Miami trucker protest slows port operations

Miami trucker protest slows port operations    A trucker protest organized by the Teamsters and the International Longshoreman's Association in Miami Wednesday snarled traffic and slowed movements at the Port of Miami.
   The truckers were demanding the implementation of mandatory fuel surcharges that would be used to pay truckers more when fuel prices rise. The protest was staged several miles away from the port, but most of the drivers were reportedly drivers who haul containers to and from the port.
   Cargo was still moving at the port, but volumes were down sharply compared to a normal day.
   Most of the protest convoy estimated to contain more than 600 cabs moved along State Highways 826 and 836 — two of the main thoroughfares in Miami-Dade County — from the Hialeah area to Coconut Grove, passing through the city proper of Miami on most of the route.
   There was also a noon rally at City Hall in Miami to call attention to the truckers' problems related to fuel costs.
   Protest organizers noted that the Department of Energy has a surcharge schedule that lists surcharges of up to 28 percent if the price of diesel reaches $2.45 — the current price in South Florida — but the surcharges are voluntary.
   The truckers want Congress to pass legislation that would make those surcharges mandatory.