Mexican truckers lift blockades but keep pressure on government over highway crime

Mexico's main freight trucking organisations have suspended an open-ended national strike over highway crime, but say protests could resume if talks with the federal government fail to produce commitments with fixed deadlines.

The National Chamber of Freight Transport (CANACAR) announced the stoppage on October 23 with three allied groups, HAMOTAC, FEMATRAC and INDECO, and began convoys and roadside protests on October 26. It went ahead even though the Secretariat of the Interior (Segob) had said the day before that most other trucking organisations had accepted talks. Segob counted 38 protest points across 19 states on the first day. CANACAR disputed those figures, saying the action reached all 32 states.

CANACAR president Augusto Ramos Melo had warned on October 15 of growing pressure on carriers' finances, saying "we can no longer go on like this", as reported by Uno TV. The fiscal trigger was the 2027 revenue bill, which lowers the annual revenue threshold for a tax credit worth up to 50% of toll spending from 300m to 250m pesos (US$16m to $13.4m). President Claudia Sheinbaum described the toll credit as the truckers' main complaint, and finance secretary Édgar Amador Zamora said the change would affect 170 of the 2,580 companies that use the scheme.

The strike ended the following day after a meeting at Segob, where the organisations agreed to lift the blockades in return for working groups with federal agencies on highway security, infrastructure, tax, social security and labour conditions. Interior secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez had said in a social media post, reported by Excélsior, that the government wanted to continue talks "to avoid blockades that affect people's journeys". Carlos García Álvarez, president of HAMOTAC, told journalist Azucena Uresti, as translated by FreightWaves, that "it seems like a crime to be a transport worker".

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After a security meeting with federal agencies on November 5, CANACAR said in a post on X that "the security of freight transport requires commitments that translate into concrete results". Transporte.mx reported on November 7 that none of the meetings had yet produced a public timetable, a dated commitment or a measurable outcome.

CANACAR says 15 truck drivers have been killed in Mexico this year, and that 1,105 freight vehicles were stolen between January and September. The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System recorded 6,263 robberies against freight vehicles in 2025, and the National Guard has projected a further 37% decline this year, according to La Jornada. Carriers say official figures understate the problem because drivers and fleet owners fear retaliation if they report crimes.

Supply chain risk management company Overhaul found that 76% of cargo thefts it recorded in the third quarter took place in central Mexico and the Bajío manufacturing region. Thefts from parked trucks rose to 42.2% of incidents, and 61% occurred between 6pm and 6am. In its 2025 annual report, Overhaul said auto parts theft had risen 3%, with tyres, components, pickups and SUVs heavily targeted. Luis Enrique Villatoro, president of the National Association of Vehicle Tracking and Protection Companies (ANERPV), said in an Overhaul webinar, as reported by FreightWaves, that "now, in Mexico, you can't move loads without a plan".

For shippers and logistics providers moving vehicles and parts along the Bajío and central corridors, the suspension removes the immediate threat of blockades but leaves the underlying security risks in place. It was the second national trucking strike this year, after an April stoppage led by the National Association of Transporters (ANTAC) and farmers' groups ended following clashes with authorities. No date has been set for new protests, but organisers have not ruled them out if the working groups fall short.