The government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) is about to end (next October 1) and the problems that the cargo transport sector and the commercial vehicle production industry are going through remain intact , some even worsened, according to Ruperth Hüttler , partner of Von Wobeser and Sierra.
The lawyer and advisor to companies producing commercial vehicles, logistics and transportation said that the results concerning the industry that were mentioned in López Obrador’s Fifth Government Report were scarce. “The first was the improvement of the practice in charging for cranes and a plan was defined for the renewal of the fleet . Although they can be noted as progress, this cannot be defined as a great achievement,” he stated.
Hüttler told T21 that there are positive issues such as the Freight and Passenger Transportation Modernization Program of Nacional Financiera (Nafin) and the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) . But in general terms there are still pending issues, as admitted at the time by the Undersecretary of Transportation, Rogelio Jiménez Pons, where there is a government debt with the motor transportation industry , which is one of the most important in the country. “There is a need to act in a better way and it is expected that with the new government, greater attention will be paid to the sector,” he said.
Mexico is one of the leading countries in the production and export of heavy vehicles. At the end of the first half of this year, national production of cargo and passenger vehicles totaled 101,950 units, while exports reached 78,881 units.
“It is a relevant and transversal industry, which has faced various challenges that in the last six years have worsened due to multiple factors, ranging from the pandemic to the growth of electronic commerce and insecurity, it seems to me that the government’s policies and actions were insufficient to solve the problems,” said the Von Wobeser y Sierra partner.
In Hüttler’s opinion, the biggest problem to be solved is security. At the end of the first half of the current year, 843 heavy vehicles were stolen, according to data from the National Association of Vehicle Tracking and Protection Companies (ANERPV) .
Furthermore, taking into account that in the SICT’s Basic Federal Motor Transport Statistics 2023, a total of 193,667 individuals who operated cargo motor transport are registered, “these small companies face a great risk in the event of the theft of their vehicles,” he stated.
Infrastructure is another of the great pending issues, according to the lawyer, it is necessary for the incoming government to promote public-private infrastructure projects. “There is a delay in the current six-year term on the issue, public investment was not up to par. But there is also a delay in terms of the installation of electric charging stations to transition to electric vehicles, even if we go further, to date the supply of ultra low sulfur diesel (UBA) is not guaranteed, there is much to do in infrastructure,” he said.
As a third point, the partner of Von Wobeser and Sierra placed the renewal of the fleet , taking into account that the average age of the motor transport fleet exceeds 19 years, in this sense reducing this average is essential to have a cleaner and more efficient industry. at the same time strengthen road safety.
Currently, the country is going through a special situation due to a wave of companies seeking to relocate their production lines and requiring top-level logistics and transportation services. In this sense, the government plan of the elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, is putting interest in two issues that concern the industry , the first is safety and the second is the sustainability of the vehicle fleet.
“What I have observed in her government plan (of the virtual president) is to have a connected Republic, which foresees concrete actions and tries to promote clean transportation, in addition to promoting the improvement of roads and construction of new communication routes. With this project there will be improvements for the industry,” explained Hüttler.
Von Wobeser y Sierra’s partner defined that in general terms there is optimism towards the future, based on what has been observed from the president-elect’s team. “But, there are certain reservations, many national and international companies are waiting for what is going to happen. Although it is clear that the motor transportation sector is very important and has to grow for Mexico to do well,” she indicated.
