Sheinbaum Says Cargo Theft Has Moved to State Highways
President Claudia Sheinbaum says cargo theft fell on federal roads under Cero Robos but now hits state highways. Truckers also dispute local fees.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday, Nov. 9, that theft from freight trucks has shifted onto highways run by state governments. According to a report by El Informador, she said the crime fell on the stretches of federal road where her government applied its Cero Robos (Zero Thefts) strategy.
Her answer to the shift is closer coordination between local authorities and the Guardia Nacional (National Guard), so that patrols and protection for truckers and their cargo cover more roads. In the same remarks she addressed complaints from the trucking sector about fees charged by local governments.
Where the thefts are happening now
Sheinbaum said security operations have lowered crime on certain federal roads. She acknowledged that thefts now take place on roads under state jurisdiction, which are outside the stretches covered by the federal effort.
She named two measures aimed at attacks on freight carriers: Operativo Escalón (the Escalón operation) and the Cero Robos program. Which states or highways are affected was not disclosed, and no theft figures were given.
Complaints about double and triple fees
Truckers have complained that local governments charge them the same fees twice or three times and do not issue tax receipts (comprobantes fiscales) for the payments, according to the report. Sheinbaum said her administration holds standing working tables with trucking organizations, among them the Cámara Nacional del Autotransporte de Carga (Canacar, the national freight trucking chamber), to go over these grievances and look for solutions.
She said the Secretaría de Gobernación (Interior Ministry) is stepping in to bring the parties together and check whether the charges by state and municipal authorities are legal. In her words, reported by El Informador: “La Secretaría de Gobernación está atendiendo para poder sentarlos a la mesa de trabajo.” She said the practice has been found in a small number of municipalities and states, but she did not name which governments the truckers have pointed to.
She also recalled that her administration recently dealt with complaints from the sector about tax changes pushed by the Secretaría de Hacienda (Finance Ministry).
What it means for truckers and shippers
For drivers and carriers, the practical meaning is that federal highways under Cero Robos are not the full picture of where cargo is stolen. Her statement places a share of the problem on state roads, where the response depends on how well state authorities and the Guardia Nacional work together. Companies that move goods by road and the drivers who haul them are the ones affected by both the thefts and the disputed fees.
The fee question remains open. The government has said the legality of the charges is being reviewed, and no date for a result or a list of the governments involved was given.
What to watch
The next steps named were the continued working tables between the government and groups such as Canacar, and stronger coordination between state authorities and the Guardia Nacional on road security. No timetable was announced for either.
Source: telegra.ph
