The numbers don’t lie. The highway security system has collapsed. And truckers are paying the highest price. This is an analysis of a policy that has utterly failed, regardless of party affiliation.
THE BRUTAL NUMBERS OF THE INCREASE:
Before 2020: 11,000 annual truck robberies
2023: 13,000 robberies from August to December alone (5 months)
2024: More than 24,000 robberies (a 16% increase over 2023)
2025: Projected more than 12,000 robberies
On a daily basis: from 7-8 robberies per day, the number skyrocketed to 54-70 robberies per day. A 900% increase in six years. This isn’t a security problem: it’s a national catastrophe.
THE DECISION THAT TRIGGERED CHAOS
On December 31, 2019, the Federal Highway Police was dissolved after 90 years of service. Although AMLO promised in July 2019 that “the Federal Highway Police will continue, that’s not the function of the National Guard,” he lied. On January 1, 2020, the National Guard took full control of federal highways.
This isn’t about nostalgia for previous administrations. It’s an objective fact: a specialized force with decades of experience was eliminated and replaced with personnel lacking adequate training. The results speak for themselves.
THE PROBLEM: LACK OF TRAINED PERSONNEL
“There are states where there used to be 1,000 Highway Police officers. Today there are 350 National Guard members,” denounces David Estévez, president of ANTAC. But it’s not just about numbers: it’s about specialized training.
The Federal Highway Police operated specialized intelligence systems:
- Networks of links between criminals
- Identification of buyers of stolen goods
- Tracking of protectors and accomplices
- Decades of experience in modus operandi
In 2023, the military finished the purge of former federal police officers. Officers with 10 to 20 years of experience were sent to guard archaeological sites. They were replaced by novices who crash 900 patrol cars a year.
THE NATIONAL GUARD IS NOT PREPARED
The National Guard takes one or two months of training in San Luis Potosí and is then sent to the highways. They lack:
- Specialized intelligence systems for cargo theft
- Experience in highway crime patterns
- Information networks with trucking companies
- Knowledge of routes and critical areas
“The National Guard has fallen far short of expectations,” says Estévez. Their focus is on drug trafficking. Highway robberies are secondary. That’s why it erupted into a national strike.
THE TANGIBLE CONSEQUENCES
Most affected states: Puebla, State of Mexico, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán
Economic losses in 2024: 7 billion pesos (368 million dollars)
Average loss per robbery: 1.2 million pesos
Violence: 84% of robberies involve violence
Furthermore: 78% of transportation companies report extortion by municipal and state police, and even members of the National Guard. Monterrey, Michoacán, Nayarit: areas where authorities collect “protection money.”
THIS IS NOT PARTISAN, IT IS FACTUAL
This is not about defending previous administrations. The PRI and PAN governments had their own problems with corruption and complicity with organized crime. But the numbers are undeniable: the current system is not working. They dismantled 90 years of specialized expertise and replaced it with an improvised military model.
The result: the highways have never been so dangerous. And while the federal government denies the crisis, truckers are organizing, blocking highways in 20 states, and shouting what no one wants to hear: this model has failed.
It’s not about longing for the past. It’s about demanding they acknowledge the mistake and correct it before more people die. The data is there. The solution isn’t.
Source: consciente
