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Truckers protest fuel prices in Mexico City

  • Story Highlights
  • About 300 trucks participating in second transport protest in little more than a week
  • Truckers demonstrate against high diesel prices, toll fees, special tax
  • One-day strike on February 16 affected 50 million -- mostly bus riders, official says
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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Hundreds of Mexican truckers and transport drivers converged on the capital Tuesday to hold slow-speed caravans in protest of high diesel prices and other concerns, the state-run news agency said.

It is the second transporters' protest in Mexico in little more than a week. About 500,000 commercial and public vehicle drivers took part in a one-day strike February 16 that affected 16 of Mexico's 31 states and the federal district, reports said.

Many of those drivers parked their vehicles on highways, snarling traffic and frustrating motorists.

Tuesday's protesters drove around some of Mexico City's major highways at about 9 mph (15 kph) before gathering in front of the national Capitol in the city's central district. Authorities named which roads and streets would be affected and urged motorists to find other routes until at least midafternoon, the official Notimex news agency said.

About 300 trucks were participating, El Universal newspaper said.

The strikers want the price of diesel to drop from 7.63 pesos (about 52 U.S cents) per liter to 5.96 pesos (about 40 cents).

In addition to fuel prices, the truckers are demonstrating against toll fees and a special tax and want the government to do a better job of fighting vehicle theft and to stop allowing junk cars from the United States into Mexico, El Universal said.

In last week's strike, about 50 million Mexicans -- most of them bus riders -- were affected, said Edmundo Delgado Ramirez, head of the National Confederation of Commercial Transporters of the Mexican Republic.

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