Roads in south Brazil still blocked

Freight drivers are still blocking stretches of federal highways in the south region this Tuesday morning (Mar 3). Roadblocks were set up two weeks ago, with truckers demanding lower fuel prices, higher freight service rates, and the full approval of laws regulating the working hours of truck and freight drivers.

The Federal Highway Police (PRF) reported at least 11 blockages in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In Santa Catarina, also in south Brazil, two interstates remain partly shut off. Only passenger cars, buses, perishables and live animals are allowed through.

This morning, a group of independent truckers with no union or large company affiliations arrived in Brasília. They insist on lower diesel prices or, alternatively, adjusted freight rates that reflect the fuel price rise.

“We have a message from small truckers, and we're ready to go to the National Congress if we have to,” said one of the group leaders, Germano Sousa. According to him, the truckers are waiting for a decision from a committee meeting with government representatives.

In response to the demands and in an attempt to clear the highways, the government said it would not adjust diesel prices and it would encourage the dialogue between companies and workers over freight service rates. In a statement, the government promised to take all necessary measures, starting on Monday (2), authorize a 12-month extension in the repayment period for trucks purchased as part of federal funding programs for fleet renewal, as demanded by truckers.

The so-called Truckers' Bill was passed with no line-item vetoes by President Dilma Rousseff on Monday (2). Among other changes, the new law grants free toll for lifted axles on unloaded trucks. It also waives fines for overweight trucks incurred in the past two years, and shifts the responsibility for the resulting damage. From now on, cargo shippers, i.e. the companies that hire the freight services, will be held accountable for excess load weight and cargo overflow,” the note from the Chief Administrative Aide to the Presidency read.

The law also requires drivers to undergo drug testing upon hire and termination to check for psychoactive substances that may cause addiction or impair their ability to drive.

Regarding the provisions on working hours, truckers were authorized to work for 12 consecutive hours inclusive of four hours' overtime, provided that the extended working hours are authorized by the collective bargain agreement between the company and the truckers. The Consolidated Labor Laws (CLT), which regulates employer relations in Brazil used to authorize only two overtime hours on the ordinary eight-hour workday.

Translated by Mayra Borges / Fabrício Ferreira