More than 100 truck drivers formed a convoy on Interstate 81 Monday and drove into Harrisburg to circle the State Capitol with horns blaring to protest the high prices of diesel fuel.

Organizers estimated that 150 to 200 trucks took part in the noisy protest, which began at the capitol at approximately 10:00 a.m.

Independent truckers from across Pennsylvania teamed up with out-of-state truckers to get the attention of legislators. Other drivers rallied on the steps of the capitol, urging lawmakers to cut state taxes on fuel.

The truckers said they're fed up with paying more than four dollars a gallon for diesel fuel. Rolling back the state tax on fuel, organizers said, would provide some relief.

Organizers said they expect to stage a similar protest in Washington, D.C.

"They need to remove oil from Wall Street," said organizer Mark Kirsch. "They need to drop the federal and state taxes off of fuel, at least to get our economy back on the road and get these guys out there that they can actually turn a profit and get everybody's food to the stores."

Kirsch is an independent truck driver from Myerstown in Lebanon County.

Fuel taxes in Pennsylvania amount to 32 cents a gallon for gasoline and 38 cents a gallon for diesel.

State Transportation Department spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick says the state needs the revenue from those taxes to repair its roads
and bridges.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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