Brazil's Lula signs law mandating minimum freight rates and tightening penalties
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a law on 5 August 2026 that makes the national freight‑minimum policy permanent. The legislation gives the Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (ANTT) authority to set and update the minimum rates, with automatic adjustments when diesel prices move 5 % or more, to be published within three business days.
The law requires the issuance of a Código Identificador da Operação de Transporte (CIOT) before any freight contract; non‑compliant trips are blocked automatically. Penalties for violations include fines up to R$ 1 million and possible suspension or cancellation of a carrier’s registration. The president vetoed a “jabuti” provision that would have granted amnesty to truckers involved in the 2022 road blockades and removed a proposed R$ 5 000 monthly driver‑salary floor.
Entities: Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (ANTT) · Brazilian road freight sector · Brazilian transport sector · Código Identificador da Operação de Transporte (CIOT) · Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva · Truck drivers (caminhoneiros)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The law expands automatic, large‑scale monitoring of freight contracts linked to electronic fiscal documents. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The law makes the freight‑minimum policy permanent, converting the earlier provisional measure. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] ANTT will calculate and periodically update the freight‑minimum table, adjusting it within three business days when diesel prices change by 5 % or more. (multiple articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Lula vetoed a “jabuti” provision that would have granted amnesty to truckers involved in the 2022 road blockades. (multiple articles)
- [● 10 SOURCES] President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a law establishing a mandatory minimum freight rate on 5 August 2026. (multiple articles)
- [● 6 SOURCES] The law requires a CIOT (Código Identificador da Operação de Transporte) to be issued before any freight contract; non‑compliant trips are blocked automatically. (multiple articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The proposed national driver‑salary floor of R$ 5 000 per month was removed from the final law. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Violations of the freight‑minimum can be punished with fines up to R$ 1 million and may lead to suspension or cancellation of a carrier’s registration. (multiple articles)