Truck Cargo Robberies Decline In Mexico

In Mexico, the number of cargo thefts decreased 10.3% in November 2019, compared to the same month last year, according to recent data.

There were 923 robberies of tractor-trailers reported in Mexico in November, compared to 1,029 during the same period last year, according to a report from Alfonso Durazo, head of Mexico's Ministry of Civil Protection.

The information was presented during a press conference in Mexico City on Dec. 17.

"The robbery of freight transport on the road has dropped significantly due in part to the collaboration of the private sector," Durazo said, according to news outlet Proceso.

Durazo cited collaboration between Mexico's Business Coordinating Council (CCE), the National Chamber of Passenger Transportation and Tourism (CANAPAT) and other business chambers to combat truck cargo theft.

From January to November, there were 10,639 cases of cargo robbery throughout Mexico, an average of 30 incidents each day. However, that number is still 5% less than the same period last year, when there were 11,194 cases reported.

In comparison, the U.S. trucking industry had 592 total incidents of cargo theft nationwide in 2018, an average of 50 per month, according to the SensiGuard Supply Chain Intelligence Center. 

In addition to stealing freight, the data showed that thieves in Mexico also targeted entire tractor-trailer trucks, trailers, cargo vans, dollies, pipes and even cranes.

Some of the most dangerous roads are the federal highways connecting Mexico City with major seaports on the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific,  as well as freight lanes leading to U.S. ports such as Laredo and El Paso, Texas.

From January to November, the state of Mexico (where Mexico City is located) topped the list with 4,506 reported cases of cargo theft, followed by Puebla with 2,007 cases; Michoacán, 1,303; Nuevo León, 563; and San Luis Potosí, 479.

Durazo said the cargo robbery cases are associated with organized crime but also include individuals who are driven to crime as a "constant source of income."

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