The truckers' movement that calls for 'Out with Dilma' cannot be a truckers' movement.

Anyone can want the impeachment of any elected official, such as Alckmin, Richa, or Dilma. And they can fight for it.

However, when a group expresses itself politically, that expression must be related to the demands of that same group in order to have a minimum of coherence as an expression.

Based on this logic, I argue that it makes no sense for the truck drivers' category, which has a defined list of demands, to be fighting for the impeachment of President Dilma, and I will demonstrate why below.

The Lula and Dilma governments radically changed the relationship between the federal government and truck drivers, enabling more than a dozen significant achievements.

During the FHC (Fernando Henrique Cardoso) administration, truck drivers and road freight transport companies didn't even have access to the Minister of Transport. They had to stage a major strike in 1999 to be heard. From then until the end of 2002, there was almost no progress on their list of demands.

In early 2004, I took on the role of Secretary of National Transport Policy – ​​SPNT, in the Ministry of Transport. Because the issue hadn't progressed satisfactorily in the first year of Lula's government, due to the unfortunate legacy of the FHC administration, within the Ministry of Transport, truck drivers were up in arms, with a new strike planned for July.

SPNT brought together all the leaders – independent truck drivers, cooperatives, and business owners – and began to outline an agenda for profound transformations in the sector, aiming at the public interest and not the corporatist interest.

Between 2004 and 2005, the leaders were received by the minister and President Lula. Crucial issues began to be addressed, and today, practically the entire agenda has been met, with new demands included. From 2004 to 2007, the truck drivers were received twice by the minister and President Lula.

During the Dilma and Lula administrations, freight transport was once again regulated and incentivized. The FHC administration revoked the existing regulations, and without laws, transporting cargo became a matter of the strongest. And the strongest was never the truck driver.

Under Dilma and Lula, the sector became more professional, independent drivers started paying less tax, and driving time control was instituted: transporters have to rest after a day's work on the road.

The infamous "Carta-Frete" (freight letter) system was discontinued, and financing lines were opened at BNDES (Brazilian Development Bank) for the purchase of used trucks.

This set of actions generated more income and dignity for truck drivers. Furthermore, the law on preventing and suppressing cargo theft has allowed for improvements in their daily lives.

The Dilma and Lula governments increased resources for maintaining federal highways, building highways in agricultural production areas, doubling those with the highest freight traffic, and expanding highways providing access to ports.

8.630 km of highways, or 15% of the federal highway network, were placed under concession agreements, and 5,7 kilometers of highways were built or duplicated.

Road maintenance is no longer just a "patching job," as it was done during the FHC administration, and today it adheres to requirements for pavement quality, signage, and maintenance of vegetation around the highways. The roads have become better and more beautiful.

During President Dilma's current term, a network of comfortable and safe rest areas will be implemented for truck drivers.

Below is an excerpt from an email I received from a legitimate and active leader of the truck drivers. He was referring to conversations he had with some activists from the "Out with Dilma" movement.

“And I also reflected for them on what we achieved with the PT governments: we overturned the double-trailer truck license (ART) and managed to reduce the tax base for self-employed drivers from 40% to 10%, among many other achievements.” In another passage, he emphasized the difference in the relationship between the PT governments and truck drivers compared to the PSDB governments, where they were treated “with bread and water.”

In short, no government has been as sensitive to the problems of truck drivers as those of Lula and Dilma. The president gave further proof of this by approving, without vetoes, the new Truck Drivers Law. Furthermore, she guaranteed the freezing of diesel prices for another six months, the adjustment of Pro-Truck Driver financing, the non-collection of tolls for suspended axles on unloaded trucks, among other important measures.

Given all this, I find it hard to believe that the category of independent truck drivers is actually interested in impeaching President Dilma. It remains to be seen whether those who call themselves truck drivers, activists of the "Out with Dilma" movement, actually have an RNTRC – National Registry of Road Freight Transport. In other words, whether they are really truck drivers…