The five-day freight transport strike originally planned from 31 March to 4 April 2025 has been postponed, according to an announcement by Trasportounito.
Instead of halting operations, hauliers will stage a TIR demonstration in Rome’s Piazza Porta Pia on 14 April 2025, aiming to highlight the crisis in the road haulage sector. The union cited a “sense of responsibility” towards the industry and the economy as the reason for postponing the strike.
Trasportounito continues to demand urgent government action to address rising operating costs, lack of driver support, and increasing foreign competition. The demonstration is now seen as the only way to ensure hauliers’ concerns are heard.
The GTS Rail strike scheduled for 31 March is not affected by this update.
Original article published on 27/03/2025:
The most extensive action is being led by road transport unions, with a planned national strike from Monday, 31 March, to Friday, 4 April 2025. The work stoppage is expected to begin at 00:01 on 31 March and last until midnight on 4 April, exceeding the usual 24-hour strike format and amounting to a 120-hour suspension of operations.
According to the Italian union FIAP, the aim is to bring all road freight transport to a complete halt throughout the country. The strike immediately follows Italy’s regular Sunday driving ban for trucks over 7.5 tonnes, which remains in effect from 9:00 to 22:00 on Sundays.
Meanwhile, rail freight is also set to be affected. A separate strike by GTS Rail staff has been announced for Monday, 31 March, with the industrial action scheduled to run from 16:01 to 23:59. Several railway unions—including FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL, UILT-UIL, UGL FERROVIE, and FAST-CONFSAL—have joined the call, underlining the nationwide scale of the protest.
The road transport strike is being organised by Trasportounito, which confirmed the shutdown following an assembly held on 16 March in Anagni. The association has accused the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of ignoring repeated appeals to resolve the “serious problems” affecting the road haulage sector.
- In a statement, Trasportounito’s General Secretary Maurizio Longo warned that the lack of government response and absence of regulatory measures risk the collapse of many haulage companies. The union has presented a set of proposals to the Ministry, including:
- Better regulation of the road haulage market
- Concrete solutions to address the shortage of professional drivers
- Measures to offset rising operating costs
- With 80% of goods in Italy transported by road, the protest is expected to cause:
- Delays in goods distribution
- Disruption to food and essential item deliveries
- Problems in the supply chains of manufacturing and retail sectors
Union leaders have framed the strike as a last-resort attempt to force political recognition of the vital role played by trucking in the Italian economy.