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Morning News

Hundreds of Trucker Converge on Nation's Capital to Protest Skyrocketing Diesel Fuel Prices

Aired February 22, 2000 - 9:09 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Rush hour traffic could be more hectic than usual in Washington today. Hundreds of truckers are converging on the nation's capital protesting skyrocketing diesel fuel prices.

CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us live. She is in Washington with more.

Kathleen, good morning.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

In about two hours, the streets crisscrossing the Mall west of the U.S. Capitol, here, will be jammed with 18 wheelers. At least 300 big rigs are said to soon be en route to Washington. The drivers very angry that high diesel costs have essentially made truck driving a money-losing business. Truckers who a year ago could fill up their tank for $220 now are spending twice that, especially here in the East, where diesel fuel costs are as -- are up as much as 55 percent.

Now, drivers are hoping that Congress will listen and take some action before independent operators, especially those who are hurting the most, are forced to quit driving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, we need all the help we can get, but I see it as one of those 15 minutes of fame things that, two weeks from now, nobody's going to remember.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're barely making a living now. The fuel is one of the biggest expenses on the transportation industry. Because of that, a bigger percentage of our income goes out in it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought there was a lot of money in trucking. That's why, you know, I bought a truck and got in here. And it's a lot closer than I ever thought. And now that the price of fuel has gone up so drastically, it takes all the profit out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Truckers say that lawmakers could help by eliminating the federal excise tax on diesel fuel and giving them a 15-cent-per-gallon rebate until the fuel costs drop. Some owners for now are -- owner- operators are getting by by simply making fewer trips or by levying fuel surcharges on the loads that they do carry. Those owner- operators, the small, independent truckers, carry the majority of the nation's fresh produce, so there's a lot of concern that there could be a ripple effect, with the prices of all types of commodities beginning to head higher as the cost of diesel fuel does. There is, though, confidence that OPEC countries also by April vote to increase projection, but the nation's inventory of oil is so low at this point that experts say that consumers and truckers wouldn't see any decrease at the pumps for at least several months.

Reporting live in Washington, I'm Kathleen Koch.

KAGAN: Kathleen, thank you.

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