The call for an indefinite strike by the national freight transport sector to begin on October 26 , under the slogan “Mexico can’t take it anymore ,” has brought together various groups to address highway insecurity, extortion, protection rackets, regulatory pressure, and the reduction of administrative procedures.
The Ministry of the Interior (Segob) published a statement last Sunday, October 25, calling once again for dialogue to address the demands and avoid the national strike, even warning that various organizations that called for this movement agreed not to participate in the strike, with the exception of the National Chamber of Freight Transportation (Canacar) .
The Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin) issued a statement calling on Canacar, the Mexican-American Federation of Transporters (FEMATRAC) , the Honorable Mexican Alliance of Transport Organizations (HAMOTAC) , and the Integrating Organization of Conventional Rights (INDECO) to participate in the dialogue with Segob and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection and to resolve the problems that have been raised.
T21 consulted several transport workers who agreed to speak anonymously about the national strike, acknowledging that this situation occurs in a context of polarization, where it is difficult to speak out.
One aspect that some of the carriers consulted agreed on is that users or shippers must participate and be aware of the reality that exists in national road transport, with effects on the end customer.
“The costs associated with insecurity, corruption, extortion, protection rackets, and everything else that manifests itself have a direct impact on the cost of our services , which ends up also affecting the profitability of cargo owners; therefore, this strike should be supported by these groups,” said one of the transporters.
There are some sectors of users who have expressed their solidarity with the carriers and have brought forward some shipments or will stop some cargoes that would be operated this Monday, with the aim of supporting the demonstration of the transport sector and seeking some fundamental solution from the federal government.
Other business owners stated that while they will send some units to the demonstrations, without blockades, that will take place in various regions of the country, they will also maintain service for customers who will have movement of goods this Monday, October 26.
Although there is also another group of companies that anticipated that they will not be part of this demonstration called by Canacar, “we are aware and agree with the reasons that motivate these demonstrations, but not with the way to solve it ,” another executive consulted told T21.
“ Transportation disruptions can have significant consequences for sectors such as floriculture, whose products require rapid distribution; pharmaceuticals, which depend on timely deliveries of medicines and medical supplies; and food, where delays can compromise the preservation and availability of perishable products, among others,” Concamin highlighted in its statement.
The chairman of the Communications and Transportation Committee in the Chamber of Deputies , Víctor Manuel Pérez, issued a statement regarding this demonstration, expressing that “ the freight transport sector is not asking for privileges : it demands conditions to work safely, with certainty and economic viability. Listening to the sector is listening to a fundamental part of Mexico. The authorities have the responsibility to open a dialogue and turn it into solutions.”
Demonstration in the lane
Even though the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) announced that all organizations, except for Canacar, stated they would not continue the strike, in a video published after 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, the president of HAMOTAC, Carlos García, denied that they had accepted the dialogue table and called off the protest , since the officials who were proposed to be part of it do not have decision-making power.
Meanwhile, various delegations from Canacar shared the locations where they will demonstrate with the presence of their vehicles, while also limiting their service capacity to customers, both in industrial zones, border areas, and ports.
Truckers question the federal government’s stance
The announcement of a meeting between federal authorities and representatives of the freight transport sector has not dispelled the grievances of the organizations that called for the national strike this Monday, October 26.
During her morning press conference, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo , reported that at 11:00 a.m. (this Monday, October 26) a meeting would be held, led by the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) and the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) , while assuring that the complaints correspond to a small sector of the trucking industry.
“It only affects a very, very small sector. The majority of freight transport has stated that it has no problem,” the president affirmed.
In response, Carlos García Álvarez, national president of HAMOTAC , questioned the federal government’s position and considered that there is an attempt to divide transport organizations, instead of addressing the demands they have raised.
“I think what the government is trying to do is find a way to divide and conquer,” he told T21.
The leader also questioned why the authorities are seeking dialogue with representatives who claim not to be facing difficulties in their operations or who have already received attention to their demands.
“If they don’t have problems and have been taken care of, why are they going to go?” he said.
García Álvarez stated that they remain willing to engage in dialogue with the authorities, although he questioned the response they have received so far.
This position also has the support of Lauro Rincón Hernández, national president of FEMATRAC , amidst the differences between the dissenting organizations and the federal government regarding addressing the problems of the freight transport sector. However, he assured that they would analyze Sheinbaum’s proposal.
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