Around 22 lakh trucks are set to go off the roads after Thursday midnight in southern states. The truckers are protesting increase of insurance premium ' title=' insurance premium '>insurance premium by 50 per cent.

"The increase of insurance premium ' title=' insurance premium '>insurance premium will affect the truckers badly. It will be difficult for truckers to pay that much amount," G.V. Shanmugappa, General Secretary of the Southern Region Truckers' Welfare Association, told reporters here.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has proposed up to 50 per cent increase in insurance premium ' title=' insurance premium '>insurance premium for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles with effect from April 1, 2017.

The truckers in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are participating in the agitation.

"We will not withdraw our agitation till the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority withdraws the proposal to increase the insurance premium," Shanmugappa said.

The vehicles transporting milk, petrol, diesel, medicines and other essential commodities have been exempted from the protest action.

"We are exempting the vehicles transporting essential commodities to avoid inconvenience to the public," Shanmugappa said.