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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