Tensions are growing in the trucking sectorfollowing the Nuevo León government ‘s announcement of new restrictions on freight traffic in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA), one of Mexico’s most important industrial regions.
For transporters, the decision raises alarm bells, not only because of the way it was made, without prior and extensive dialogue, but also because of the impact it could have on the operational efficiency of thousands of trips that connect the central and western parts of the country with the Tamaulipas border crossings every day.
Starting April 1 , vehicles whose final destination is not the ZMM must go around it using bypasses and peripheral highways, during restricted hours from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The measure, implemented in response to the high concentration of pollutants in the area, was published in the state’s Official Gazette on March 22.
The state government assured that there is sufficient infrastructure , such as the Monterrey Metropolitan Area Ring Road, the Monterrey-Cadereyta Highway, and the Northeast Bypass, to ensure that freight transport avoids entering the urban area.
However, the sector believes that the measure did not take into account all the logistical and economic factors .
Abraham Sosa, general director of Logimex , acknowledged that transportation must contribute to improving air quality . However, he questioned the direct focus on heavy transport, without considering the technological advances implemented by the sector.
“They’re already low in emissions. I’m not an environmental inspector, but I don’t really know if this approach would help us because we all use air. Obviously, we all want to improve the environment,” Sosa said.
He considered it important that the government not only impose restrictions but also support the measure with constant monitoring to assess whether it actually benefits air quality.
Edgar Zamorano, a member of the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar) in Reynosa, warned that “these types of restrictions are unilateral; they don’t encourage planned implementation or coordination with the sector.” He added that the graphs shared by the government itself show that tractor-trailers aren’t the only source of pollution.
“Private cars account for 46% of the CO2 emissions and 38% of the CO2 equivalent, while tractor-trailers only account for 17%,” Zamorano said.
He explained that more than 60% of the freight traffic circulating in Monterrey is intercity , so he pointed out that this restriction will directly affect the logistics flow connecting key regions, such as the Saltillo-Monterrey corridor or the routes from Laredo, Tampico, and Tamaulipas.
Zamorano proposed that the implementation of the measure should be accompanied by structural solutions such as “proposals for well-defined logistics corridors for the passage of cargo,” as well as “urban transfer zones where a less polluting light fleet is used for the last mile.”
He also highlighted the need for “real” initiatives and incentives to make fleet renewal cleaner.
“Freight transportation is not an enemy of the environment. We want to be part of the solution, but we need public policies based on technical data, not reactive decisions that undermine the state’s driving force,” Zamorano commented.
For his part, Héctor Hinojosa, Canacar’s representative in Nuevo Laredo, explained that dialogues have already begun with state authorities through the chamber.
He stated that the state government usually maintains communication with the chamber to disseminate these types of measures among its members, although he acknowledged that details remain to be finalized , such as the exact timing of the restrictions.
Industry representatives agreed that if the state government intends to divert cargo through the bypasses, it will also have to confront an uncomfortable reality: many transporters avoid these routes due to their high costs, and forcing them to use them without incentives could result in delays, congestion, and an overall increase in the cost of logistics operations.
Comment and follow us on X: @karinaquintero / @GrupoT21
