AMOTAC Announces Nationwide Strike Over Highway Safety Concerns

Members of the Mexican Alliance of Carrier Organizations (AMOTAC) confirmed they would go on strike on Aug. 29-30, citing the null response from federal authorities to their demands, which involved addressing highway security, license registration issues, operating rates and extorsions from authorities, among other complaints and petitions. The strike is expected to lead to blockades in the country’s main roads.

Highway problems continue hounding cargo transporters. Given these challenges, AMOTAC issued an informative note in the beginning of August addressing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the National Guard and Federal, State and Municipal Authorities. In the notice, the organization says it will carry out a strike on Aug. 29-30 at 8:00 AM, involving all national transport carriers, including cargo, tourism and passenger transport.

One of the association’s central concerns is insecurity on the road. According to data from the Executive Ministry of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), cargo theft keeps rising, growing by 10.14% in January-July 2023 compared to the same months in 2022. The states with more reported cases are the State of Mexico, Puebla, Michoacan, San Luis Potosi and Jalisco, where 86.5% of the robberies involved violence.

In its latest report, the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (AMIS) stated that in June, 43% of stolen insured units were recovered and heavy equipment theft increased by 26.21%. The State of Mexico, Puebla and Guanajuato report the highest amount of heavy equipment thefts.

Miguel Ángel Santiago, National Coordinator, AMOTAC, tells Meganoticias MX that the Immediate Alert Line Against Robberies (LAICA), an alleged direct communication channel between carriers and authorities to facilitate the reports of thefts, does not contribute to addressing this problem. He adds that some of the most insecure highways include: Mexico-Queretaro, Mexico-Puebla, Puebla-Veracruz and Texcoco-Huamantla. 

AMOTAC also mentioned in its press release that if there is no dialogue and authorities do not take action to solve these issues, the organization will begin a slow-moving mobilization to the Zocalo in Mexico City. The association also highlighted the importance of the sector, as it moves essential goods for the development of industries, representing economic benefits for the country. According to a CANACAR report, the trucking industry represented 3.4% of Mexico’s GDP in 2021, moving 56.2% of total domestic cargo.