Soaring fuel prices set Italian truckers on warpath
Max Civili
Press TV, Rome
Truck drivers in Italy are threatening to bring the country's economic supply chain to a halt in protest against a huge rise in fuel prices. Road haulage associations are warning that the truckers are going on the warpath.
A number of road haulage associations warned on Wednesday that truck drivers won't take it anymore and are ready to go on the warpath as petrol, diesel, and methane prices continue to surge dramatically in Italy. Higher fuel prices and household energy bills have further swelled living costs for people in Italy with truck drivers being among the hardest hit.
Fuel prices overall in Italy are now at their highest since 2012. Petrol has gone up by almost 20% over the past twelve months, meaning it now costs on average over 9,000 euros more per month for a lorry driver to fill up.
Truck driving is the leading form of freight transportation in Italy as 85 percent of all goods are shipped by road in the country. That’s compared to a European average of about 70 percent. However, over the past years, Italian truck drivers have seen their workload significantly decrease as Eastern European haulers have surged into the Italian market.
Italian truck drivers have staged protests on several occasions over the past years, blockading major ports, borders, and the main routes into Italy's cities. Road haulage associations are slated to meet with the government On February 17 in a final attempt to ease the simmering tensions.
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