Brisbane CBD is expected to grind to a halt today as dozens of truck drivers blockade streets in a state-wide "go slow" protest against low pay rates and rising fuel costs.
The go-slow stoppage was predicted to start at 9am, as part of the protest lead by two Queensland factional groups - the Australian Long Distance Owners and Drivers Association (ALDODA) and the National Road Transport Forum (NRTF).
However it is understood the final route of the "go slow" is still being negotiated between the ALDODA and Queensland police.
And police this morning could not confirm whether the trucking protest would actually take place.
"We are acting and planning for it to happen, because we have to ensure that we're there if it does, but I can't confirm a route," a police spokesman said.
"I haven't received any news yet whether it's going to go ahead."
However a delivery truck driver this morning in Eagle Street said a number of trucks were getting ready in Fortitude Valley for the stoppage.
ALDODA Queensland president Lyn Bennetts could not be contacted this morning to confirm the go ahead.
If the blockade takes place, it is expected the trucks will jam Brisbane city's riverside precinct, passing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's office at Waterfront Place.
The trucks will reportedly drive down Edward Street, turning left in Margaret Street and then loop around Felix Street to pass Waterfront Place.
Turning back up Alice Street, the trucks will continue past Brisbane's Botanical Gardens and the Queensland Parliament building.
After passing Parliament House, the trucks will turn down William St from where they will then follow the same route for more than three hours.
Motorists have been advised to plan ahead to avoid the grid-lock, preceding the potential trucking protest.
Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said police have been negotiating with the trucking industry to ensure any blockade had minimal impact on commuters.
"If a blockade goes ahead motorists are advised to avoid the CBD where possible, especially during the hours of 10am-2pm," Mr Atkinson said.
"Peak hour commuters should also consider leaving home half an hour early to avoid any possible earlier delays.
"Police will be out in force to ensure the provision of safe traffic management and all road users are expected to obey the road rules."
Organisers are calling the "go slow" a nationwide strike, but a Transport Workers Union (TWU) spokesman said they were a local "fringe group" and the action was limited to drivers in Queensland.
ALDODA president Lyn Bennetts has warned in a letter that truck drivers could face violent repercussions if they defied the call to strike and kept driving.
"Some drivers are going to be targeted if they are caught driving during the shutdown, this is an unfortunate part of any dispute; innocent people do get hurt," she says in the letter, which was made available by the TWU.
"Responsibility will not be held by ALDODA or any of the shutdown organisers for the safety of any driver who continues to drive while the shutdown is on.
"... so to ensure your own safety please don't keep driving."
A TWU spokesman said truck drivers had received threatening text messages as well as the letter.
"There's been some reports that these groups have been sending out messages threatening drivers who don't support it, threatening with violence," he said.
"It's not properly organised, it's not going to be controlled by anyone. It has the potential to turn quite nasty."
The action will not involve major transport companies or major union drivers, the spokesman said.
"We've heard reports they've tried to do this a couple of times over the last 12 months, but it just hasn't succeeded," he said.
If the unsanctioned action turned violent it could be damaging to truck drivers everywhere, the spokesman said.
An association member and Queensland truck owner, who wanted to be known only as Paula, said the association did not condone the threats of violence.
"There has been threats. My husband is a driver, I'm a driver, there has been people stupid enough to say nasty things ... but we don't know where it's coming from," she said.
"But we (ALDODA) don't encourage this. We want this to be peaceful."
Truck drivers would risk their livelihoods for better conditions, she said.
"I could end up losing my home, but many of us could lose our house now.
"I've been in the industry for 15 years, and it's not bad management that will bring my business to an end.
"It's backloading. You get paid less on the return journey. You're basically being paid for half the job. It's not covering the fuel. None of us have a livable rate. The men are working twice as hard to survive which is dangerous."
Ms Bennetts said in the letter that 80 per cent of 65,000 owner drivers across Australia would take part in the strike.
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