Skip to main content

Brazil’s haulage firms face more costs due to strict new legislation

The Brazilian haulage sector is in the process of adjusting to a new bill set to come into force soon that will regulate compulsory driver resting periods. Law 12.619 means drivers must have a minimum resting period of 30 minutes for every four hours on the road. In addition, they must stop for one hour at lunch time, and they need to rest 11 hours for every 24 hours worked.
September 17, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The Brazilian haulage sector is in the process of adjusting to a new bill set to come into force soon that will regulate compulsory driver resting periods.

Law 12.619 means drivers must have a minimum resting period of 30 minutes for every four hours on the road. In addition, they must stop for one hour at lunch time, and they need to rest 11 hours for every 24 hours worked.

The rule changes have been criticised by some haulage firms and prompted many to increase their staffing levels and/or their contract outsourcing. The expenditure associated with complying with the new haulage sector regulations is said to represent a 40% cost rise for the majority of companies.

One company, Gafor, said it had managed to adjust some 70% of its contracts, while the price of its freight service could increase by up to 30% due to the greater number of vehicles and drivers on the road. Another firm, JSL, has also introduced operating changes: with drivers now having to log their stoppage times. The company relies on 7,000 drivers and still continues to recruit among this staff category. 6571 MIRA Transportes said it will have to increase its long distance (over 600km) service drivers by 30%. The company has a 550 vehicle fleet.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Fast, safe and sustainable transport for Johannesburg
    February 14, 2012
    GTZ highlights a pioneering scheme illustrating the potential of Bus Rapid Transit systems as a viable approach to alleviate the traffic and social problems faced by large cities worldwide
  • Fast, safe and sustainable transport for Johannesburg
    April 12, 2012
    GTZ highlights a pioneering scheme illustrating the potential of Bus Rapid Transit systems as a viable approach to alleviate the traffic and social problems faced by large cities worldwide Most major cities worldwide have been characterised by the phenomenon of steadily growing urbanisation accompanied by exponentially increasing numbers of private motorised vehicles. This has led to congested roads and sprawling cities, with commuters having to travel long distances to and from work. Despite huge inves
  • UK Government must show “much greater leadership” on road safety
    August 20, 2012
    A leading road safety campaigner has urged the UK government to show “much greater leadership” on the issue after new Department for Transport (DfT) figures revealed a rise in pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads. The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI) on UK roads between April 1 and June 30, 2012 rose 13% to 700, compared to 621 over the same three months of 2011.
  • Repair, recycling and warm mix technology at Italy’s Asphaltica exibition
    May 15, 2017
    As the name might suggest, the Asphaltica show in Verona, Italy was a good place to catch up on new ideas and applications for bitumen technology. Kristina Smith picked out a few highlights.