LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. consumers may soon feel the pinch of higher oil prices in places other than the gas pump if independent truck drivers have their way.
The Owner-Operated Independent Drivers Association said Saturday it had met with federal transportation officials about legislation that would allow drivers to attach a fuel surcharge to offset the rising price of diesel fuel.
Todd Spencer, the vice president of the Missouri-based organization, said the relentless rise in fuel costs has erased the already-thin profit margins most truckers work with and is forcing an increasing number of drivers to get out of the business.
The situation boiled over Friday when independent truckers blocked traffic on two major Los Angeles freeways to protest diesel prices well over $2 per gallon.
Spencer said in a statement the high prices in the Northeast and on the West Coast will crop up more in the rest of the country this summer.
