Brazil names firms breaching freight price rules, tightens oversight (updated)

Ambev SA

18/03/2026 17:54

Updates March 18 story with statement from MBRF in paragraph 7

SAO PAULO, March 19 (Reuters) - Brazil on Wednesday named major companies the government has fined in recent months, saying they did not comply with minimum freight price rules and that continued non-compliance could see them barred from contracting freight services.

The fines come as the government pledged to tighten enforcement of rules to appease truck drivers, after unions began advocating for a strike this week following a jump in diesel prices.

Transport minister Renan Filho named food processor MBRF MBRF3.SA, fuel distributor Vibra VBBR3.SA, sugarmaker Raizen RAIZ4.SA, brewer Ambev ABEV3.SA, grain trader Cargill and consumer goods firm Unilever ULVR.L.

Raizen in a statement said it calculates freight payments based on fixed and variable components, and that the government audit does not consider total freight paid.

Vibra voiced concern over its freight payments being evaluated separately, saying it is aligned with market prices.

Unilever said the government does not take into account market practices, and that it complies with regulations throughout its logistics chain.

MBRF said its compensation contracts follow a specific model and that any analyses that consider only part of this structure do not fully reflect the rates charged.

Ambev and Cargill did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

 (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes; Additional reporting by Isabel Teles; Editing by Gabriel Araujo and Christopher Cushing)

 ((Fernando.Cardoso@thomsonreuters.com))