Hundreds of dump truck drivers joined a convoy protest in the Lower Mainland on Friday morning to protest record-high diesel prices.
The convoy started in Surrey and Abbotsford around 8:30 a.m. and drove to Vancouver.
The war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are limiting global diesel supply, driving up prices worldwide.
On Friday morning, the cost of diesel in Vancouver is $2.84 per litre.
“Everybody is struggling right now,” Raginder Bhandu, a truck driver of 23 years, told Global News on Friday.
“The diesel price is going up; it’s $3 right now, so all the families are struggling. We work for free right now.”
He added that they will likely have to pass the cost on to customers, as many are independent owners and operators.
Bruce Banman, BC Conservative candidate for Abbotsford South, was at the rally and said he supports the truckers.
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“I’m here to tell David Eby a message that he should follow what Alberta did and reduce the fuel costs and the taxes,” he said.
“British Columbia has the highest fuel taxes in North America and if David Eby wants to run around and blame Trump for everything, really what he should do is lower the fuel costs because absolutely everything comes on a truck.”
Banman said these high fuel costs are only going to drive up costs for British Columbians.
“It makes no sense to have the highest fuel taxes in North America and blame Trump for all the problems we got when we could actually fix this problem right here at home.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is considering temporarily banning diesel exports in an attempt to bring prices down in the United States, but experts say that may backfire and cost consumers more in the long term, including in Canada.
Banning export of the fuel would be expected to provide some short-term relief for American consumers while spiking prices worldwide.
Over the long-term, prices could stay higher for longer, experts warn.
“Diesel is the backbone of the economy for trains, for ships, for trucks, so many trucks around the world. We depend on it,” says Richard Masson, former CEO of the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission.
“If there is an upset in the market, and the diesel price is already really, really high, it will just further exacerbate the problem, but people need to keep their economies running so they’re going to have to continue to pay the price.”
Masson says he believes the U.S. banning the exports of diesel is unlikely, but if it were to happen, it would add significant pressure to an already disrupted global marketplace.
-with files from Ariel Rabinovitch
The leaders of undercutting Canadian truck drivers forcing other companies out of business running fraudulent schools driving illegally fraudulently obtaining visas and residency etc etc are now crying. They’ve all voted for the people making fuel prices high better known as useful idiot’s.
BC the province that is always anti oil and gas, the leave it in the ground SJWs. They are always quick to complain about gas prices and point out how much more they pay then other provinces.
Boot Eby and build wells, pipelines and refineries. Stop blocking tankers ports and LNG facilities and let the economy and your fuel production ramp up and see prices go down.
Same mindset where they protest ranchers try to force them to feed cows seaweed then complain meat is expensive.
These Turban Suburbans have been undercutting not only the entire industry but themselves and now they have the audacity to cry about? Get out of here, you made your own bed.
Maybe the rich dudes need to take less, they can sure afford it
Considering all factors. Immigration and all. Your higher fuel taxes help pay for immigration costs when sponsors decide government should have to pay after realizing what they signed up for.
In 2022 diesel in Canada was $2.35 a litre everthing from food to furniture increased expeditiously blamed on haulage costs.
In 2025 diesel in Canada dropped to $1.35 a litre did those haulage costs drop back ? The answer no now it’s at $2.12 a litre in Surrey toddy re-gas buddy. And these privileged greedy owner operators who under cut everyone want handouts !!!
Go f$#k yourselfs
Can they switch from diesel to electric?
Holy hell that image is rough to look at, I feel like I can smell it from here…
They complain the cost of fuel is too high and make nothing…well they caused their own issues by continuing to undercut eachother for decades. Fix your own problem don’t blaim the government.
The dump truck and transportation companies have been undercutting themselves for YEARS because of greed and ego. They did this with the ports as well. So if there is any blame to be had, they can blame themselves. They agreed to work for pennies for years and now its backfired. Truck drivers are no different than anyone else who drives a car and just trying to survive. They’re not entitled to any special privileges with tax breaks… so quit the whinning
Rising fuel costs are putting pressure on truckers, but fuel is only part of the problem. Many are working at rates 15–20% below the industry standard. Even if fuel prices had not increased, those rates would still be too low.
Companies can bid work cheaply because truckers continue to accept it. If truckers collectively refuse rates that do not cover their costs, those bids will have no truck supply behind them.
The companies that held firm on industry standard rates and fuel clauses are still working. Lasting improvement starts with refusing unsustainable rates.
Gas prices are too high so let’s all use our privilege to take a day off and ruin working people’s day while burning the fuel that is so precious to them. These guys need to have some dignity and stop taking money from the far-right orgs staging these brain dead events.
They should direct their anger at the Mango Mussolini. He is directly responsible for the entire problem. Eby has nothing to do with it.