Operations at the Port of Oakland and the Union Pacific rail ramp at Lathrop, Calif., continue to be hampered by a shortage of truck capacity due to protests by independent drivers over the high cost of fuel.

Some protestors engaged in intimidating tactics, such as throwing bricks at drivers who attempted to enter the port, further compounding the driver shortage problem.

"These are renegade protestors moving from terminal to terminal," said Dick Coyle, chief executive of Devine Intermodal.

Cargo-handling operations have been affected sporadically over the past several days, said Gay Joseph, general manager of marine administration and finance at the Port of Oakland. For example, traffic flow was normal Wednesday morning, but as the day wore on more protestors showed up and truck traffic dropped off, he said.

All marine terminals are keeping their gates open and the Oakland Police Department is patrolling the harbor area and keeping protestors outside of the terminal gates, Joseph said. Nevertheless, a number of drivers chose not to return to the port Wednesday afternoon due to the actions of protestors, he said.

The protestors distributed flyers in the harbor demanding that shipping lines and cargo owners pay higher fuel surcharges and higher freight rates.

By: Bill Mongelluzzo