Hundreds of hauliers converged on London today in a bid to put pressure on the British government over record-high fuel prices.
Police-controlled convoys are driving into the city centre while some drivers lobby the Houses of Parliament on foot.
Trucks from all over the country taking part in the demonstration, with lorries lining a closed-off section of the A40 Westway in west London.
"The harsh reality is that the price of fuel is now forcing many hauliers out of business," Road Haulage Association national chairman Andy Boyle said. "For many, today will represent a last-ditch attempt at making their voice heard. It is therefore absolutely vital that government not only listens to us but takes urgent action."
A spokesman for the Transaction pressure group, Peter Carroll, said: "Our industry is being driven out of business. Continental hauliers are able to run in the UK using cheaper fuel from abroad. The government needs to realise that the surge in oil prices has changed the world.
"It is madness to insist on charging the highest level of fuel duty in the EU on top of a world price that has rocketed. If nothing is done, thousands of UK hauliers will go bust."
Meanwhile, 4.5 million Indian truckers went on strike in India today, parking up their vehicles to protest high taxes and rising fuel bills.
Trucks provide the transport lifeline of India's economy and a lengthy strike would threaten not only goods supplies but also industrial output. Diesel sales could drop sharply.
Any prolonged action will add to the woes of India's coalition government, which is already battling inflation soaring at a 13-year high.
A similar week-long strike in August 2004 pulled monthly diesel sales down 9.3 per cent from a year earlier and hurt annual growth in industrial output because of disrupted shipments.