Stopping a truck to prevent it from crossing the state of Puebla at night has become part of the protocol because insecurity is no longer just a fact, it is a daily operational decision, as stated by representatives of Overhaul and the Mexican Intermodal Transport Association (AMTI) , during the presentation of the cargo theft report corresponding to the second quarter of 2025 (2Q25).

Highway robbery has had a direct impact on the shortage of operators. This was one of the main warnings expressed by Diego Anchustegui, president of AMTI, when explaining the situation facing the logistics sector in Mexico.

“We live it every day,” said Anchustegui, explaining that many fleets are currently operating at only 60% to 80% of their capacity due to a lack of personnel.

The crisis isn’t just about security. There are other equally serious problems, such as overcrowded infrastructure, poor roads, complex customs processes, lack of connectivity , and a fleet with an average age of 20 years .

“If the average fleet is 20 years old, we have 40- or 50-year-old trucks on the road,” he warned.

But rather than dwelling on the problems, Anchustegui proposed discussing solutions. In his view, technology, investment in infrastructure, and the promotion of intermodal transportation can bring about a fundamental change in the Mexican logistics system.

Intermodal transport (which combines different modes of transport such as rail, road transport, or sea) allows for the movement of goods in a more economical, safe, and sustainable manner.

According to the president of AMTI, it can be up to 25% or 30% cheaper than conventional trucking for distances greater than 500 kilometers (km). Furthermore, it has a theft rate of just 0.5% on several routes .

“What intermodal does is allow you to use rail without having to invest in infrastructure like a spur within your facilities,” he explained. He added that this modality makes it easy to use for any industry or type of merchandise.

In Mexico, this model is growing across three segments: maritime (connecting ports like Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Veracruz with the interior), crossborder (Mexico, the United States, and Canada), and domestic (within the country, on routes like Chihuahua-Monterrey or Baja California-Mexico City), he emphasized.

Railway safety: lower risk, but still with red flags

Although intermodal transport proves to be safer than road transport, train robberies still occur , especially when organized crime manages to stop trains at vulnerable points to open containers and steal merchandise. “It’s not like they used to be, when they opened them like bottle caps, but it still happens,” Anchustegui acknowledged.

The solution isn’t just about providing protection; it also involves measuring data , identifying the areas with the highest incidence, and working hand in hand with authorities.

“Many companies are investing in cameras; at first, it’s a challenge to introduce them to operators, but we’re moving in that direction, just as GPS systems did in the 2000s,” he noted.

One of the main benefits of intermodal is that it allows for better utilization of available carriers . Instead of assigning one carrier to a single long trip, such as Mexico–Tijuana, the intermodal model allows one carrier to make several short trips per day, he emphasized.

In addition, it has positive impacts on infrastructure, reduces highway congestion, and eases traffic congestion in regions like Querétaro and Tlaxcala, where travel times have doubled.

Anchustegui also highlighted the environmental value of the model, as rail can be up to 75% more environmentally friendly than trucking.

Projects such as the Maya Train and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor will open new routes, especially in southeastern Mexico, with the possibility of connecting to Central America as well.

“Intermodal transportation is growing. We see routes like Mexico City–Guadalajara and Chihuahua with great potential. We still have a long way to go, but we’re on the right track,” he emphasized.

He also highlighted that the railway sector is listening more to customers and offering personalized services, something that was unthinkable a few years ago.

AMTI, which brings together more than 60 partners (including shipping companies, terminals, integrators, trucking companies, and railroads), will continue to promote this model, because Mexico’s logistics challenge will not be solved with more trucks, but with more alternatives, collaboration, and a long-term vision , he concluded.

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The Mexican logistics sector is one of the industries with the highest perception of insecurity, since according to the National Business Victimization Survey (ENVE) 2024, transporting products on roads or highways was the activity in which they reported feeling the most insecurity , with 52.2% , which meant an increase of more than two points compared to 2022, when it was 50 percent.

According to the results of said analysis by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the movement of products in industrial corridors followed with 43.2% this year, while in 2022 it was 47 percent.

The survey also revealed that robbery of merchandise , money , supplies or goods is the second most frequently committed crime , with a crime prevalence rate of 1,030 per 10,000 economic units .

The states where this crime was most prevalent were Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, State of Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan and Zacatecas.

Meanwhile, the theft of goods in transit showed a crime prevalence of 500 per 10 thousand economic units . The states where this crime was committed were Baja California Sur and Morelos.

In 2023, at the national level and as a result of having been victims of a crime, or to prevent being victims, economic units suspended various actions related to their business .

In this regard, in the logistics sector, companies opted to cancel distribution or sales routes for their products . The figures for economic units that stopped doing the least activities by federal entity were: Baja California with 5.1%, Sinaloa with 4.2% and Jalisco with 3.1%; at the national level, the preponderance was 6 percent.

