2025 started with the brakes on for the trucking industry . Global uncertainty , tightening trade policies, and the threat of new tariffs are keeping those who drive the Mexican economy on edge, according to Fernando Noriega, CEO of Idealease Mexico .

Noriega described a first half of the year marked by a slowdown. “The end consumer in Mexico showed no year-over-year growth, and that kept the sector stressed,” he noted.

Added to this are long-standing challenges such as road safety , he said, and a continuing shortage of operators .

In this context, leasing units, particularly those that include maintenance, has become a viable alternative for maintaining operational flow without compromising the liquidity of trucking companies, Noriega said.

While short-term commercial rent contracted in the first half of the year, long-term contracts gained ground in response to an uncertain economic environment.

The focus, Noriega commented, is to help companies operate without having to invest in their own assets , especially when their business isn’t fleet management. “It allows them to grow without losing capital,” he emphasized.

Telemetry has also become key. All trucks in its fleet, which totals 3,200 units, are equipped with technology to monitor routes, detect faults before they occur, and analyze driving behavior .

“No matter who maintains the truck, there will always be a risk of breakdowns. The important thing is to anticipate them and respond,” he explained.

Noriega emphasized that while the Technology & Maintenance Council (the technical body that issues best practices for vehicle maintenance in the United States) standard allows for up to 10% of roadside failures, at Idealease this figure remains at 6%, thanks to the use of telemetry, which allows for anticipating breakdowns and reducing downtime.

This visibility is also useful for optimizing routes, monitoring fuel consumption, and issuing alerts in areas with high crime rates.

The new heavy vehicle market , for its part, also felt the slowdown, Noriega said.

“Retail placement fell between 20% and 22%,” he explained. However, the company managed to maintain its rental unit placement rate, aiming for growth during the second half of the year, which is traditionally more dynamic thanks to events such as the Buen Fin festival and holiday shopping.

Another issue that has impacted the business is the used market . Upon expiration of contracts, the units are placed on the secondary market, which has also been affected by the import of used vehicles from the United States, he said.

Despite this, the leasing-with-maintenance model continues to establish itself as an attractive option for companies of all sizes, from single-car trucks to large fleets , he explained.

Looking ahead, the company’s goal is ambitious: to increase its production from 3,200 units to 5,000 in the next five years , and in the long term, to reach 15,000 .

But beyond operational growth, for Fernando Noriega, leadership also involves developing better people.

“Our goal is to create mobility solutions so products arrive on time, but also to leave the country with better human beings. And that’s achieved through education, training, and working from childhood,” he reflected.

In a sector where challenges seem relentless, Noriega relies on a simple but powerful philosophy: persist, insist, be consistent, and never lose resilience.

“That’s what we have to do. Adapt to change and move forward,” he said.

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Given the reality of Mexico’s aging trucking fleets , Idealease is committed to continued professionalization and the strategic adoption of digital tools to strengthen the sector, according to Fernando Noriega, the company’s general manager.

“Five or six years ago, we were talking about a fleet that was 15 years old. Today, it’s already 20. It’s urgent to work on a structured renewal,” Noriega told T21.

Faced with this reality, the company implemented ongoing training , the use of technology to improve safety, and fleet renewal.

In this regard, Idealease invested primarily in its training platform ( Learning Management System ) , with the aim of offering concise and up-to-date content for both technicians and management staff.

“It’s not just about hiring experienced people, but about constantly updating them. Technologies are evolving, and if we don’t train them, we’ll fall behind,” Noriega warned.

In terms of technology , the company has reinforced its commitment to continuous fleet renewal , with units no older than three or four years and investments in telemetry systems.

“The truck produces a lot of information. The challenge is how to use it to the customer’s advantage, so they can be more productive,” Noriega explained.

In his opinion, he commented that artificial intelligence should be understood as a tool that facilitates work, not as a threat to the workplace. Its proper adoption depends on people and will be key to remaining competitive in a constantly evolving environment.

He also noted that security remains one of the most critical challenges for the sector.

Without specifying percentages, Noriega said that Idealease has managed to reduce accident rates in its operations, but still faces risks beyond the company’s control.

He referred, for example, to crimes such as robbery or acts of road violence that are linked to the country’s structural problems, such as the lack of surveillance on certain roads or impunity.

In 2024, more than 12,000 cargo robberies were reported in Mexico; 81% of these cases involved some type of violence, according to data from the National Association of Vehicle Tracking and Protection Companies (ANERPV) .

These incidents directly impact the operator and their environment, affecting both their physical and emotional integrity. Therefore, it is necessary to continue advancing comprehensive solutions that include coordination with authorities and improvements to the security infrastructure.

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By the end of 2024, Idealease forecasts a positive advance of between 18 and 20% in the number of units under its management, derived from the strategies of renewing vehicles in its short-term rental fleet, so that it reaches an average age of three years. Another factor that stimulates progress is the growth of the active fleet and the pre-purchase of units before the entry into force of NOM-044 (which establishes the maximum limits of pollutant emissions from diesel engines) in January of next year.

The company currently has a fleet of approximately five thousand units, of which 45% are intended for short-term rental and 55% are leased with maintenance included with plans of three to six years.

Although the vast majority of Idealease’s fleet runs on diesel engines, for some years now it has been committed to adding vehicles with sustainable energy, with its Idealease electric fleet program to test last-mile vehicles , learn about market developments and find out how products respond to the country’s topography and loading conditions, explained Fernando Noriega, CEO of Idealease, in an interview.

