Cargo Theft Data Discrepancies Challenge Mexican Logistics

Continued discrepancies between official and private sector data on cargo theft in Mexico continue to challenge the sector. While official reports show a decrease in theft, private security firms report significant increases, highlighting ongoing insecurity on Mexico’s roads and its impact on logistics and foreign investment.

The National Public Security System (SESNSP) reports a 16.56% decrease in cargo theft from August 2023 to August 2024, with significant drops in incidents in states like State of Mexico, Michoacan, and Puebla. Despite this, some regions have seen an uptick: Nuevo Leon experienced a 14.28% increase, while San Luis Potosi recorded a 9.30% rise in thefts during the same period.

However, private security agency Blac reports that cargo theft increased by 35% during the same period. The most affected states were Puebla (48%), State of Mexico (19%), Hidalgo (8%), Veracruz (7%), and Tlaxcala (3%). The most frequently stolen goods were groceries (48%), followed by general merchandise (18%), empty trucks (15%), and personal care products (9%), according to Blac. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days when most theft cases take place, especially in the evening hours.

Vehicle Theft Trends

The Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (AMIS) reports an increase in stolen tractor-trailers. Kenworth ranked second in stolen vehicles, with a 3.5% rise in thefts, totaling 2,212 tractor-trailers, while Freightliner saw a 11.5% decrease, with 908 vehicles stolen in the same period. AMIS also reported that semi-trailers with dry vans ranked second in theft involving violence, with 75.3% of incidents being violent, increasing by 1.2% in August 2024.

States with the highest rates of violent vehicle theft include Hidalgo (65.3%), Puebla (57%), Tlaxcala (55.7%), Veracruz (51.6%), and Colima (49.8%). AMIS highlights that 821 heavy vehicles were stolen in August 2024, with only 363 being recovered.

Some regions are succeeding in combating cargo theft. The State of Mexico reported an 11.7% decrease in violent cargo theft between Jan. 1 and Aug. 14, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, according to the State of Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGJEM). The number of investigations initiated dropped from 2,239 in 2023 to 1,989 in 2024. This decrease is reflected in a lower daily average of thefts, which fell from 10.90 cases per day in 2022 to 8.18 daily cases in 2024.

Industry Response

The rise in cargo theft continues to worry the industry. “While Mexico’s economy is experiencing massive growth, security risks are at an all-time high. A transport vehicle is stolen every 38 minutes, and 86% of incidents involve violence,” says Omar Camacho, General Manager, Motive Mexico, as MBN reported.

Security is becoming a growing concern for foreign direct investment in Mexico, says Lak Shoan, Director of Policy, Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), as MBN reported. 

As Mexico pushes forward in its economic expansion, especially with the increasing trend of nearshoring, the country needs to address the gap between official statistics and private-sector data to reduce the risks associated with cargo theft. Accurate data collection and collaboration between government entities and private companies will be crucial in addressing this critical issue.

While some regions are experiencing positive trends, the broader problem of cargo theft remains a pressing issue for many in the industry. Lauro Rincón Hernández, President, FEMATRAC, tells MBN that the insecurity on Mexico’s roads is linked to broader systemic problems: “The reality we are living on the roads today is the same as what we experienced during the six years of Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government. Insecurity on the roads continues to be rampant — robberies, assaults on transport, murder, and the kidnapping of operators, as well as the theft of trucks and cargo, have not been controlled. Unfortunately, it has been discovered that some authorities are involved with organized crime linked to cargo theft, making it even harder to eradicate the situation at the national level. Every day, there are robberies on different highways, some days more, some less. Recently, road blockades by certain farmer associations or collective groups have worsened the situation for transport, as these blockades have also led to cargo theft. Several factors, including the poor state of the roads, have contributed to this crisis, forcing vehicles to slow down on certain stretches. Sadly, we are not ending the year as we had hoped, and the administration has not been what we expected.”