On the morning of January 10, 2024, dozens of trucks rallied on roads surrounding key Romanian cities, including Bucharest, Bacău, Buzău, Cluj, Suceava, Oradea, and Constanta. In the capital, the procession of heavy vehicles started at 9:00 AM, marking a protest that seems to have originated on social networks, outside the traditional trucking unions. The movement is primarily driven by small businesses struggling to cope with rising costs, particularly insurance and tolls.
Companies engaged in international transport are complaining about long waiting times at borders. These delays are attributed not only to Romania's non-membership in the Schengen Area but also to intensive document checks by authorities. Additionally, at country entry points, trucks are often weighed, and transporters claim that these weighings do not always yield accurate results, compared to those in other countries. There's also a lack of leniency for minor weight and size excesses, as prescribed by the EU Regulation 1100/2008.
Another contested issue is the mandate, introduced on January 1, 2024, requiring industrial vehicles to be fitted with a tracking system connected to the Ministry of Finance. This measure aims to monitor the movement of goods for tax purposes, particularly for incoming freight. This situation arises amidst a shortage of drivers, partly because many Romanians prefer working abroad, where they earn higher wages. For now, the protest is set to continue indefinitely.
