SALEM -- Hundreds of truckers rolled into the streets around the Oregon Capitol on Thursday morning to protest the climate bill that has divided the Oregon Legislature largely along party lines. The workers, mostly from rural Oregon, shared their concerns about how the legislation designed to cut carbon emissions could hurt their livelihoods and encouraged Republican senators to continue the walkout that has halted work in the state Senate since June 19.

Members of the Oregon Trucking Association, which had opposed earlier versions of a clean diesel bill awaiting a Senate vote but was ultimately neutral on it, passed out free donuts and bottled water. Log truck after log truck passed the Capitol building, where hundreds stood in the rain to protest. They unleashed clouds of diesel soot while blasting airhorns so loud the honks could be heard on the floor of the state Senate and throughout Senate offices.

Jess Choat, 65, a log truck driver from Newport, said he took the day off work to protest the climate bill because he worried about the damage that an increase in fuel prices would cause the timber industry.

“I just don’t want Oregon to become like California. And that’s where we’re headed,” he said. “I don’t mind passing bills that help the environment, but we’re not getting a vote in this. That’s not how democracy works.”

A companion bill to the climate legislation would offer rebates of fuel price increases to agricultural and timber companies.

“I’m not saying that wouldn’t come through, but I’ve seen this before,” Choat said. “They promise you the moon and you don’t see nothing after they get it passed.”

Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr., R-Grants Pass, issued a statement in appreciation of the big showing. “The amount of support for the Senate Republicans is unprecedented," he wrote. "The people have rallied in solidarity to have their voice heard at the capitol.”

Baertschiger told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he and fellow Republicans would let the truckers’ rally speak for them Thursday, but that they might say more on Friday. The 11 absent Senate Republicans have each racked up $3,000 in fines for missing work.

The Oregonian’s lead politics reporter, Hillary Borrud, contributed to this report.

Correction: The Oregon Trucking Association did not oppose the final form of House Bill 2007, the clean diesel bill, taking a neutral position after opposing earlier versions.

-- Rob Davis