The fatal incident took place on Monday morning, shortly after the protest had formally begun. Luigi Nappo, a 55-year-old driver, was coordinating activities at the strategic junction of the A1 and A30 motorways, in the San Nicola La Strada area of Caserta province. At the time of the incident, he was beside a line of heavy goods vehicles parked in the right-hand lane, where he was helping to organise the protest traffic.
He was hit by a passenger car travelling at high speed towards the Caserta Sud exit. The driver remained at the scene and was detained by police. Prosecutors have already opened an investigation into negligent manslaughter.
The hauliers’ strike in Italy has been suspended
News of the tragedy immediately changed the course of events. Italy’s road haulage association Trasportounito announced that it was suspending the nationwide stoppage.
In a statement, the organisation said the decision had been taken as a sign of mourning following the driver’s death. The association’s secretary-general, Maurizio Longo, said the protest had already begun to wind down from dawn.
As he stressed, the tragedy also has a broader dimension: in his view, hauliers’ livelihoods are “hanging by an ever thinner thread” because of a crisis he described as global and likely irreversible.
The strike was gradually halted in different parts of the country during the early morning hours. The organisation noted, however, that this is a suspension of the strike, not its definitive cancellation, and that mobilisation remains active as a form of pressure.
Reasons for the strike
The immediate trigger for the protest was the rising cost of diesel. According to the organisers, diesel prices have remained above €2 per litre for months and can account for as much as 30% of transport companies’ operating costs.
The planned strike was due to last six days, from midnight on 20 April to 25 April, and to disrupt logistics across the country, including deliveries of fresh and perishable goods. Longo accused public institutions and the relevant ministry of inaction in the face of the fuel cost crisis, while also pointing to the actions of the commission for strikes in essential public services, which, he said, had tried to place obstacles in the way of the protest.
The planned nationwide protest was also intended as a response to earlier strikes in Sicily.
What’s next for the strike in Italy
Despite the suspension of the action, tensions in the sector have not disappeared. A technical meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 21 April, at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, with the participation of the Unatras association.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, 22 April at 17:00, representatives of Sicilian hauliers, who suspended their strike after being invited to Rome, are due to meet Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini and Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi. The meeting is seen as crucial if Italy is to avoid renewed road protests.
The sector’s demands include tax relief, support for companies’ liquidity, and systemic mechanisms to control energy costs.
