broke. After several phone calls to washington [sic.] with no reply, everyone is in agreement on April 1st, 2008 as the date to pull over, park and say enough is enough."

On the Web site, Little writes that he and several others picked tomorrow's date for a reason, acknowledging that it is Aprils Fools Day'.

That having been said, is this really happening? Guess we'll find out tomorrow... .

Update: Almost 200 comments on USA Today's coverage of the shutdown.

Sources:

Logistics Management

Quad-City Times, 1 and 2

USCATTLEHAULERS.com

Truck.Net

ATA

EIA