In a context where highway insecurity continues to be one of the main challenges for trucking in Mexico, freight companies also face another blow to their operations: fuel theft and the increase in downtime of their vehicles .

In addition to the operating costs that fleets already face for fuel, maintenance and tolls, there are illegal practices such as so-called “diesel theft,” which can represent significant losses for transport companies, according to Ángeles Useche, Commercial Director of Total Protect.

The specialist commented that fuel represents up to 50% of a fleet’s operating costs, so any illegal extraction directly impacts the profitability of companies.

He said there are cases where units can lose between 80 and 300 liters of fuel in a single unauthorized unloading, a situation that is aggravated by the current price of diesel and the number of units that operate daily on the road.

Added to this is the operational pressure stemming from peak seasons or large-scale events that cause traffic congestion and downtime for the trucks. Under this logic, the phrase “stopped cargo, stolen cargo” remains prevalent within the sector, especially in corridors where trucks are held up by traffic , blockades, or circulation restrictions .

World Cup would increase operational pressure

According to Useche, during peak travel seasons companies operate virtually their entire fleets, increasing the number of trips by 15 to 20% .

The executive pointed out that this type of scenario requires strengthening prevention and constant monitoring of the units, since the increase in circulation also raises the risk of incidents and robberies.

“They have the advantage of knowing when they are going to act, and we simply have to be very vigilant,” he commented, referring to the criminal groups that operate on highways.

In this environment, the industry also faces the challenge of changing the perception of security as an operating expense and beginning to see it as an investment linked to business continuity.

Useche believes that some companies still limit the adoption of monitoring tools solely due to demands from their clients or insurers, even though daily operations demonstrate that immediate reaction and constant supervision can make a difference in an incident.

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Cargo theft follows defined patterns: it occurs mainly at night, in strategic logistics corridors , and under increasingly organized schemes

According to Numaris , a fleet monitoring company that analyzes events through its tracking centers, heavy transport continues to be the most affected segment. Corridors such as the Arco Norte, the Puebla-Veracruz highway, and various routes in the State of Mexico and the central region of the country remain among the areas with the highest incidence, according to the company’s annual report.

The document, supported by data from the National Association of Vehicle Tracking and Protection Companies (ANERPV) , found that the highest risk period is between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., the period in which the highest number of recorded events are concentrated.

One of the determining factors is the notification time. According to data analyzed by the company, when an incident is detected and addressed within the first 30 minutes, the probability of recovery is considerably higher (with a 99% success rate). However, when the report occurs six or eight hours later, the chances are drastically reduced.

In addition to the total theft of units, there are also events such as route deviations, stops at unauthorized points and illegal extraction of fuel, situations that in some cases precede an assault.

The problem, they warn, is not limited to isolated incidents, but to operations with a higher level of coordination, where criminal groups identify schedules, routes, and operational vulnerabilities.

In this context of high crime rates, transport companies have opted to strengthen their prevention and monitoring systems. According to Numaris , one of the strategies involves combining tracking technology with predefined response protocols to reduce response times to any anomalies encountered along the route.

The firm operates two monitoring centers that work in a complementary manner: one focused on the preventive detection of alerts through geolocation, telemetry and artificial intelligence, and another focused on reaction and support in case of a possible robbery.

These systems generate alerts for route deviations , stops at unauthorized points, variations in fuel levels or atypical driving behaviors, information that can also be used to adjust operating practices within fleets.

Numaris points out that preventive monitoring and immediate reaction have become key tools to increase the chances of recovery and mitigate losses in an environment where insecurity continues to be one of the main challenges for trucking in Mexico.

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