Port Panel to Address Truckers’ Concerns

Independent truckers continued to protest rising fuel costs and stagnant pay rates at the Port of Oakland on Wednesday, a day after port officials agreed to form a committee to address their complaints.

More than 300 truck drivers have stopped hauling goods to and from the Oakland harbor since Friday, threatening to disrupt the flow of goods at the nation’s fourth-busiest port.

Only about 25% of the trucks that normally operate at the port were running Wednesday, port spokeswoman Marilyn Sandifur said, calling it an improvement over previous days.

“We are definitely concerned about the level of business being conducted at our terminals,” Sandifur said. “The Port of Oakland is a major economic engine for the Bay Area. It’s in everyone’s interest for the port to get back to full operation.”

Many truckers said they wouldn’t return to work until the trucking companies agreed to boost rates paid for their services. They want a 30% rate hike and a fuel surcharge to compensate for rising diesel costs.

“Once we get the rates we’re looking for, we’ll go back to work,” said Ruben Lopez, an Oakland area truck driver. “The guys say ... they’re not going to go back to work until things are resolved. They say they don’t care if they have to spend a whole month without work.”

The Port of Oakland, which leases its terminals to outside firms, announced an agreement Tuesday evening to establish a committee to hear the truckers’ concerns.

The announcement came after protesting truckers threw rocks at working truckers, prompting Oakland police to call in reinforcements.

The committee will meet four times a year to address truckers’ complaints and will be made up of independent truckers, trucking companies, port officials, brokers, ocean carriers, terminal operators and railroad representatives.

Committee representatives were scheduled to meet for the first time this afternoon, when all parties hope an agreement can be reached to get the truckers back to work.

Last Friday, independent truckers around the state staged demonstrations to protest high diesel prices, which run more than $1 per gallon higher in California than in other states.

Drivers stopped hauling goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, but most returned to work Monday.