Since the New York State protest convoys of November 2008, organized in part by the Mohawk Valley Truckers and Citizens United chapter, the issue of a big plan of truck-route restrictions on state highways in New York has seen growing opposition, with large groups among various industries joining trucking groups in decrying the state’s plans to get as many through trucks as possible onto Interstate highways in the state.

The opposition was so big, about a year ago New York Governor David Paterson launched what he called the Trucking Industry and Community Relations Task Force to manage the back-and-forth related to the proposed changes. At a recent task force meeting, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported Tuesday, the state surprised supporters and opponents of the two-year-old “Draft Trucking Regulation” by backing away from plans to ban truck traffic on seven specific roadways. For more, click the thumbnail picture above, from the Nov. 28, 2008 protest convoy in Skaneateles (picture by the Post Standard’s John Berry).