Truck drivers begin to free Brazilian roads after accord over fuel prices

Truck drivers in Brazil started to clear up roads they had blocked with their vehicles for several days as part of protests seeking lower fuel taxes after an accord was reached hours earlier with government officials, Brazilian media including Valor Economico reported on February 26.

The accord was possible following the government’s agreement that debts of those groups with the state oil company Petrobras for past fuel consumption would be negotiated. Also, there was an accord that diesel prices were not going to be increased for the next semester.

Brazilian transportation companies had blocked Brazilian highways and roads in as many as 11 states which had either interrupted or threatened supplies of fuels as well as of food in several regions.

Transportation companies complained that because of taxes and other surcharges prices of fuel in Brazil had remained high for the past year even as they were falling elsewhere.