How do you come to the conclusion that everyone else on the road are "innocent folks"? Do you not purchase goods transported by truck? If the cost of shipping goes up, the cost of goods go up. By interfering with traffic they draw attention to their cause. Same with any strike, disrupt the flow of traffic into a business people wonder why. Disrupt the flow of traffic on the highway people wonder why. If all of the independents parked their trucks and got another job, millions of tons of cargo would have to be picked up by the corporations which lead to a huge back log. Then there would be the affect on the economy of all the truckers who now have trucks parked in their yard costing them money as they still have to pay the bank note and they are not making money from that vehicle. If the truckers got organized enough and did hold out on strike it would have an impact on everything from diesel prices to the wages they are payed. Look at what the teamsters did back in the day. It happens all over the world by all different groups to further their cause. Look at what truckers in Puerto Rico did a couple years ago.
http://www.workers.org/2005/world/puerto-rico-0804/