LATHROP — Hundreds of truck drivers from throughout the area gathered at one of the busiest intersections for big rigs in San Joaquin County, among other places, and they all had the same message: “Stop working for free.”

And they said it in English, Spanish, Laotian, Chinese and Punjabi.

The drivers have been striking since Monday to protest what they claim is a wage rate below $5 an hour, brought on by a lack of pay increases over the past decade and compounded by the recent spike in fuel prices.

Jon Dulay, 53, of Stockton, who’s been a truck driver since 1984, said whatever money drivers do get paid ends up paying the fuel bill and they have nothing left to take home.

He said the companies they haul for — there are about 41 in the area — are pocketing money that should be going to the drivers.

“We’re not making enough money to bring food to our tables,” Dulay said. “We need a raise.”

 

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