De Facto Quasi-Regulatory Agencies in Brazil: A Case Study on the Truckers’ National Blockade

The analysis is focused on the national blockade of truckers which strongly affected Brazil between 21 and 31 May 2018, and its direct repercussions on the regulatory agency’s behavior. To solve this crisis, significant part of the government’s bargaining involved the participation of the National Agency of Terrestrial Transport (ANTT), which was responsible for the regulation of the minimal pricing policy for freight transportation throughout the country. However, the highly unstable regulations adopted by the Agency in just a few days have demonstrated the fragile autonomy of the entity, as well as revealed its de facto quasi-regulatory performance. The same perspective seems applicable to other Brazilian agencies, when analyzed the aggressive institutional pattern adopted by the Presidency, the Ministry and the Judiciary on regulatory issues, in order to weaken the agencies’ independence and legitimacy.