SOUTH BEND — It's been talked about for weeks, but now some truck drivers across the country say they're poised to go on a temporary strike to protest the rising price of diesel fuel.

For decades, diesel was cheaper than gasoline, but it shot up again Monday to a new national average of more than $4.03 a gallon, nearly 80 cents higher than the price of unleaded.

If it doesn't go down soon, some independent truckers could be paying up to $100,000 a year on fuel alone. Some say it will cost them more to deliver their loads than they'll make in profit.

That's why many are planning to start a temporary strike Tuesday.

On trucking blogs and CB radios, it was all they were talking about on Monday.

"I heard guys say they're gonna park [their trucks]," said Pennsylvania-based truck driver Don Mansfield as he stopped to fill up in Goshen Monday.

For a simple reason.

"We're not making any money," complained Chicago driver Mark Filipiuk, who owns his own truck after 20 years on the road. "It costs me at least $1,200 [to fill up.]"

Prices at the pump aren't just painful. They're prohibitive. Just ask Goshen trucking company owner Kenneth Kopf.

He's been in the business for 40 years, and his profit margin is lower than ever before.

It's one big reason why his trucks won't be on the road Tuesday. He hopes it sends a clear message.

"If something doesn't happen, I won't be here real long," he said.

It's no April fool, but some truckers worry the joke may be on them.

"It's not going to do anything," said Filipiuk. "It's only independents, no big name company trucks. No one's really organized it."

"I've heard guys talking all day," agreed Mansfield. "But not that many. Not enough. Everybody's going to have to get together [to make it work.]"

Notre Dame Economics Professor Dr. Thomas Gresik agrees.

"Some truckers shutting down for a day or two in the United States will have almost no impact on the price of crude oil," he said. "This is a worldwide problem."

Gresik says he doubts it will even last long enough for anyone to really notice, simply because drivers can't afford to stay off the road.

"It's going to be hard for them to withstand staying out of business for any significant length of time," he said.

It's one reason why Kopf is going a step further.

"I'm cutting back 35 trucks," he said. "That's 50 percent of my drivers."

They won't just be off the road Tuesday. They'll be parked for good.

"[The cutbacks will be permanent,] yes," he said.

While Kopf knows that choice to ease the company's pain at the pump will cause pain to 35 of his loyal drivers — many who have been with the company for decades — he says it's the only option he has left.

"What else can I do?" he said. "We have to get somebody's attention. Hopefully [the strike] will help."

Dr. Gresik does expect the price of diesel to begin dropping by mid-April, and stabilize for the summer months, as the demand for home heating oil subsides.

Heating oil uses the same distillate petroleum as diesel.

But Gresik cautions, it won't be a major drop, or approach prices anywhere near previous levels of $2.80 a gallon just one year ago.