Road haulage: 300 million released for diesel; permanent logistics round table gets underway

The 300 million fuel tax credit for road haulage companies has been released. The much-anticipated implementing decree was published in the Official Gazette No. 167 of 21 July 2026. The tax credit is available up to a maximum of 70 per cent of the additional expenditure incurred on the purchase of diesel used to power vehicles, as shown on purchase invoices, during the months from March to June 2026. The beneficiaries of this scheme are companies that use commercial diesel as fuel and employ it in vehicles owned for the purpose of carrying out goods transport activities with a gross vehicle weight of 7.5 tonnes or more. Among the outcomes achieved, Fiap notes the confirmation that HVO fuel has been included among the costs eligible for the subsidy. Applications may be submitted from September via a dedicated platform managed by the Customs Agency.

But let’s take it one step at a time. Following weeks of pressure from trade associations, the long-awaited meeting with representatives of the road haulage sector took place on Tuesday 22 July at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT). The meeting, chaired by Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi, was convened to take stock of the implementation of the commitments made by the government at the meeting on 22 May at Palazzo Chigi – the very meeting that had led Unatras (the umbrella organisation representing the sector’s main associations) to suspend the national strike planned for the end of May. Today, as then, however, the emergency remains the same: the high cost of diesel, with prices having reached new highs in recent hours.

At the summit held two months ago, the government had committed to introducing a number of measures deemed a priority by the sector: a tax credit of around 300 million euros to offset the rise in fuel costs, and the option to defer tax payments. The measures had been included in the draft decree approved by the Council of Ministers on the very evening of the meeting. In the weeks that followed, however, the industry associations repeatedly complained about the lack of operational guidance. On 19 June, Unatras wrote directly to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the relevant ministers to urge them to set a definite timetable. The tax credit has since become law: the decree establishing it was converted into Law No. 113 of 25 June 2026, published in the Official Gazette on 27 June. The interministerial implementing decree, to be issued by MIT, MEF (Ministry of the Economy) and MASE (Ministry of the Environment), was still pending, in order to define the criteria and operational procedures for accessing the credit. This step has now also been completed.

At the same time, it was announced that the permanent round table on road freight transport and logistics would be convened in early September, chaired by the Minister and open to trade associations, clients and the Prime Minister’s Office: a permanent forum for national-level discussion on logistics, regulations, intermodality and investment. Alessandro Peron, General Secretary of Fiap, says: “The release of the 300 million and the launch of the permanent round table are two concrete achievements, which confirm the commitment made by the Government following the agreement at Palazzo Chigi. But we cannot afford any delays: diesel prices have already started to rise again, and for thousands of businesses, every week lost takes its toll on their balance sheets. The permanent roundtable must serve as the mechanism for providing rapid and structural solutions, starting with the renewal of the vehicle fleet.” During the meeting, the issue of fleet renewal was also addressed, with trade associations urging the acceleration of the €590 million investment decree earmarked for the purchase of new vehicles over the next five years.

Following the approval of the implementing decree on the tax credit for high diesel prices and the establishment of the permanent road haulage and logistics round table, the Unatras executive committee unanimously resolved to lift the national strike indefinitely, noting that the Government had fulfilled the commitments it had made.