U.S. - The skyrocketing cost of diesel fuel has caused independent truckers to stage protests in Florida and California. People in Alabama started stocking up on gasoline after hearing rumors of a similar trucker strike in their area. Some of the stations were left without any fuel and shortages were felt throughout the Tennesse Valley region. The recent unrest in Ecuador, which is one of the country's larger suppliers of crude oil, along with the possibility that the worlds oil reserves have peaked, are likely to contribute to the rising prices. The Ecuadorian government has warned demonstrators who have been protesting foreign oil corporations that troops may .begin shooting them in an effort to resume production.