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One of the chief organisers of last weekend's fuel protests has vowed to continue campaigning in 2008, even though he accepts support for the latest protests was disappointing.

Mike Presneill (pictured), the Sheerness tipper operator who founded campaign group Transaction 2007 which was behind last weekend's demonstrations, accepts that the turnout was poor. However, he says the organisation will continue to fight against high fuel prices in 2008. He explains: "We just have to get on with  it. We accept that it was not supported as we would have liked, but we are not bitter. We tried and we did our best, but it was not supported by the industry. We have got to reflect on that and continue the effort to put pressure on the Government about fuel prices in 2008."

The latest protests were seen as disappointing because only a small number of truckers turned out, perhaps not helped by a very cold day. In Southampton, fewer than 30 attended what was supposed to be one of the largest demonstrations. At Grangemouth in Falkirk, nobody turned up, according to the BBC, although 45 trucks did take part in a protest convoy travelling across central Scotland. Elsewhere, protester numbers were sometimes in single figures.

Part of the problem for Transaction 2007 was that neither the Road Haulage Association (RHA) nor the Freight Transport Association (FTA) backed the action. Both organisations have campaigned against high fuel prices, but the RHA's view that staging demonstrations  would not get enough support to be credible was proved right, as Transaction 2007 admits. The FTA also campaigns on high fuel costs, but is even more adamantly against demonstrations. In a statement last month, it said that it "totally rejects calls to undertake direct action in the form of blockades or other on-the-roads protests".

The weak action in the UK was in stark contrast to those in Italy last week, where the Government last week caved in to a national haulage strike, agreeing to reduce fuel costs and crack down on cheap foreign competition. Its vow to address the hauliers' concerns came after a three-day blockade which stopped food reaching shops, cut off fuel supplies and closed factories. Italian drivers had blockaded major ports, border points and the main roads into cities. Many motorways were reduced to a single lane and at Ventimiglia on the Italian-French border, there were traffic jams of several kilometres as trucks were stopped from crossing. Unions representing 80% of Italy's drivers were involved in the strike.

John Pike, a retired UK truck driver now living outside Turin, says the Italian truckers may appear to have won their battle, but they annoyed many other Italians in the process. He says: "They upset a lot of people and in some ways, I think they might have been better to just have left the trucks in the yards." Pike, who worked for 12 years for Italian haulier Detra, says the local truckers were also concerned about pay, long hours and finding a place to park at night. He says: "It is very difficult for them to stick to the hours rules. I know for a fact that if they load up in Turin on one day, they are expected to be unloading in Naples the next morning."