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Listen and act now: that is the message TransAction delivered to the Prime Minister on Tuesday as several hundred trucks parked up on the A40. In the glare of the media spotlight, TransAction founders Peter and Sharon Knight, plus Peter Carroll of Kent-based Seymour Transport, delivered impassioned speeches, setting out the industry's plight.

They called for the government to: abandon the 2p/litre hike in fuel duty proposed for October de-couple essential commercial and domestic user vehicle  taxation and introduce either an essential-user rebate, or a fuel duty regulator. Referring to last month's protest, Peter Knight said: "I see a lot more angry people. I urge the government to re-read the Burns Inquiry and act on its findings."

Carroll said: "The industry is being slaughtered. We want the government to act within days. This isn't a crisis, it's a total catastrophe." Also delivering a letter to No. 10 was Transport Association (TA) chairman Stephen Taylor. In the letter, he notes that the TA, which represents 60 medium-sized firms with more than 3,000 vehicles, has been given a "unanimous mandate" by its members to express that they are facing the "deep-est crisis in recent times".

The letter also highlights the solutions in the Burns Inquiry, adding: "The government is in a position to recognise the impact of these events and take positive action." Prior to and during the Bank Holiday weekend, the FTA, RHA, the British International Freight Association,  British Chambers of Commerce and the AA all made similar calls on the government.

It was unclear as MT went to press what TransAction's next move will be. Mike Greene, organiser of the 200-strong Welsh convoy to Cardiff that took place on the same day, told the BBC that the government has a week to respond, or oil terminal blockades will follow. When asked by MT if TransAction would support such blockades, Peter Knight said: "We won't condone them, we don't want to annoy the public. But if that's what our members want, we would be forced to consider it."