South Korean truck drivers also threatened to strike, increasing pressure on Asian governments struggling to prevent rising prices from breaking their budgets and avoid making the burden on the public so heavy it threatens political stability.
The strike by Spanish truck drivers, which Portuguese drivers have also joined, was backed by protests across the border in France over the impact of high oil prices, now at record highs of over $139 per barrel.
Diesel has risen to 1.30 euros/litre from 0.95 euros a year ago, putting pressure on European Union governments to help heavy fuel users such as truck and taxi drivers, fishermen and farmers.
In Spain, cars queued at petrol stations - 40 percent of which had run out of fuel in the worst affected area of Catalonia - and supplies of fresh food began to run low in some markets, Spanish media reported.
"I heard all the petrol stations were running out of fuel so I came to fill up, otherwise I worried I won't be able to get to work tomorrow," said a Madrid driver who gave his name as Raul.
Police motorbike riders escorted fuel tankers to some petrol stations to break picket lines and prevent attacks, after some strikers slashed lorry tyres on Monday.
ONE MILLION PROTESTORS
Oil company Cepsa said 45 percent of its deliveries had failed to get through to stations due to strikers blocking their path at fuel deposits, although Spain's biggest oil firm Repsol said deliveries were getting through with "relative normality."
Half the normal number of tankers picked up fuel at deposits on Monday, distribution firm CLH said, though the spokesman added that many oil companies had taken on extra supplies in previous days in anticipation of the strike.
