Freight Companies Get Three-Month Social Security Holiday and Direct Cash Injection as Diesel Bills Soar

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced a EUR 40 million emergency package for the transport sector on Wednesday, alongside a three-month deferral of social security contributions for freight companies, as the knock-on effects of the Hormuz Strait crisis continue to push fuel costs higher across Portugal.

The measures, which the Council of Ministers will formally approve on Thursday, are the government's latest attempt to cushion an industry that moves virtually everything the country consumes — from supermarket goods to construction materials — against diesel prices that have risen sharply since the Persian Gulf shipping disruption began.

What the Package Contains

Speaking during the fortnightly debate in the Assembleia da República, Montenegro outlined three pillars:

• EUR 30 million in direct support for road freight operators (transporte de mercadorias por conta de outrem), to be paid in a single lump sum.
• EUR 10 million for public passenger transport providers that operate under public-service obligations — the bus and coach companies that run subsidised regional routes.
• Deferral of social security contributions for freight companies for the months of April, May, and June 2026. Companies will be allowed to delay payments without penalty, giving them breathing room while fuel prices remain elevated.

EU State Aid Waiver

Montenegro also revealed that the government will formally request the European Commission grant a derogation from the directive limiting state aid to EUR 300,000 per company. If Brussels agrees, Lisbon could offer additional fuel-tax discounts beyond current limits — a step the prime minister described as necessary to allow "additional discounts within the fiscal framework for fuel pricing."

The request signals that the government believes existing EU-compliant measures are insufficient and that a sector-specific exemption may be needed for as long as the Hormuz disruption inflates energy costs.

Context: A Sector Under Pressure

Portugal's freight industry — overwhelmingly dependent on diesel — has been caught in a vicious cycle since shipping through the Strait of Hormuz became unreliable. Refined fuel prices at the pump have risen sharply, and haulage firms operating on thin margins say they cannot pass the full cost increase on to clients without losing contracts.

Industry groups had been lobbying for weeks for concrete measures, arguing that the government's earlier EUR 600 million credit line for energy-intensive industries did not address the transport sector's specific needs. Unlike factories, which can sometimes switch energy sources, trucks run on diesel — period.

Political Reaction

The announcement came in response to a question from Chega leader André Ventura during the parliamentary debate. Montenegro used the exchange to emphasise that the government is "attentive to the consequences of rising prices and the increased cost of living," while stressing the need for balance and careful assessment of each measure's fiscal impact.

Opposition parties, meanwhile, have accused the government of profiting from the energy crisis through higher-than-expected fuel tax revenue. PS leader Pedro Nuno Santos had earlier this week demanded that the government use the windfall to shield households and businesses, not pad the budget surplus.

What It Means for Consumers

The transport package is aimed at keeping freight companies solvent, but the downstream effect matters just as much: if haulage costs rise unchecked, those increases eventually show up in the price of food, building materials, and consumer goods. The DECO consumer group reported this week that Portugal's essential food basket hit a new record of EUR 259.52 — up EUR 1.57 from the previous week — with bread, onions, and lettuce among the biggest risers.

Whether the EUR 40 million is enough to hold the line until the Hormuz situation stabilises remains an open question. For now, the government is buying time — for the freight sector and, by extension, for every Portuguese household that depends on trucks to fill supermarket shelves.