By Karina Quintero Quintero and Jennifer Galindo Hernández  

In the supply chain , many decisions travel by road, but not only in a tractor-trailer truck; they also travel through chats, voice notes, and photos sent via WhatsApp . Despite technological advances across multiple industries, transportation in Mexico still relies heavily on tools like WhatsApp and Excel to coordinate and record logistics operations. 

Through this channel, as common as it is risky , key information circulates, such as the route, the number of the cash register to be connected, the arrival of an operator at the yard, authorization to start, or even credit card photos. All it takes is a lost cell phone or a worker’s job change for all this information to be exposed, without traceability or control. 

“The vulnerability isn’t in the platform itself being hacked. It’s in the fact that we use personal channels, where information stays on a person’s WhatsApp. If they leave the company, if they lose their phone, if they accidentally forward something, control is lost,” warns Cristina Sánchez, Pre-Sales Engineering Manager at Samsara .  

What for many represents agility or practicality, for specialists represents a systemic risk.  

“Ninety-five percent of transportation in Mexico operates through WhatsApp groups. From there, the information goes to Excel and, hopefully, to the TMS or ERP. But it’s already been through two manipulable platforms. How accurate is that information? How real-time is it?” asks Enrique Vázquez, CEO of Recurso Confiable . 

For Hugo Ruiz, president of the National Council of Logistics and Supply Chain Executives (ConaLog) , this technological informality not only impedes the growth of the logistics business, it also exposes companies to errors, losses, and even cyberattacks.   

“WhatsApp has no access policies, no audits, and no backups. And yet, key messages about routes, fares, and delivery times are sent there. If someone infiltrates, they can steal everything,” he warns.  

Added to this is the dependence on “information in the heads” of operators or traffic personnel.   

“I’ve seen operations where traceability depends on a single text message. If that person isn’t there or makes a mistake, control is lost,” Ruiz adds.  

If you’d like to continue reading this story, we invite you to visit our August issue of T21 magazine by clicking here to go to the digital version .

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In May 1996, Enrique Vázquez and his sister started a small business with the idea of professionalizing the hiring of transport operators. Twenty-eight years later, Recurso Confiable is a company with more than 470 employees, thousands of clients, and a central role in Mexican logistics.

“We started on May 29th, there were just two of us. Today, more than 450,000 operators are registered in our database, unique in the world,” said Enrique Vázquez, the company’s CEO.

That database, which tracks operators’ employment histories, has become over the years a kind of backbone for the industry, a standard that helps companies make informed decisions and mitigate operational risks.

But the growth didn’t stop there. Over the course of two decades, Recurso Confiable diversified its operations and invested heavily in technology.

What began as a company dedicated to employment background investigation is now also a Real Time Transportation Visibility Platform ( RTTVP) , capable of tracking millions of shipments and processing more than 75 million GPS pulses per day.

“Visibility has become strategic,” said Vázquez.

In 2023, its system recorded more than 3.2 million shipments and was integrated with multiple transportation companies, GPS systems, and freight generators.

Additionally, through their own Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) teams, they actively monitor more than 50 key accounts, combining technology, data, and human talent.

One of the most significant innovations was the digitalization of its operator selection process. Amid the operator shortage crisis, the company managed to simplify and automate processes , reducing costs for transport companies by an average of 30%.

“We became an ally to accelerate hiring, not to slow it down,” Vázquez emphasized.

This approach allowed them to double the number of investigations conducted in recent years, while improving the user and candidate experience.

The focus is now on the future. With four consecutive years of annual growth of over 20%, Recurso Confiable is preparing to make the leap to continental scale.

It already operates in several Latin American countries and is advancing its expansion into North America with a significant investment in technological development.

The approach includes Artificial Intelligence (AI), face recognition , intelligent agents, and a robust architecture to scale logistics solutions.

In collaboration with Gartner, they are designing a roadmap that will allow them to position themselves as one of the technological leaders in the sector.

“By the time we reach 30 years of age, we want to be fully positioned as a regional company throughout the Americas and, little by little, on other continents,” Vázquez said.

From that two-person office to a company that leads logistics solutions with a global vision, Recurso Confiable celebrates its 28th anniversary with its feet firmly in the present, but with its mind and technology focused on the future.

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The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quality in data management are transforming the logistics sector, but without an adequate approach, 80% of companies could fail in their implementation, warned Enrique Vázquez, general director of Recurso Confiable , during a panel focused on logistics control towers, organized by #SoyLogístico Association .

The event featured panelists such as Juan Arévalo, head of Elektra ‘s Digital Supply Network ; Enrique Schleske, director of Supply Chain at Henkel ; and Mauricio Salgado, director of Supply Chain Operations at Coppel , and discussed the importance of correctly capturing, processing and analyzing data to facilitate decision-making .

