“Transportation in logistics gives meaning to life itself, without transport there is nothing,” with this phrase Jorge Bandera , CEO of 11-33 Logistics Solutions and now director of Trebantra , said in an interview with T21 about the birth of this new transport company.
In the transportation industry, not all paths begin with an inherited tractor-trailer or decades of family work. Some are born out of curiosity, the daily wear and tear of logistics chains, and a question that both bothers and transforms: what if we did it ourselves? A question that came to Bandera’s mind when he saw the immense demand for freight transport.
Jorge Bandera never imagined running a transportation company. He comes from the customs world, where precision and documentation are paramount. But after a decade in logistics and a jolt of reality on the ground, he understood that transportation isn’t just another link: it’s the backbone of the entire system. Thus, Trebantra was born. Without romanticism or legacy, but with passion.
“Some clients had asked us, but no one in my family came from the transportation industry. We had never seen it as a business option,” Jorge recalled.
For now, the plan is clear: to stay within the “light and medium load” range , with “rabón” type units . This is where they’ve set their sights, focusing on a manageable, local operation with direct control over each trip.
The first real contact came with the T21 Young People event , where he was a member of the ranking and began to understand the language, codes, and faces of the industry. But the turning point came at ETYL 2024 , another T21 Group event , during a conversation with industry colleagues.
“That’s when we decided: we’re going to pivot the company and incorporate transportation into our activities,” he explained, highlighting the importance of networking at T21-branded events.
The name Trebantra encapsulates its origins: three founders (him, his father, and his brother), his surname Bandera, and his passion for transportation.
But the beginning wasn’t poetic. The first steps were dealing with the lack of credit as a young company, the purchase of the first unit with its own resources, and the long and arduous process of entering a sector with rules that are rarely written down.
“This was decided in November, and we already had the unit, but the first trip didn’t take place until the first week of February. It’s easy to say ‘I want to do it,’ but that’s where the challenges come from,” he commented.
And barely had they started when they encountered violence . An attempted robbery on one of their first 15 trips made it clear to them that this business is often played out behind closed doors and with people on edge.
“We equip the units with tracking and panic buttons. But when crime is so close, technology isn’t enough,” he said, without drama, but with the voice of someone who has already understood one of the challenges facing trucking: highway insecurity.
In March 2025, the National Association of Vehicle Tracking and Protection Companies (ANERPV) reported 300 thefts of GPS-monitored vehicles , an 11% increase compared to the average for the same month in 2024, which was 269 cases.
Additionally, every 47 minutes a trucking operator is the victim of some type of assault on Mexican roads, according to Héctor Romero, CEO of Círculo Logístico and a member of the Expo Seguridad educational council .
Another challenge , Bandera said, is facing long wait times at some charging stations, where there is sometimes no immediate access to basic services.
“We only operate what we can control. We don’t outsource. If we can’t deliver, we don’t take the trip. That’s how we take care of ourselves and those who trust us,” he explained.
For him, transportation is no longer just a logistics service: it’s a way of understanding the country, of confronting its contradictions, and also of finding community.
His leadership style is direct, sometimes paternalistic, but always humane. “I want the people who work here to see this company as a path to achieving their own goals, not just mine,” he emphasized.
He said Trebantra isn’t looking to revolutionize the industry or sell a grandiose idea. Its differentiator is “punctuality ,” Bandera explained.
He just wants to stay on an honest path. His focus is on the day-to-day: arriving on time, operating only what’s under his control, and taking care of every detail. Jorge sums it up this way:
“If the customer orders the unit at eight o’clock, it’ll be there at six o’clock. We don’t work with third parties because we prefer to deliver rather than overpromise,” he said.
Their story is just beginning, but it already reflects the contrasts and decisions that define those who choose to build from scratch.
Comment and follow us on X:@karinaquintero / @GrupoT21
