Recent spikes in the already sky-high price of diesel in California have given hundreds of owner-operators across the state cause to rally, as a dramatic series of protests that kicked off Friday demonstrated.

Three truck drivers in California were charged for failure to obey a peace officer after they parked their three rigs to block all I-5 Northbound lanes at approximately 7:45 a.m. Friday morning. The drivers are owner-operators, the California Highway Patrol told Fleet Owner.

Two of the drivers were from California, while the other is from Colorado. Their vehicles were impounded for 30 days at a cost of $80 per day.

Of the series of statewide trucker protests that day, the I-5 incident turned out to be the most dramatic to commuters as rush hour traffic was backed up for approximately 10 miles before the rigs were cleared a half hour later by CHP.

At 11:00 a.m. approximately 600 independent truckers protested at a park near the Port of Los Angeles, according to CNN.com. The gathering prompted police in riot gear to respond, according to CHP Officer Jesse Cazares.

At 8:00 a.m. the same morning, two truck drivers drove excessively slow on I-110 (Harbor Freeway), CHP said.

According to CNN.com, 100 truckers organized a peaceful protest near the Port of Oakland in Northern California.

According to Dick Larsen, senior editor of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn., truckers on Saturday organized “a work slow-down” at ports in the state.

The protests are a result of consistently high diesel surcharges leveraged at the pumps, coupled with recent price spikes.

“Owner operators have to pay for their own fuel. When prices go up even a penny, their margins slim,” Larsen told Fleet Owner, noting that the volatility of diesel prices make it difficult to pass the fuel expenses onto customers.

Since the beginning of May last year, California diesel prices have jumped nearly 69 cents, according to the Dept. of Energy. Since April alone, California diesel has climbed 26 cents, a spike that has California truckers worried. Currently, California’s diesel prices average $2.27 per gallon.

Larsen said that independent truckers are frustrated to find that their operations are no longer turning a profit as a result.

“The economic reality is really squeezing these guys,” Larsen said. “If they’re doing a run from San Diego to Los Angeles they are actually losing money so they figure they might as well park the truck.”

According to Larsen, the series of protests was not planned by any particular organization, but was organized loosely through word-of-mouth via the radio.

“The high diesel prices started an almost CB radio-organized protest. The ‘XM nation’ has a little to do with this too— they repeat everything truckers are saying,” Larsen said.

The CHP had been prepared for the protests after receiving several tips, although they would not confirm the sources. Cazares did indicate that there could be more protests to come.

“It was a coordinated protest, and they threatened to do it again,” Cazares said.