In this regard, the specialists highlighted how companies face the risk of making decisions with incomplete or outdated data.

“A recent example is the congestion at the ports on the West Coast of the United States, a problem that led many companies to redirect their cargo to the port of Long Beach, whose operating volume increased by 34% in August,” said Mauricio Salgado.

In this context, he pointed out that companies that do not have a robust data control tower could not anticipate these types of problems in time, resulting in delayed merchandise and significant economic losses.

Juan Arévalo said that AI is useful when properly integrated into information systems, but warned that its successful implementation depends on having reliable and complete data.

“Even though 80% of AI projects could fail, the secret lies in the company’s preparation to properly manage the information. Data is relevant if it is complete and integral,” Arévalo emphasized.

In the same context, Salgado stressed the urgency of having factual data to avoid incorrect decisions that could result in cost overruns or loss of merchandise.

“Products that arrive too late are sold at auction, which leads to losses in the millions,” said Salgado.

The key, according to the panelists, is to get the right data and do it at the right time , since for them, excessive analysis and the search for perfection in data generate operational paralysis, which is especially critical in a dynamic logistics environment.

For his part, Enrique Schleske also spoke about how some companies still operate with obsolete methods , such as excessive dependence on Excel, which limits their ability to handle large volumes of information.

“With thousands of codes and combinations in play every day, it is critical to have advanced data management systems that enable real-time decisions. Without them, organizations risk falling behind,” Schleske said.

He also pointed to a generational trend in which some employees, accustomed to manual processes, resist the use of new technological tools , which slows down the transition to more efficient logistics.

Additionally, Enrique Vázquez said that automation is another key trend that is shaping the future of logistics. He said that while automation can optimize operations, it also generates frustration in teams when systems do not achieve the expected perfection.

“To avoid this problem, leaders must manage expectations and prepare teams to work within a reasonable margin of error. Perfection in logistics is unattainable, companies must focus on continuously improving their efficiency and ability to react,” said Vázquez.

Experts agreed that talent development is essential to meet these new challenges.

“It is not enough to have the data and the technology. It is essential that staff are trained to take advantage of these tools. It is a journey that companies must undertake, and there will be frustrations along the way, but it is the only way to remain competitive in a market where mistakes can cost millions,” concluded Juan Arévalo.

The panel concluded by highlighting that the future of logistics depends on successful integration of artificial intelligence and efficient data management, supported by trained personnel.

Furthermore, companies that achieve this combination will be in a privileged position to face the challenges of the sector, while those that lag behind in technological evolution run the risk of failure.

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“The day we conduct 100 investigations in a month, this will be a great project. After five years, we were conducting 100 investigations a day. Today, under a different model, we conduct 450 investigations daily,” recalls Enrique Vázquez Rebollo, founder of Recurso Confiable, who described this scenario to his sister.

On May 29, Recurso Confiable celebrates its 27th anniversary, with a model focused on certifying transportation operators, which has become a strategic link in the supply chain. They have also incorporated other service verticals that go beyond socioeconomic studies of operators.

“We have always maintained an innovation strategy. Today, we remember with nostalgia when we had staff who would go to the shippers’ yards with 3 ½ inch disks to share the database of operators who could enter. Later, we evolved to point of sale (POS) terminals, being the only non-banking entity to use them, to register the entry of operators in the shippers’ yards,” recalled Enrique Vázquez in an interview with T21.

Today, Recurso Confiable has three major service verticals: RC Control, which addresses the need for a solid database of operators, with more than 400,000 records and serving over 1,700 transportation lines.

Through the RC Control Track vertical, they have become an integrator of GPS (location services) to provide visibility to shippers. This solution monitors more than 4,400 transporters and connects with over 1,000 GPS companies.

“With this solution, we are generating more than 45 million daily pulses in the hub, monitoring 2.9 million trips per year, and capturing more than 7.4 million pieces of evidence (PDO) annually,” described Enrique Vázquez.

Under the RC BPO vertical, there are three business lines: BPO WeTrack, which provides a logistics monitoring service, monitoring over 3,200 trips daily and triggering more than 270 alarms daily, under an exception management scheme.

BPO OnSite is a solution aimed at serving the main retailers and cargo generators in Mexico for the generation of PDOs, using tools for document reading and interpretation intelligence. Annually, over 1.7 million pieces of evidence are delivered, and 125,000 trips are managed.

The third vertical is BPO Shield, a solution focused on security, tracking, and monitoring. The objective is to strengthen security and minimize the risk of shipments in transit.

In addition to the solutions developed, Recurso Confiable operates within a technological ecosystem that utilizes various solutions such as machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud storage, and big data.

“Our effort is to better leverage technology. We are working on AI projects, predictive tools for dwell times, customer rejections; and enhancing interaction with drivers through a facial recognition application to strengthen access control systems,” described Enrique Vázquez.

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