Truckers: Government Suspends New Freight Rates, Will Negotiate Wednesday
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The official table fixing minimum prices for road haulage was suspended on Monday, July 22nd, said the Minister of Infrastructure, Tarcísio Freitas, and the ministry’s press office reported that the suspension is expected to last until Wednesday when the minister will meet with truckers’ representatives, who have voiced disagreement with the table’s more recent version.
“It is suspended and, therefore, the old version becomes effective again, until we can build a consensus,” the minister told Reuters in a message.
According to the portfolio, the ministry sent a letter to the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) formally requesting the suspension of the new version of the rate chart, which should occur on Monday.
Tarcísio has held regular discussions with truckers’ leaders who, last year, went on a strike that led to shortages and a substantial impact on economic performance, according to the ministry. This category supported, for the most part, president Jair Bolsonaro in last year’s election campaign.
The new freight charge schedule, approved after four rounds of public hearings held this year, was prepared by Esalq-Log, from USP (University of São Paulo), and the next official review is only expected in early 2020. The table, now suspended, was published by ANTT on Thursday and became effective on Saturday.
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