Minimum Freight Rates: Approval of the PLV Bill and Presidential Vetoes. What Will Change?

On August 5, 2026, the President of the Republic signed into law, with partial vetoes, Conversion Bill No. 6/2026 (“PLV”), now Law No. 15,485 of August 5, 2026, published on August 6 in the Official Gazette. The amendments introduced by Law No. 15,485/2026 were incorporated into Law No. 13,703/2018 (the “Minimum Freight Rate Law”). Here are some of the changes with the greatest impact on shippers and carriers.

Veto of the proposal to convert prior violations into warnings

The possibility of converting violations of the National Minimum Wage Policy into warnings—as originally provided for in the PLV—has been vetoed. In practice, this means that the fines already issued by ANTT remain valid and enforceable. Fines that have been definitively assessed and remain unpaid will not be converted into warnings and, therefore, must be paid or challenged in court, if applicable.

Transition Rule: The Threshold for Increasing Penalties

Although the amnesty proposal has not been enacted, there is an express provision stating that violations occurring prior to the law’s publication may not be considered in determining recidivism, repetition, or habitual violations (except as prior offenses, where permitted). Furthermore, the new penalties of suspension, revocation, increased fines, and operational restrictions apply only to acts committed after the “respective regulatory acts” take effect.

The cap on the increased fine (R$ 1 million)

The system of increased fines (now Article 5-E of the Minimum Freight Rate Law) was enacted, with a cap of R$ 1 million. Consequently, the provisions of the Minimum Freight Rate Law that provided for a progressive scale of fines of R$ 1 million, R$ 2 million, R$ 5 million, and R$ 10 million, as well as the suspension of the execution of new freight contracts for five, ten, and thirty days.

With the new statutory cap and the repeals, the fines of R$ 2 million, R$ 5 million, and R$ 10 million provided for in ANTT Resolution No. 5,867/2020 are now inconsistent with the statutory limit. The suspension on entering into new contracts under the old model no longer has a legal basis and is expected to be repealed in the regulatory acts to be issued by ANTT.

The New Tiered System: Suspension and Cancellation of the RNTRC

Progressive penalties have also been introduced against road freight carriers who repeatedly contract services below the minimum freight rate: provisional suspension of registration, permanent suspension in the event of a repeat offense, and, in cases of persistent noncompliance, cancellation of the RNTRC for up to 24 months. All of these penalties are subject to a final decision, preceded by a hearing and full opportunity to present a defense, and the penalty period begins only under the new system, without taking into account previous citations.

Extension to members, administrators, and the economic group

Sanctions may be imposed on partners, directors, controlling shareholders, and members of the same economic group when there is evidence of abuse of legal personality, misuse of corporate purpose, fraud, commingling of assets, or the use of a straw person, subject to due process and without prejudice to the provisions of the Civil Code regarding the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil.

In summary, the new rules introduce significant changes without offering amnesty for past violations: fines already issued remain enforceable, and the new regime will only take full effect after ANTT issues its regulations. This interim period is the appropriate time to review ongoing fines, assess pending defenses, and align freight contracting practices with the new legal framework.

Our Civil Litigation and Arbitration practice continues to monitor developments and is available to evaluate specific cases and mitigate risks related to this issue.

Authors

Roberta Novaes Marcondes – rmarcondes@araujopolicastro.com.br

Eduardo Adua – eadua@araujopolicastro.com.br