On the contrary, the figures for economic units that stopped doing the most activities by state were: Hidalgo with 3.9%, San Luis Potosí with 4.6%, Morelos with 13.9%, and at the national level it was 6 percent.

Inegi explained that the objective of ENVE 2024 is to generate information on the characteristics of economic units that are victims of crime, the most representative common crimes and the damages caused, as well as the perception of insecurity and institutional performance, among other factors. This information is valuable for the design of public policies on security.

In this regard, the agency explained that in 2023, 2.9 million crimes were committed  associated with 1.3 million economic units in the country, with a concentration rate of 2.2 crimes per unit.

Extortion was the most commonly committed crime , with a crime prevalence rate of 1,562 per 10,000 economic units , followed by theft or assault of merchandise , money , supplies or goods with 1,030, and petty theft with 1,002.

Regarding the type of establishments that had a higher rate of victimization , Inegi specified that the commerce sector headed this list with 31.5% , followed by the manufacturing industry with 21.6% , and the services sector with 24.2 percent .

Among other data, he pointed out that  medium-sized companies  had a higher rate of crimes with 49% and that economic units in the service sector had the highest concentration of crimes with 2.4 per unit .

The survey revealed that in 1.2 million crimes , employees or owners of the victim’s business unit were present at the time the crime occurred. Of these, in 5.3% of cases there was physical aggression. Of the crimes in which the offender carried a weapon, in 20.6% of cases it was used.

The analysis estimated that, in 2023, the total cost as a result of insecurity and crime in economic units represented an amount of 124.3 billion pesos , equivalent to 0.51% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) .

Regarding the perception of insecurity, he pointed out that 69.4% perceived the state in which they operate as unsafe; he also indicated that Guanajuato with 78.2%, Tabasco with 73.7%, and Morelos with 72.5% were the states with the highest rates of insecurity and crime.

According to information from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) , in 2023, 9,179 robberies to transporters were reported in Mexico, which meant a growth of 3.9% compared to 2022.

According to said organization, during 2023, the monthly average was 764.9 thefts , so it is crucial to implement measures to reduce and inhibit this type of crime that affects the country’s logistics chain, since insecurity on the roads, among other factors, has generated a deficit of at least 56 thousand drivers in Mexico , a figure that could increase to 106 thousand by 2028, estimated the  National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar)  with data from the  International Road Transport Union (IRU).

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Over the years and the growing demand for quality logistics and transportation services, companies have observed that the digitalization of processes helps them offer increasingly efficient services with a consequent reduction in operating costs and an increase in asset security. and road . The adoption and integration of digital technologies and advanced tools at all stages of the supply chain and fleet management are the natural step to continue competing in an increasingly demanding market.

Based on the principle that technology is an instrument for continuous improvement, Solistica integrated tools from an early age that have helped it eliminate deviations in its operation, as Carlos Alberto Lembo, head of risk management for Solistica, shared with T21.

“Something you don’t measure, you can’t control and what you don’t control you can’t improve. For this reason, in the company we have indicators to begin to control what happens with our units and with the operators, especially to take care of both safety and security risks,” said Lembo.

The company representative stressed that in recent years the transportation of goods and merchandise has experienced a significant increase in the crime of theft, “unfortunately crime goes one step beyond technology, it has become a race against theft , so Solistica has always sought best practices, partnering with technology providers that are capable of meeting our needs, such is the case of Motum , which at our request developed an automatic engine stop that works with geofences,” said Lembo.

This solution, combined with the incorporation of door opening sensors, backup GPS and locks to prevent the boxes from being unhooked, allowed Solistica to significantly reduce theft events that often ended in the loss of merchandise and property. unit. To date, the company averages 10 events a year, of which 50% have been frustrated due to the implementation of technology.

“We understood that if the vehicle and the operator are not protected in the first 60 seconds of the criminal act, the probability of successful recovery is zero percent. But the most important thing is that the vehicle is capable of activating automatically when a risk situation arises,” said the head of risk management for Solistica.

The risk management specialist explained that, although so far Solistica has found the formula to significantly reduce thefts and reinforce road safety, there is always room for improvement , which is why in coordination with Motum they are developing geofences with speed and cutting. accelerator that seeks to prevent road accidents. “At Solistica we seek to ensure that technology always works in favor of the operator to safeguard his integrity,” said Lembo.

Another area that Solistica has reinforced with Motum technology is the telemetry of the units to attend to preventive and corrective maintenance. “We need our trucks to be running in the best conditions and not to be stopped due to a failure. The moment a truck goes out onto the street, visibility is lost and only technology can help us know what is happening with the units ,” stated the manager.

Finally, the risk management specialist shared that to achieve efficient operations it is necessary to record what happens in the fleets. “To improve, it is crucial that companies have indicators, that they are not afraid to say if I was robbed or if I had an accident, because no one is immune, the important thing is to recognize that you have a problem, then attack it with the technologies that they are within reach and partner with a supplier that understands their needs and is capable of accompanying them at all times,” he stated.

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