“As far as electric vehicles are concerned, one of the biggest challenges is the charging infrastructure and the availability of energy. On the other hand, the autonomy of the vehicles is also a key factor. We are analyzing and testing the vehicles, but we are doing so with caution, taking into account that the industry itself is taking different directions. We know that change will eventually come, but it will take time,” said Noriega.

The director explained that although the path to reducing polluting emissions is complex and requires a complete ecosystem, in the case of electric vehicles, it is also true that diesel vehicles that comply with the Euro 6 regulations and which are normally those that will be sold from January of next year, are much cleaner, since the exhaust gases are much cleaner.

Given this scenario, Noriega explains that it is necessary to have a clear understanding of where the industry is going to move, and above all to consider the country’s infrastructure capacity to supply the energy required by vehicles, since  there is still not 100% availability of ultra-low sulfur diesel , which at some point could complicate the operation.

The director also explained that a high-sulphur diesel would affect the performance of the new engines and could present mechanical risks, which in the long run would cause vehicles to stop. Therefore, it is necessary to speed up the pace to cover the areas that do not have adequate fuel.

For next year, and based on dialogue with its clients, Idealease predicts a 10% growth in the volume of its fleet, “the mood in the industry is one of work, but also of many challenges that are being presented, we have to be aware of what is going to happen so that the world of logistics is not affected by decisions made in the country, however, we see a positive mood about what is happening,” he said.

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Based in the city of Córdoba, Veracruz, and with a presence in the central-southeastern region of Mexico, Grupo Pecuario San Antonio is the third largest producer in its sector nationwide.

“We have grown so much that we have also grown logistically. The market is demanding this service and quality. It is an important challenge because we must be constantly moving, innovating. As part of our growth, we are pleased to establish this new relationship with Idealease,” said Miguel Ángel Ledesma Vera, director of Grupo Pecuario San Antonio.

Although there has been a relationship with Idealease since 2012, in 2024 a new alliance will be established under the leasing or rental modality , which will allow the group to guarantee modern and efficient units, thus maintaining high quality in the distribution service.

“This is a strategic alliance that will strengthen us in order to satisfy our customers and continue being the most reliable chicken in Mexico,” said the executive.

César Rodríguez Soto, manager of Idealease in Veracruz, acknowledged the importance of this reinforcement of joint work. “The idea is for Idealease to be the best business partner that Grupo Porres and Grupo Pecuario San Antonio can have,” he said.

The delivery protocol of the units was carried out at the group’s freight company facilities, with the presence of the Supply Processes Manager, Miriam Contreras Flores; the Purchasing Manager, Carolina Villar Cuesta; the Transportation Manager, Juan Enrique Chávez Quijano and the Transportation Maintenance Manager, Francisco Huerta. Also present were Eduardo Anguiano, advisor to Idealease in Veracruz; Carlos David Elizondo, interim manager; Dulce Martínez, marketing manager; and Verónica Luna, FSL advisor.

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Nowadays there is considerable complexity in maintenance areas to keep fleets in optimal condition, especially regarding repairs, due to delays that may occur in the workshop, either due to lack of components or qualified labor.

Fernando Noriega, general director at Idealease Mexico, shares that there are three main reasons why a truck may be stopped: lack of spare parts, shortage of technical talent for repairs, and diagnostic failure, mainly derived from technology in the units.

“In 80% of cases, trucks are stopped due to lack of a spare part. Due to the growth the trucking industry is experiencing worldwide, the aftersales part has been neglected. Technology is changing so rapidly that it’s difficult to quickly follow up on spare parts, and if there’s an epidemic of a certain spare part, it can’t be found. Another factor is that plants cannot grow fast enough to produce the necessary spare parts,” Noriega detailed in an interview with T21.

Taking this into account, it is necessary to have a balance between the inventory as working capital in spare parts and what the supplier and manufacturer must have in stock. In Noriega’s opinion, this is an important issue since despite technology and managing fill rates (service level) of 90%, the remaining 10% can cause significant delays in repairs.

One of the strategies Idealease has implemented to avoid complications is communication with manufacturers and maintaining a healthy inventory. “For consumables and spare parts that will be used over a year, we try to have sufficient inventory. Another strategy is to use remanufactured parts, and in some cases, we already start remanufacturing some (original) spare parts,” detailed the Idealease representative.

According to Noriega, this strategy should be the industry standard to avoid over-inventorying. However, this balance must also be based on the information generated by the truck itself, so it is important to know the “health” of the fleet and anticipate the parts that will be necessary in the short, medium, and long term.

Refurbishment for electric vehicles

While the incorporation of electric vehicles into fleets for the transportation of goods and merchandise in the country is in its early stages, it is essential to plan for the spare parts that these types of units will require in the future.

In this regard, the general director at Idealease Mexico pointed out that the complexity of electric vehicles is an issue that must be addressed, as while spare parts related to the engine are eliminated in these units, other components are incorporated, for example, cooling systems.

“In reality, we don’t know how much the electric vehicle will fail because we don’t have the experience; along the way, we are learning, and we will have to have the right balance, although it is said that these units have 30% fewer moving components. However, to replace the combustion engine, different components are used that can also fail and are not necessarily considered in the spare parts scheme. That’s why we will have to pay close attention to the enfant care (spare parts necessary for the care of electric vehicles) in the launch of new products,” he affirmed.

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