Norwegian truckers stage slow-driving protest over record-high diesel prices

A group of Norwegian truck drivers, farmers, and transport workers will stage a slow-driving protest on Friday to demand action on soaring diesel prices, which they warn threaten to cripple the industry and raise consumer costs nationwide, Dagbladet reports.

Jan-Erik Rafoss, a trucking company owner, told the newspaper that fuel costs have become unsustainable, with his six trucks consuming up to 1,000 litres of diesel per week. “If prices rise by just four or five kroner, you can imagine how expensive it gets,” he said. “The industry’s profit margin is only two to three percent. At this rate, we’ll have to park our trucks.”

The protest, organised via the Facebook group Dieselbrølet (“Diesel Roar”), will see hundreds of trucks and tractors drive at 40 km/h along a 60-kilometre stretch of the E39 highway between Kvinesdal and Mandal in southern Norway. Rafoss acknowledged the timing—during Easter holiday traffic—was “strategic” but expressed hope for public support rather than backlash.

“This isn’t just a crisis for transport,” Rafoss warned. “When we’re forced to raise prices, goods in stores get more expensive too. It’ll become a national cost problem.” He criticised politicians for ignoring the sector, noting that over half the fuel price consists of taxes. “It’s like they just overlook transport, construction, and farmers,” he said.

As of Tuesday, the average diesel price in Norway stood at 27.87 kroner per litre, according to Drivstoffappen. Rafoss called for cuts to road usage fees, CO₂ taxes, and VAT to keep the industry operational, arguing that halted trucking would disrupt critical supply chains. “People don’t realise how much depends on trucks—everything around you, from PCs to office chairs, is delivered by road,” he said.

Emergency services and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration have been notified of the protest. Organisers have yet to receive any response from politicians.