Police ticket, disperse protesting drivers at Oakland port

Police ticket, disperse protesting drivers at Oakland port Oakland police officers ticketed about 40 protesting independent truck drivers at the Port of Oakland Tuesday and made one arrest after a rock throwing incident.
   A group of independent owner-operators that serve the port began their planned week-long protest on Monday, claiming that motor carrier firms have not been reimbursing drivers for increases in fuel costs.
   While Oakland Police Department officials had originally ignored the protesting truckers parking their rigs in marked 'no stopping' areas near the protest, tickets were issued Tuesday following the rock throwing incident that damaged the window of a truck not involved in the protest.
   Reports differ among Bay Area media outlets on the impact the protest is having on the port.
   'We are at a dead standstill,' Jerry Philips of motor carrier Impact Transload & Rail, told insidebayarea.com on Tuesday. 'A few drivers managed to get some stuff out before picketers showed up.'
   A spokesman for the Port of Oakland confirmed that traffic was slowed by police actions on Tuesday, but the delay was temporary and that the port is operating normally Wednesday morning.
   Following the ticketing and lone arrest on Tuesday, police also ordered the protestors to disperse and indicated they would now stringently enforce the area's parking regulations. Officers plan to be on hand for the rest of the week if protestors return to protest.
   About 50 drivers began the protest on Monday and the number grew to at least 80 on Tuesday. The drivers have vowed to continue protesting through the end of the week. The group claims that motor carriers agreed four years ago to reimburse drivers 5 percent of the costs of a gallon of diesel fuel over $2. While the money is being collected from the motor carriers customers, the protestors said, the money is not being passed along to drivers.
   Local motor carriers deny the drivers are being shortchanged.