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The temporary measure is now in effect, requires prior registration of operations, expands supervision, and promises to block freights below the minimum rate even before the load leaves the origin.
Detailing on this Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the Provisional Measure 1.343/2026 on the program Good Morning, Minister, the Minister of Transport, Renan Filho, reinforced the government’s main bet to respond to an old complaint from the category, the non-compliance with the minimum freight rate by contracting companies. The MP was published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette of the Union on March 19 and amends Law 13.703/2018, which established the national policy for minimum rates for road freight transport.
In practice, the measure creates a stricter control system, with mandatory registration of all operations, expanded use of the Transport Operation Identifier Code, the CIOT, and heavier penalties for those who insist on contracting freight below the legal value. According to the Civil House, the intention is to enhance protection for truck drivers, increase transparency in contracts, and tighten supervision over companies and contractors in the sector.
The point that drew the most attention is that the government wants to move away from the model where irregularities were discovered later and shift to a format where they are blocked at the origin. According to ANTT and the Ministry of Transport, if the reported value is below the minimum rate, the CIOT will not be issued, which makes regular transport of that load unfeasible.
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Renan Filho’s interview comes at a sensitive moment. In recent days, the rise in diesel prices and the disregard for the freight table have once again mobilized leaders of the category. Truck drivers abandoned an immediate strike after the publication of the measures but maintained pressure for new adjustments and continue to be in negotiation with the government.
What changes with the freight minimum MP
According to UOL, the core of the MP is simple to understand, although the effect is significant. Every road freight transport operation must be registered, generating the CIOT, which will gather data on the contractor, transporter, origin, destination, amount paid, and applicable minimum rate. According to the National Congress, this is precisely the essence of MPV 1343, which makes the registration of operations mandatory and creates administrative measures to ensure compliance with the minimum rate.
Moreover, the measure tightens sanctions. Transport companies may face penalties ranging from provisional suspension of the RNTRC to cancellation of registration for up to two years in more serious or repeat cases. Meanwhile, autonomous cargo transporters, the TACs, will not be subject to these suspensions, a point the government has highlighted as a way to protect the most vulnerable link in the chain.
For contractors who insist on paying below the minimum rate, the MP provides for fines that can range from R$ 1 million to R$ 10 million per operation, in addition to the possibility of being prohibited from contracting new freights. Liability may also extend to partners and members of economic groups, through the so-called disregard of legal personality, a mechanism used when there is abuse in the corporate structure.
Why the government decided to tighten supervision now
The tightening did not arise in a vacuum. According to the Ministry of Transport, freight supervision has increased by 2,000% in the last three years, rising from an average of 300 monthly fines in the previous administration to 6,000 in 2025, reaching 40,000 fines in January 2026. Renan Filho also stated that, in the last four months, the fined companies accumulated about R$ 419 million in fines, which, in the government’s assessment, revealed a high and persistent level of non-compliance.
This diagnosis helps explain the change in strategy. The official reading is that fines alone have not been sufficient because some companies treated the punishment as operational cost. Therefore, the new model aims to tackle the problem before the trip starts, blocking the operation at the contracting stage and increasing the real risk for those who insist on operating outside the rules.
There is also an important economic and political backdrop. Recent pressure on diesel, linked to international oil volatility amid the conflict in the Middle East, has reignited fears of strikes and increased the government’s urgency to provide a quick response to the category. Agência Brasil reported that the mobilization for the strike gained strength precisely with the rise in fuel prices and complaints that many companies continued to disregard the table created in 2018.
How the blocking of irregular freights will work
The second front of the measure lies in the regulation made by ANTT. According to the agency, the CIOT will function as a mandatory validation mechanism, and the system should automatically block the issuance of the code when the reported value is below the minimum rate. Without CIOT, there is no regular transport. It is an attempt to make supervision something preventive, not just punitive.
This control will also be reinforced by linking the CIOT to the Electronic Manifest of Tax Documents, the MDF-e, which expands data cross-referencing with the Federal Revenue and state and municipal tax authorities. According to the Civil House and the Ministry of Transport, this integration should increase the traceability of operations and hinder fraud, abusive intermediation, and informal contracts that compress truck drivers’ income.
ANTT reported that the national integration of systems will be completed in up to 60 days, although implementation may advance before that, depending on technical progress. While this adaptation is underway, the MP is already in effect, and the regulation published by the agency aims to accelerate the transition from announcement to practical application.
What is still open for truck drivers
Although the government believes that the MP has reduced tension in the sector, the truck drivers’ agenda does not end with it. Leaders interviewed by Agência Brasil stated that the category intends to present amendments and discuss issues such as insurance, GR, truck weights, and other points that directly affect the cost of operation. Wallace Landim, known as Chorão, stated that negotiations should continue in Brasília.
The very postponement of the strike shows that there has been relief, but not total consensus. Poder360 reported that representatives of the category decided to postpone for at least seven days the decision on a national strike, even acknowledging progress with the MP. This means that the measure helped to defuse the most immediate crisis, but it will still be tested both politically and in concrete execution.
There is also an important institutional stage ahead. The provisional measure already has the force of law, but it now goes for analysis by the National Congress, where it can receive amendments and changes before being definitively converted into law. In the Congress system, MPV 1343 has been in process since March 19, with an open deadline for amendments and deliberation.
At the center of this debate is a question that interests the whole country, not just truck drivers. Has the government managed to create a mechanism capable of truly enforcing the table, or has it merely raised the tone of punishments amid the current pressure? The answer will depend less on discourse and more on the ability to prevent, on a day-to-day basis, irregular freight from being contracted away from the spotlight.
Whether this MP will finally protect truck drivers’ income or still leaves loopholes for large contractors to continue pressuring the sector will become evident in the coming weeks. Leave your comment and tell us what you think; has the rule become strong enough to change the game, or is the problem far from over?
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