Negotiations to avoid a major protest by Ontario truckers angered by skyrocketing fuel costs progressed yesterday with the announcement of a deal that would allow shippers and trucking firms to voluntarily pass on a fuel surcharge to owner-operators.

According to the Calgary Herald, the preliminary deal was announced yesterday by Economic Development Minister Al Palladini and Bill Wellman of the National Truckers Association.
The NTA represents about 2,000 of the province’s independent truckers and is urging its members not to block highways or withdraw their services while negotiations continue this week, said the article.
“This is a start,” said Wellman. “It's what we asked for. It's a lot more than we got in the last 20 years.”