Truck protests over diesel costs disrupted food deliveries across southern Italy on Oct. 19, leaving shoppers with empty supermarket shelves as haulers pressed the government over fuel relief.
Consumer group Confconsumatori said shoppers were already finding empty shelves and drivers faced substantial delays. It said some demonstrators were letting perishable goods pass. The group called for an end to motorway blockades and talks on the grievances behind the protest.
ANSA reported empty shelves in parts of Campania, Calabria and Sicily. It said protesters blocked access to Naples’ commercial port, while demonstrations also took place in Calabria, near Potenza in Basilicata and in Bari, Puglia. The news agency also reported disruption at Sicilian ports.
Motorway operator Autostrade per l’Italia said a demonstration temporarily closed the connection from the A1 toward the A30 for traffic arriving from Naples early Oct. 19. It recorded queues of 2 kilometers on each of two A1 stretches and 3 kilometers on an A30 stretch.
Agricultural representatives, including Confagricoltura Campania President Fabrizio Marzano, warned that delayed fresh produce could be lost, ANSA reported.
Fuel costs and the timing of government support are at the center of the dispute. A tax credit under a March 18, 2026, decree-law covers eligible haulers’ additional diesel spending from March through August 2026, compared with February 2026 prices. Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport issued the application rules.
UNATRAS, a group of national haulage associations, said Oct. 16 that companies had received none of the credit relief, for which it said €434 million had been allocated. The group said it suspended a planned national stoppage after a May 22 agreement with the government on support measures and further talks.
ANSA reported that Transport Minister Matteo Salvini planned to meet national haulage associations and local protest groups in Milan on Oct. 20.
