NEW COLUMBIA -- Independent truck driver John Bender Jr. has a passion for the road, but the escalating cost of diesel fuel could cause him to park his rig for good.
"I'm a third-generation truck driver," he said Friday. "I'm addicted to trucks. This is more than a job for me. It's a way of life."
But his livelihood -- and the national economy, he says -- is being threatened by the high cost of diesel fuel, which on Friday was $4.17 per gallon.
"At $4 a gallon, I just manage to break even," he said. "But if gas keeps going up, I just don't know how long I can continue to pass the cost along to customers."
Bender, 37, will add to the more than 1 million miles on his 1998 Freighliner rig when he drives to Harrisburg Monday to participate in a truckers' protest at the Capitol at 9 a.m.
Truckers will start lining up at 6 a.m. at Exit 77, Route 81, just outside Harrisburg.
The truckers want to draw attention to high fuel prices, their opposition to Act 44 -- which allows for tolls to be placed on Interstate 80 -- and the possible lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to private investors.
On Tuesday, many truckers won't drive as a way to highlight the importance of the industry to the economy.
"We want people to know that we are mad," said Bender, a trucker for 16 years.
"My dad and grandfather were Teamsters and they stood up for what they believed," Bender said.
Because they drove company trucks, they didn't have to worry about the cost of fuel, he said.
"But the Teamsters fought for what they thought as right," Bender said. "We have to do the same thing now."
While truckers are organizing the rally, the protest is for all motorists, Bender said.
"Everyone who is mad about gas prices," he said. Everyone who is mad about the possibility of putting tolls on I-80. We're asking you to drive your truck, your car and join us. Drive your pickup. ... We want a big show of people. We are out to make our point about the price of fuel."
It costs Bender $1,200 to fill the two 150-gallon fuel tanks on his rig, which he drives an average of 3,000 miles a week.
"You think you have a problem filling your tank for $50?" he asked.
His truck gets about 5.5 miles to the gallon.
"I've been lucky so far," he said. "The engine has held up. A number of buddies of mine have broken down and they've given up as independent owners. They just don't have the money for repairs, or for gas. If my truck's motor blows up tomorrow, it would cost me $15,000 to $20,000 to fix and I'm not going to do it. I'll tow it home, plant flowers around it and go drive for Wal-Mart."
n E-mail comments to rdandes@dailyitem.com
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