Brazil’s Federal Highway Police (PRF) has activated its annual holiday-road-safety operation, but this year’s most disruptive measure kicked in during the first December long weekend: from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday night (4 December) trucks requiring an Autorização Especial de Trânsito (AET) are barred from BR-163 and parallel highways across Mato Grosso. The corridors funnel soy, meat and corn to northern river ports and coastal terminals.
Non-compliance attracts a R$ 1,467 fine and three demerit points, and PRF escorts are withdrawn for non-essential hauls. Exporters complain the ban clashes with production cycles: soy processors in Sorriso and meat-packers in Rondonópolis typically dispatch end-week consignments to reach ports before Monday futures cut-off. Logistics firms are parking loads at storage yards near Cuiabá or rerouting via the Ferrovia Norte-Sul, but rail capacity is tight.
![Federal Highway Police Holiday Blitz Bans Oversize Loads on Mato Grosso Export Corridors]()
If your operation involves flying additional technicians or drivers into the country at short notice, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Their dedicated Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) handles business visas, work permits and other travel formalities online, giving mobility managers a fast, reliable way to keep crews compliant and moving even when road restrictions force last-minute schedule changes.
For global-mobility managers supervising expatriate drivers or engineers the crackdown demands contingency planning. Ensure transport partners have rerouting options and that any AET-exempt cargo carries documentation proving eligibility. Past blitzes have seen roadside motels sell out fast – book accommodation early for assignees caught in lay-overs.
PRF has hinted the restrictions could return over Carnival if outbound leisure traffic remains heavy. Mobility teams moving household goods or project equipment into Brazil’s interior should monitor PRF bulletins and budget for potential storage or demurrage fees.
Non-compliance attracts a R$ 1,467 fine and three demerit points, and PRF escorts are withdrawn for non-essential hauls. Exporters complain the ban clashes with production cycles: soy processors in Sorriso and meat-packers in Rondonópolis typically dispatch end-week consignments to reach ports before Monday futures cut-off. Logistics firms are parking loads at storage yards near Cuiabá or rerouting via the Ferrovia Norte-Sul, but rail capacity is tight.
If your operation involves flying additional technicians or drivers into the country at short notice, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Their dedicated Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) handles business visas, work permits and other travel formalities online, giving mobility managers a fast, reliable way to keep crews compliant and moving even when road restrictions force last-minute schedule changes.
For global-mobility managers supervising expatriate drivers or engineers the crackdown demands contingency planning. Ensure transport partners have rerouting options and that any AET-exempt cargo carries documentation proving eligibility. Past blitzes have seen roadside motels sell out fast – book accommodation early for assignees caught in lay-overs.
PRF has hinted the restrictions could return over Carnival if outbound leisure traffic remains heavy. Mobility teams moving household goods or project equipment into Brazil’s interior should monitor PRF bulletins and budget for potential storage or demurrage fees.
