Original article: “No entra ni sale ningún contenedor”: camioneros independientes bloquean San Antonio por alza de combustibles y mantienen paro indefinido

Independent Truckers Block San Antonio Port Over Fuel Price Surge, Indefinite Strike Continues

«Today, no containers are entering or leaving the various cargo terminals we serve,» stated Manuel Araya, leader of the Independent Truckers Association of San Antonio (Agreporsai), confirming that the stoppage that began Wednesday night will last indefinitely.

The protest was called in response to rising fuel prices and the lack of governmental measures to alleviate increasing operational costs. With over 150 truckers mobilized, access to off-port terminals remains blocked, preventing the movement of trucks carrying cargo at the country’s main port.

The extent of the blockade was highlighted by Araya’s figures: 600 containers awaiting unloading and another 200 scheduled for loading are currently stalled.

In statements to Radio Cooperativa, the leader explained that the organization had exhausted all dialogue avenues before launching the strike.

«We have knocked on various doors: we worked with the presidential delegate, had a meeting with the Undersecretary of Economy (Karlfranz Koehler) in Santiago, but we can no longer wait for months,» he recalled.

In light of this situation, he demanded a concrete response from the government and urged authorities to come to San Antonio to clarify the rates, which he claimed have been devalued since 2021.

In addition to demands for diesel prices and rate updates, concerns have also been raised about the installation of new tolls, such as those on Route 78, which San Antonio truckers believe would increase transportation costs.

Araya was adamant about rejecting further protracted negotiations: «We no longer want more working groups. What do we gain by delaying this for two or three weeks when fuel will surpass 2,000 pesos?» The Agreporsai leader’s warning directly addresses the urgency for mitigation measures and the credibility of official promises.

The Minister of Economy and Mining, Daniel Mas, stated that the José Antonio Kast government has maintained «a dialogue throughout the year with various trucking groups.»

He indicated that efforts have been made to facilitate the transfer of some oil price increases to contracts and a financing instrument for small transporters has been approved. «We announced and approved a Fogain Transporte a few days ago, specifically for the truckers’ niche, for 40,000 small truck entrepreneurs,» detailed the Secretary of State, who also acknowledged that the sector’s demands «extend beyond oil prices.»

«The Blockade Continues»

Despite discussions held this afternoon with the provincial delegate of San Antonio, Soledad Loyola, and Undersecretary Koehler—who participated remotely—the union decided to maintain the blockade at the off-port terminals.

«We leave with a good feeling; (we believe) we will reach a good outcome, but the blockade continues,» Manuel Araya stated after the meeting.

However, he made it clear that the two main demands for Agreporsai—rate adjustments before the installation of toll booths and regulating diesel prices—»are in the hands of the government.»

The leader noted that «we are incurring many losses, but let’s not talk percentages: let’s just wait for the government to solve it, which is a great mediator, and I believe we can reach an agreement with the major cargo generators.»

Undersecretary of Economy, Karlfranz Koehler, described the situation as «a problem between private parties» and stated that the government seeks to «help and mediate to facilitate dialogue among the seven companies operating at the San Antonio port.

Koehler emphasized that the goal is for these companies to «effectively assume the cost of transferring to their rates what they pay to the main transporters and also to the truckers who are mobilized.»

Truck Owners Confederation Supports the Protest

The mobilization has received support from the National Confederation of Truck Owners of Chile (CNDC), which called on the authorities and cargo generators to negotiate tariffs.

«The CNDC is aware of the dialogue-oriented approach that San Antonio’s leadership has long maintained with both the authorities and company executives. Therefore, it calls on the government and companies to genuinely negotiate new working conditions with truckers, who are, in practice, the most important links in the logistics chain,» stated the union in a press release.

With the indefinite strike ongoing and discussions rescheduled for this Friday, pressure on the government and port companies remains high at the country’s main terminal.