Portuguese earthmoving firms stage 500-truck slow march over diesel prices

Slow march sets off from Lordelo

More than 100 heavy vehicles departed from the Lordelo access junction of the A42 motorway in the Paredes area of the Porto district at 07:40 on Friday, 25 September. The slow march was organised by entrepreneurs from across the earthmoving, excavation, and aggregate extraction sectors to demand concrete responses from authorities regarding rising fuel costs. Representative Miguel Machado Mendes estimated on site that approximately 500 heavy goods vehicles would take part in the protest as additional operators joined the convoy along the route to Coimbra. The demonstration follows initial mobilisation efforts announced on Wednesday, when the industry movement confirmed the participation of more than 100 separate businesses and 400 heavy vehicles.

Fuel price escalation threatens sector operations

The companies participating in the protest represent specialized branches of civil construction, including aggregate extraction, materials transport, and general earthmoving, which were excluded from earlier state support mechanisms. Sector representatives noted that fuel expenses have placed businesses in an exposed and vulnerable position regarding energy prices. Diesel fuel accounts for nearly 70% of the final production price that these companies charge to their commercial clients. In a formal press statement cited by the Lusa news agency, the organizers detailed the magnitude of recent fuel price increases in the domestic market.

Since 27 February of this year, the price of diesel in Portugal rose from 1.59 euros to 2.22 euros per litre, an increase of 63 cents per litre.

Business owners warned that this steep price increase has created an unsustainable operating environment that directly threatens the financial survival of enterprises and the jobs of their workers.

Five-hour transit across northern and central motorways

The convoy mapped out a structured itinerary across the primary highway network of northern and central Portugal. From the initial starting point on the A42 in Paredes, the vehicles move onto the A41 motorway in a north-to-south direction before transferring onto the A1 motorway heading south towards the Coimbra Sul junction, where the demonstration is set to terminate. Participating vehicles are maintaining a regulated speed of 50 kilometres per hour while travelling exclusively in the right-hand lane. The planned transit is scheduled to last approximately five hours, with the convoy expected to reach Coimbra around 13:00.

Police deployment along the transport corridor

The National Republican Guard (GNR) established an operational deployment to escort the convoy throughout the journey. Security arrangements involve territorial commands across each of the administrative districts along the route, working in coordination with the National Traffic Unit to oversee operational traffic management. Law enforcement officers are monitoring motorway entrance ramps, overpasses, viaducts, and surrounding roadway junctions, with security units stationed and ready to intervene if traffic complications develop during the slow march.

Wider demonstrations follow fiscal relief rejection

The highway demonstration coincided with other actions protesting fuel prices across the country on Friday. Motorists organised a vehicle horn protest across the 25 de Abril Bridge in Lisbon to express dissatisfaction with energy costs following the legislative defeat of proposed tax relief measures. Earthmoving entrepreneurs stated that the combination of climbing fuel prices and the rejection of tax mitigation policies leaves the construction supply chain in distress, reinforcing their call for immediate state intervention.