The vehicle registration crisis affecting federal trucking is beginning to show signs of improvement , although operational uncertainty has not yet been completely dispelled. Talleres Gráficos de México (TGM)  delivered the first batch of metal license plates to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) , as part of a larger order aimed at addressing a backlog that has accumulated over several months.

According to official information, TGM delivered 80,104 sets of license plates with stickers , out of a total of 418,999 units committed. Production is being carried out in stages and is part of the plan defined after the authorization of federal funds to address the shortage of license plates, which forced the sector to operate with provisional permits since October 2025.

In this regard, Eucario Reyes, president of the National Association of Representation in Motor Transport (ANRA), told T21 that, for the carriers, the arrival of the material represents a partial advance, but not an immediate solution .

He noted that trucks with license plates have already begun arriving, although the distribution process will take time. “They are being delivered little by little; it could take up to a month to complete the deliveries to the delegations,” he explained in an interview.

Reyes noted that the approved budget—130 million pesos—allowed production to resume, but cautioned that the challenge now lies in delivery logistics , particularly to states with high demand for paperwork, such as Nuevo León and Jalisco. Meanwhile, in several regions of the country, trucking continues to operate under provisional arrangements .

Reyes emphasized that the standardization process is not limited to license plates , as registration cards, stickers, and documentation associated with various types of vehicles, including cross-border and double-articulated transport, are also underway. However, he insisted that the transition is not uniform and that the impact of the backlog remains concentrated outside the central region of the country .

The lack of license plates led the SICT (Secretariat of Communications and Transportation) to formalize, last October, the Provisional Permit to Circulate Without License Plates or Stickers, valid for up to 180 days. Although this mechanism allowed operations to continue, carriers have pointed out regulatory gaps, duplication of requirements, and a lack of clear guidelines for returning to metal identification.

With production underway, the sector is seeing a gradual recovery from a crisis that exposed administrative and planning weaknesses. The arrival of license plates marks a turning point, but for federal trucking, closing this chapter will depend on the complete nationwide distribution and avoiding a repeat of temporary solutions to structural bureaucratic hurdles.

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El cargo The first license plates arrive, but a backlog persists in federal motor transport. apareció primero en T21.

There are procedures that weigh more than a gearbox; in trucking, when the paperwork stops, so do the engines.

Today, more than seven thousand units in Mexico are waiting for something as basic as a metal plate to be able to circulate, while bureaucracy is “rusting” the process day by day, according to Eucario Reyes , president of the National Association of Representation in Auto Transport (ANRA) , an organization made up of specialized managers who support companies in the sector in their administrative processes.

The scene isn’t new, but this time the silence weighs more heavily. “There’s no way around it ,” Reyes lamented, referring to the current status of the proceedings before the Federal Directorate General of Motor Transport (DGAF) .

Although, according to Reyes , the tender for the manufacture of plates was published a week ago , the process could extend until September.

“We’re talking about July, August, maybe even September,” he warned.

However, T21 tried to obtain evidence of the tender, but no corresponding document was found on public platforms such as Compras MX .

The origin of the problem, Reyes explained, lies in the budget that has not been released by the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) , particularly under the responsibility of Gerardo Calzada Sibilla , head of the Administration and Finance Unit.

The cost of not moving

According to Reyes, the number of pending license plate procedures exceeds 7,800 , more than double the usual average. This means that at least 180 services related to this process are put on hold every day.

The impact not only translates into economic losses, estimated by Reyes at more than 1.2 billion pesos (mdp) per month, but also into a feeling of helplessness that permeates the entire industry.

“The transport workers told me we should organize a mega-march,” Reyes shared, but his response was firm: “I gain nothing by further paralyzing the country.”

Far from remaining in protest, ANRA proposed a concrete alternative: that transporters continue paying for their own paperwork and, separately, deposit the cost of the license plates directly to the suppliers authorized by the SICT . This solution, according to Reyes, would be simple and practical to avoid the bottleneck.

“But they told us that would be corruption. That’s what the SICT’s Legal Affairs Unit called it,” he explained.

A circular confirming the blockage

What began as a verbal complaint by the transport sector found support in official documents from the public administration .

An internal circular dated February 10, 2025, signed by Gerardo Calzada Sibilla, details the guidelines to be followed when modifying current administrative contracts.

The document indicates that any adjustment, such as the purchase or renewal of metal plates, must be requested at least 10 calendar days in advance and must be accompanied by documents with technical, budgetary, and regulatory justification, in addition to the endorsement of the responsible unit.

From an institutional perspective, these provisions seek to ensure the orderly and transparent use of public spending; however, in practice, and according to some carriers consulted by T21, they can also slow down urgent decisions , especially in contexts of operational crises such as the one the sector is currently experiencing.

The severity of the backlog has also reached new units that have not even left the agency, according to representatives of the National Union of Federal Public Service Operators , who pointed out through their social networks (on June 9) that “there are vehicles that have been detained for more than a month and a half because they cannot be registered,” despite the fact that the process normally “takes five days,” they said.

The publication highlighted that the problem lies not in the lack of physical license plates , but in the alleged refusal of the Director General of Federal Transportation, Irma Dorantes Villamil, to sign the necessary document to upload them to the system.

However, at the close of business on June 12, this same union also reported on social media that a dialogue table had been opened with the SICT to address the issue.

Eternal procedures for a license plate

In addition to budgetary constraints , the very design of the DGAF’s processing system complicates solutions.

