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4 clusters · 12 sources · 36 days · First seen 2 months ago · Last updated 27 days ago

Brazil road freight floor price methodology and market shift

Overview

Researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) Esalq-Log group have released a study suggesting that the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) methodology for calculating minimum road freight floor prices in Brazil may systematically overestimate costs.

The study identifies 17 areas for improvement, specifically noting that current parameters do not align with the reality of the Brazilian fleet. Key discrepancies include the use of 181 monthly working hours instead of 220, and a seven-year economic life for vehicles that fails to account for the national fleet's average age of 16.4 years. Proposed adjustments to depreciation, capital return, and working hours could reduce floor prices by an average of 7.6%.

In recent market developments, the Edenred Road Freight Index (IFR) reported that average road freight prices per kilometer rose by 1.04% in August to R$ 8.72. This increase occurred despite four consecutive months of declining diesel prices, driven by increased enforcement of the Minimum Freight Law (Law No. 15,485/2026) and rising demand following the second corn harvest. Analysts suggest costs may remain high in September due to corn price fluctuations and climate uncertainties.

Following a revision of diesel prices, ANTT issued Ordinance SUROC No. 22 to update the coefficients used for calculating the minimum road freight floor. The new calculation utilizes a national average reference price of R$ 7.33 per liter for S10 diesel, based on data recorded by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) between September 20 and 26, 2026. Minimum values continue to vary based on cargo type, axle count, distance, and operational configuration.

Entities

University of São Paulo · ANTT · Edenred · Parliamentary Agriculture Front · ANP

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 4 SOURCES] A USP study identified 17 factors that may be artificially inflating minimum freight floor values.
[● 4 SOURCES] The current methodology for calculating fixed costs uses a monthly utilization of 181 hours.
[● 4 SOURCES] Researchers propose increasing the monthly utilization reference from 181 to 220 hours.
[● 4 SOURCES] Increasing monthly hours to 220 could reduce calculated floor values by an average of 7.6%.
[● 4 SOURCES] In grain transport, the proposed change could result in cost differences between 6.38% and 11.04%.

Timeline

27 days ago

[BUSINESS] 2 sources
ANTT updates Brazil's minimum road freight floor
Brazil's ANTT has updated the minimum road freight floor, using a new diesel reference price of R$ 7.33 per liter to adjust transport cost calculations.
about 1 month ago

[BUSINESS] 4 sources
Brazil road freight prices rise 1.04% in August
Brazil's road freight prices rose 1.04% in August to R$ 8.72 per km, despite falling diesel costs, driven by new minimum freight regulations and agribusiness demand.
about 2 months ago

[BUSINESS] 6 sources
USP study identifies factors inflating Brazil's minimum freight floor prices
A USP study identifies 17 factors inflating Brazil's minimum freight floor prices, prompting calls from the agricultural sector to revise ANTT regulations and increase monthly hour references.
2 months ago

[BUSINESS] 5 sources
USP study proposes changes to Brazil's freight floor price
A USP study suggests revising Brazil's freight floor price methodology, which could reduce grain transport costs by up to 11% by better reflecting actual vehicle usage and depreciation.

Sources

arapuanews.com.br · blog.bsoft.com.br · es1.com.br · home.dgabc.com.br · leiagora.com.br · minutomt.com.br · noticiamarajo.com.br · nx1.com.br · oempallador.com.br · tnonline.uol.com.br · transportemoderno.com.br · viagemegastronomia.com.br

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history