Theft perpetrated on cargo trucks has increased by 35%, according to the most recent report by the Mexican Association of Private Security Companies and Satellite Industry (AMESIS). The report has been provided by Ricardo Bustamante Medina, president of the institution, who confirmed that states such as Querétaro, Puebla and the State of Mexico have so far been the ones that have suffered the most from this type of robbery.
During the first half of 2023, federal highway 45 Mexico-Queretaro has been one of the transportation routes with the highest incidence of robberies. These data are in line with those previously provided by the National Public Security System (SESNSP), which had already reported a 36% increase in violent assaults in the aforementioned states and transportation routes.
Neither GPS nor custodians have been able to reduce robberies in cargo trucks
The problem with theft in cargo trucks has been increasing for some years, and Mexico is an extremely large territory when we talk about land logistics, with about 400 thousand kilometers of roads, according to information provided by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). This commercial terrain is extremely attractive to malicious actors who threaten the tranquility and physical integrity of the hundreds of thousands of carriers who transit it in order to fulfill their work and, of course, return to their families safe and sound.
In 2019, some 9,714 robberies of carriers were committed in the country, of which 8,350 were carried out with some type of violence, giving us to understand that the situation may become more worrying than most might think. Although the implementation of geolocation systems and security guards has decreased theft in these trucks, the events continue to occur, being 35% in those that have GPS and 22% in carriers that have security guards specialized in protection of goods in transit.
Types of goods most affected and the most frequent schedules
AMESIS has also provided information on the most affected goods and the most frequent times of the theft of cargo trucks. Among the products with the highest incidences of theft are steel, medicines, footwear, chemical products, among others that can be easily stolen and sold in informal markets.
In the same order, Bustamante also reported that the preferred times for criminals at the time of committing these crimes are positioned between 04:00 and 06:00 hours due to the lower concentration of people, or law enforcement, that circulate at that time.
In order to further reduce the possibility of suffering both economic and reputational losses due to theft in cargo trucks, it is recommended to seek the advice of both experts in logistics risks and also the contracting of cargo insurance adaptable to your specific needs, will certainly be the best decision to safeguard the continuity of your transportation operations at the land level.
Sources:
Aumenta 35% robo de camiones de carga con localización. El Economista
Robo de camiones de carga con equipos de localización creció 35%. Liberal del Sur
Robo al transporte de carga aumenta 35% en carreteras. Excelsior
