Aucklanders are being urged to leave their cars at home tomorrow as the city prepares for the truckies' protest.
Organisers are predicting as many as 2,000 trucks may be driven into the central city, and there will be similar, smaller protests in other cities.
In 1978 Ken Marras bought his first truck. For the past 30 years he has transported everything from bread to cement.
This year has been his toughest yet, with rising diesel costs and now, increased road user charges.
But Mr Marras says what hurts more than the charges is how Transport Minister Annette King introduced them.
"I was disgusted by it, because we had no warning," he says, "and I understood that was the deal, that she was going to give us notice."
Tomorrow he will join up to 2,000 Auckland truck drivers in a protest designed to gridlock the city.
From 7.30am trucks will start pouring into Auckland City from the three main arterial routes - the Northern, the Southern and the Northwestern motorways.
They will do a circuit around the CBD, the area that centres on Queen St.
It won't just be trucks. Tourism operator Scenic Coachlines is sending its buses along. It estimates the charges will cost the company $60,000 a year.
"It's going to take in our industry at least 12 to 15 months to pass it on because of the pricing structure for overseas with brochures and things going out," says Ajay Vagha.
"It's not an immediate increase that we will be able to whack on to our customers."
If the protest does what it is designed to do Auckland City will come to a standstill, and police are urging commuters to leave their cars at home.
"If you can catch a bus, catch a train, walk, cycle, choose another way to get to work if you can," says Auckland road policing manager Superintendent John Kelly.
Police have issued advice to motorists. Expect long delays - even once the trucks leave the city it could take hours for roads to clear; get to work early or not at all - commuters wanting to make it into the city will need to plan to be at work before 7.30am; be aware that bus travel will be affected - even with bus lanes, gridlock could block them; and lastly, remain tolerant and act with restraint.
Protest organisers say their action is supported by the community.
At least one Queen St business was looking on the bright side this afternoon, turning the truckies' protest into a marketing opportunity.
In Wellington, hundreds of truckies plan to take their convoy to the Government's front door.
As in Auckland, they say Ms King promised they would get a warning of any increase in road user charges, but then reneged.
Ms King says she did not promise.
Central London has been brought to a second standstill in a month because of their version of a truckies' protest - hundreds of them drove to Westminster and the Houses of Parliament to protest against the price of fuel.
They are threatening more wildcat action to come, unless the government acts to save their businesses.
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