CHARLESTON, W.V. --- In the past week, truckers have staged protests against the high cost of fuel, particularly diesel.

For example, dozens of truckers converged on the state capitol building in Charleston, W.V., honking their horns and demanding relief. The protest lasted three hours.

"It's just time for us to make a stand," said Donald Cottrill, an independent operator who has seen his weekly fuel bill climb to $2,500 from $500 just nine years ago, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In Richmond, Va., about 40 truckers drove around the capitol building three times at lunch time Friday, April 4, honking their horns in protest, the Times-Dispatch reported.

Hank Ford Jr., owner operator of Q.S. Trucking Inc., told the newspaper that he paid $120 in fuel to get from his Virginia Beach home to Richmond and back for the protest.

Ford said his truck holds 300 gallons of diesel and costs nearly $1,200 to fill. In 2007, he said, high fuel prices pushed his company into the red. The company lost $15,000 last year -- a contrast to 2006 when the company earned $69,000.

"We just wanted to come up here and make a statement to let people know what we are going through and how tough things are for us," Ford told the Times-Dispatch.