One year on from the truck drivers’ strike: has anything changed?

In May 2018, truck drivers around Brazil staged a 10-day strike which brought the country to a near standstill. Protesting rising diesel prices, truckers blocked roads up and down the nation, causing food and fuel shortages in several cities. Animal breeders lost vast millions of livestock due to starvation and cannibalism, while an estimated 280 million liters of milk was spoiled. In all, Brazilian agribusiness lost around BRL 5 billion as a result of the 10-day stoppage.

Almost a year on, threats of another strike loom, suggesting that nothing has been done to solve 2018’s problems. Speaking to The Brazilian Report, Marcus Quintella, a specialist in transport at think-tank Fundação Getúlio Vargas, lamented the lack of progress. “When I go to give lectures, I’m just saying the same things I did last year,” he sighed.

Indeed, the situation is remarkably similar, with truck drivers once again revolting on the issue of rising diesel prices. Seeking to avoid a new stoppage, the government is trying to pander to truckers, with President Jair Bolsonaro...