It’s not the first time, and it’s very unlikely to be the last.
At 8 a.m. Central time on Tuesday, August 29, Mexican truck drivers plan to begin a massive two-day strike with protests. (See here for the official notice.)
The Mexican Alliance of Carrier Organizations (AMOTAC), which claims to represent 75 percent of the nation’s commercial cargo, announced the strike, which is expected to cause blockages in major transportation arteries this week.
The union said the strike was a response to inaction by the Mexican federal government on widespread problems with highway security, license registration issues, operating rates, and extortions from authorities.
The chief concern is highway security. Cargo theft increased by 10.4 percent in the first half of 2023 compared with the previous year, according to Mexico Business News. States with the most reported cases are the State of Mexico, Puebla, Michoacán, San Luis Potosi, and Jalisco; 86.5 percent of the robberies involved violence.
Miguel Ángel Santiago, national coordinator of AMOTAC, has said that the Immediate Alert Line against Robberies (LAICA), a direct communication channel to facilitate the reports of thefts, has not been helpful in addressing the crime problem. He adds that some of the most insecure highways include Mexico-Queretaro, Mexico-Puebla, Puebla-Veracruz, and Texcoco-Huamantla.
AMOTAC has also said if the government does not agree to talk or take action, the organization will begin a slow-moving mobilization to the Zocalo, the historic center of Mexico City.
According to a report from CANACAR (the National Chamber of Freight Transportation), We are • CANACAR the trucking industry represented 3.4 percent of Mexico’s GDP in 2021, moving 56.2 percent of total domestic cargo.
