Several rest stops across New York are shut down and truckers are protesting the state's latest measure to deal with budget deficits.
A rest stop on Interstate 81 in Oswego County closed Monday along with stops in Schodack. Two others on the Northway in Essex County and two more on I-88 in Otsego County will close December 1.
Now, truckers are banning together to protest the state Department of Transportation's decision to close six highway rest areas in light of the big budget gap.
Monday, truckers gathered at a rest area long the Thruway west of Albany to protest its closing.
One driver, Thomas Haggard of Irving, Texas, says federal law requires him to take a 10-hour break after 11 hours of driving and he needs a safe place to pull over.
Kendra Adams of the New York State Motor Truck Association says the closings are unfair because truckers pay 32 percent of motorist taxes and fees in the state but drive only 8 percent of the vehicle miles.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