According to the official document List of Procedures and Services in the National Catalog of Procedures without e.signature (updated as of October 5, 2023) , managed by the Undersecretariat of Communications and Transportation, the process for the exchange or replacement of metal plates involves complying with up to 18 requirements , from theft or loss reports, pollutant emission certificates, current physical-mechanical reports, and a power of attorney in the case of legal representation, so the process is far from agile.

“It seems like everything is designed to tire you out and give up,” Reyes warned, after recounting how, even as a legal representative, he was blocked from completing a basic procedure. This level of demand, still in effect in 2025, contradicts efforts to streamline formalities in the trucking industry , especially at a time when the main bottleneck isn’t documentation, but rather the supply and management of public resources.

According to SICT, the federal freight vehicle fleet continues to grow ; in 2024 , 723,462 motor units were incorporated , which represents an 8% increase compared to the previous year.

Added to this are 711,776 trailer units , bringing the total federal freight transport to more than 1.43 million units. Three-axle tractor-trailers alone , essential for transporting goods on the highway, account for 473,824 registrations, almost a third of the total.

However, this growth is not accompanied by an efficient administrative response, as industry representatives have pointed out . For them, the “reality” reveals a critical disconnect between the dynamism of transportation and the State’s ability to support it with timely procedures.

The license plate crisis is just a symptom

The phrase Eucario Reyes uses to describe this moment is “economic hardship .” And he’s not just talking about one ministry; he points to a national context where resources are compromised and priorities are scattered.

The picture is summed up in a paradox: the vehicles are ready, the operators are ready, but the State is not. And while solutions are discussed in meetings with no date or clear answer, cargo remains stuck , not in a port, not due to lack of demand, but because of a license plate that hasn’t arrived . A promise that is rusting.

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El cargo A promise rusting in Mexico; the system is trapped in bureaucracy. apareció primero en T21.

The Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) published this Wednesday an agreement that regulates the granting of permanent permits for international motor transportation companies that wish to operate in national territory, mainly in the United States and Canada, an activity that has historically been carried out in a reduced way, despite being openly contemplated in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and now in the Agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC).

The Agreement that regulates the permanent modality of the International Cargo Transportation service for carriers from the United States of America and Canada , published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) , presents details of the requirements and procedures to be carried out by of the interested parties.

The document establishes the requirements and procedures necessary for the issuance of permits, and which is expected to provide legal certainty to foreign carriers and transparency in the authorization process.

According to data from the General Directorate of Federal Motor Transport (DGAF) , of the SICT, at the end of May 2024, there were 358 companies authorized to offer international motor transport services. Of these, 350 corresponded to American companies, the remaining eight are Canadian companies; Together they add up to a universe of 5,540 motor transport units.

Among the measures that were ruled in the agreement, the highlight was that foreign applicants must carry out the process in person before the Directorate of Federal Motor Transport Services Procedures, dependent on the DGAF.

As well as in the Federal Motor Transportation Departments assigned by the SICT Centers in Baja California (Tijuana or Mexicali), Sonora (Nogales or San Luis Río Colorado), Coahuila (Piedras Negras), Nuevo León (Monterrey) or Tamaulipas (Nuevo Laredo). , Matamoros or Reynosa).

The procedure may be requested only by the applicant, or through a legal representative, and for its origin, they must have prior registration with the authority. Another important topic is that the process must be carried out in Spanish , in this sense, to facilitate the process and compliance with the requirements, the SICT will enable a guide in English.

Applicants will be able to pre-register by entering the DGAF electronic portal. Once completed, the system will assign a folio number with which the application can be tracked.

“The permit issued under the modality of the International Cargo Transportation service authorizes the operation of the specialized cargo transportation service, however, it does not allow the operation of the motor transportation services of passengers, tourism, funds and securities, industrial cranes. , auxiliary trawling and rescue services, nor domestic services in any of their modalities,” according to the DOF publication.

Among the paperwork that the authority requires from applicants is documentation that proves the ownership or legal possession of the vehicle, as well as a current insurance policy issued by an insurer established in Mexico , with coverage throughout the Mexican Republic for the Federal Public Service and valid for at least one year.

Another notable requirement is the possession of a document issued by the manufacturer stating that the vehicle has an auxiliary engine brake, as well as an anti-lock braking system, in accordance with the provisions of NOM-012-SCT-2-2017. , Regarding the maximum weight and dimensions with which motor transport vehicles traveling on general communication routes under federal jurisdiction can circulate.

Once the authority has reviewed the required documentation and, if applicable, the resolution is positive, the vehicles will be registered. “Individually, vehicles for the international cargo transportation service will be equipped with metal vehicle identification plates (two plates per unit), registration card and stickers. Once the permit is obtained, the applicant may register additional vehicles for the permit,” the SICT stressed.

In its eighth chapter, the aforementioned agreement emphasized that in the event that the vehicles are operated by drivers with a Commercial Driver License issued by the United States or Canada, once the permit is obtained (which will be valid for two years) , the permit holder must send to the General Directorate of Protection and Preventive Medicine in Transportation (DGPMPT) , a list of drivers who wish to register to operate in Mexico accompanied by the documentation required by the authority.

Among the driver’s obligations, it was detailed that he must carry at all times the original registration card, metal identification plates, a current insurance policy, a current certificate of low emission of pollutants, and a current temporary import request for trailers, semi-trailers and container ships .

As well as a valid commercial driver’s license, original hours of service log, duly completed, and documentation that proves that they are legally hired by a transportation company in the United States or Canada.

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El cargo Rules for permanent permits for international freight transportation in Mexico are presented. apareció primero en T21.