Truck drivers carried out stoppages on stretches of highways in at least 15 states this Wednesday (8), a day after the coup-supporting demonstrations called by President Jair Bolsonaro (no party).
Without formal support from entities in the sector, drivers are politically aligned with the government or linked to agribusiness. In the late afternoon, around 5:30 pm, concentration points had been registered in Bahia, Espírito Santo, Paraná, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Santa Catarina, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure.
There were also roadblocks in Rio de Janeiro and Roraima, where a group of autonomous truck drivers interrupted traffic on the BR-174. This road is the only connection between the state and the rest of the country.
In Santa Catarina, late Wednesday afternoon, the PRF communicated blockades in 22 points, reaching practically all regions of the state. The situation has already started to affect fuel distribution.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, the protests "are not limited to demands related to the sector." The main guidelines for truck drivers today are fuel prices and minimum freight prices. "There is no coordination of any sectorial entity for road freight transport," said the ministry.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon