Truck roadblocks removed in Campania and Calabria as traffic resumes

Roadblocks established by transport trucks in Campania and Calabria have been removed, although protests by some independent operators and other sectors continue to affect various regions. While traffic is now circulating regularly, officials and industry representatives warn that the recovery of the retail sector will not be immediate. Experts estimate that it will take approximately one week to return to full normality as stores work to restock empty shelves. Beyond the main supply arteries, the disruption has expanded to include taxi protests, which are scheduled for Monday in Rome.

Pressure on Supply Chains and Retailers

The four-day disruption caused significant strain on the food distribution network, which serves approximately 92,000 fixed-location food stores in Central and Southern Italy. According to Confesercenti, four out of every ten member businesses reported critical shortages during the blockade. Small and medium-sized enterprises were particularly affected, with businesses handling perishable goods—such as the 11,500 fruit and vegetable shops and 4,500 fishmongers—facing the most acute vulnerabilities due to their reliance on daily deliveries. The impact also reached numerous food street vendors, including thousands specialized in produce and thousands of fuel distributors.

In Naples, where refueling became effectively impossible, the crisis disrupted operations for 3,600 restaurants, 710 fuel stations, and thousands of specialized food retailers, including 1,370 fruit and vegetable shops and 525 fishmongers. Similar conditions were reported in Bari, where businesses struggled with supply gaps across 1,300 restaurants, 320 fuel stations, 440 fruit and vegetable shops, and 240 fishmongers. Confesercenti noted that while transport flows are resuming, the financial impact of missed sales and potential price increases remains a concern for the sector, as retailers struggle with reduced margins and rising costs along the supply chain. Before the government decree was issued, Federdistribuzione had warned that the critical issues concern the entire agri-food supply chain.

Commission Requests Truck Driver Return to Work

The Commission for the Guarantee of Strikes had formally requested the precettazione of truck drivers, citing an unsustainable criticality in the supply of essential goods. The Commission invoked legal measures under Article 13, paragraph 1, letter f, of Law No. 146 of 1990, to ensure the immediate resumption of deliveries, acknowledging that while some transport unions had demonstrated responsibility, the persistent blockades necessitated intervention to protect essential services for the country.

As the distribution industry welcomes the news of the reopening of motorways and junctions, the focus has shifted to the logistical challenge of rebuilding inventory. Industry leaders emphasize that the return to normal operations depends on restoring the continuity of supplies, a process that remains sensitive to the high cost of fuel that originally triggered the protests. Furthermore, the fishing sector has joined the unrest, with trawlers remaining docked in numerous ports from Termoli and Manfredonia to the upper Adriatic, including Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Romagna, and the Marche region.