Since dawn, several Mexican highways have looked more like improvised parking lots than logistical corridors. Groups of drivers block entire stretches of national highways, sometimes with a simple line of trucks, sometimes with larger gatherings. Their message is simple: they can no longer cope with the assaults, cargo thefts and lack of real protection on the roads.
In some regions, carriers explain that they drive “with a knot in their stomach,” especially at nite. Armed robberies are on the rise, and several organizations of drivers are also denouncing extortion practices by some local agents.
This cocktail finally exploded: the protesters are demanding that the government immediately strengthen police escorts and security checks on the most exposed corridors.
On the ground, the situation is creating a domino effect. The semi-trailers stuck upstream are paralyzing the supply of several Mexican factories working for the American market. Further north, on the US side, logisticians are already warning their clients: some shipments will arrive late, others will have to take detours that add several days to the delivery time.
The first signs of adaptation are appearing. Some shippers are starting to divert some of the flows to rail, when possible. Others are studying one-off transfers to Gulf ports to bypass the most disrupted areas. None of this is ideal: costs are rising, visibility is decreasing, and distribution networks are under strain as seasonal year-end needs approach.
One American auto-parts company sums up the general sentiment: “We depend on Mexico to meet our schedules. When the roads close, our whole schedule falls apart.”
For now, Mexican authorities are talking with representatives of the drivers, but no concrete solution has been announced. And as long as the negotiations stall, the trucks remain stationary, and a good part of the North American supply chain holds its breath.
