Good morning! We’re covering the new reference table for freight prices, which the government hopes will be able to avoid a new truckers’ strike. The low levels of Brazil’s hydropower reservoirs. And the new powers of the Solicitor General. (This newsletter is for premium subscribers only. Become one now!)
With new freight prices, government hopes to avoid truckers’ strike
The National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT) has published a new reference table for freight prices, increasing minimum rates by 11 to 15 percent. With the new table—set to be enforced as of Monday—the government hopes to appease disgruntlement among truckers, one month after they threatened to go on strike. The new rules establish that profit margins should include truck drivers’ expenses with food, lodging, and road tolls. It also says that minimum prices must be updated when fluctuations in diesel prices exceed 10 percent, up or down.
Why it matters. Truckers hold immense power in Brazil, as over 60 percent of all cargo transportation in Brazil is done by road—90 percent if we exclude crude oil and iron ore.
Context. The minimum freight price table was created in 2018 by the Michel Temer administration, following an 11-day truckers’ strike that created...