Trucking companies are on strike in Mexico.
Not all of them, but several of the bigger ones have gone on strike over the rules and regulations imposed on them.
CANACAR, Mexico’s national trucking chamber, organized the strike to protest issues like cargo theft and road conditions.
Some of the carriers Bestway works with to transport our clients’ freight in Mexico are among those on strike. Most of our carriers are not.
But an event like this can impact shipping, so we want our customers and the rest of our network to know what we know, and what we’re doing to make sure our customers’ freight is not impacted.
- We have been in contact with the carriers in our network who are on strike. We have told them we support their right to do what they think is necessary for themselves and their drivers. But we also told them that if they had committed to transporting freight for our customers, we would move it to another carrier that is still operating. And yes, we have access to plenty of available carriers. We are getting everything moving that is supposed to be moving.
- We are monitoring the protests to make sure they are not affecting traffic patterns. So far, they are not, as they are mainly limited to highway shoulders and are not blocking traffic. Since the protest locations are announced in advance, we have been able to act proactively on this. If the protests start to impede traffic patterns, we will immediately let our customers know what, if any, adjustments we will need to make on their behalf.
- We survey every route to make sure traffic patterns aren’t being affected. Most of our routes in Mexico are fairly static, so it’s been relatively simple to check these patterns, and we are doing so on a constant basis.
- We are building buffer hours into transit plans, even where roads are staying open, just in case.
- We are sending each customer a customized email with strike details relevant to them. That includes information on the location of planned protests, any statements from customs agents and protest points to watch. If there are any longer-than-usual waits at northbound borders, the email includes that information as well.
Customers can help us by letting us know which shipments are time-critical so we can prioritize them, and which appointments can be pushed back to later in the day or the next day. And of course, we want to agree with every customer on a plan for potential issues.
The strike’s impact looks manageable for now, and we’re monitoring it closely to stay on top of things. As always, let us know if you need our help with anything.
