Cargo truck theft in Mexico increased from approximately 14,300 robberies in 2022 to nearly 16,000 in 2025. In 68% of cases, violence was involved. Annual losses from this crime are estimated at more than 7 billion pesos.
Alejandro García Medina, Director of New Products at IA27, a consulting firm specializing in logistics security, explained that more than 13,000 robberies were recorded in 2019; in 2021, the number dropped to 12,500; in 2022, there were approximately 14,300; in 2023, around 14,500; in 2024, nearly 16,000; and all indications suggest that the number of robberies will exceed 16,000 in 2025.
While reports from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) show a reduction in cargo theft from January to September 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year, and records of stolen insured vehicles also show a decrease, concern remains within the sector, especially since the incidence is already higher than that recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a decline in the rate.
Data from the SESNSP and the FGR, compiled by the National Association of Private Transportation (ANTP), indicate that between January and September 2024, 10,445 investigations were opened related to cargo theft at both the federal and local levels, while in the same period of 2025, there were 8,638. This represents a reduction of 16.9%.
In an interview, Leonardo Gómez Vargas, president of the ANTP (National Association of Private Transportation Companies), said that the industry has a different perception than that presented by the authorities, because what everyone wants is to avoid being robbed. “We all want to be part of that 16% and not the 84% that continue to be stolen.”
He pointed out that comparing the figures for October with those of September 2025 shows an increase, both in federal (7%) and state (15%) jurisdictions, with the average increase being 11%.
Meanwhile, according to information from the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (AMIS), an average of 8,243 insured heavy vehicles have been stolen each year over the last six years, of which approximately 60% have been recovered.
Statistics from that organization show that, from October 2024 to September 2025, 9,242 heavy vehicles were reported stolen (an average of 25 per day), including 71 buses, 1,315 trucks, 3,575 semi-trailers, and 4,103 tractor-trailers. In 68% of the cases, the theft involved violence.
While the figures for October to September of each pair of years indicate a 4.2% decrease in heavy equipment theft in Mexico over the last year, these numbers are higher than those recorded during the same period in 2019 and 2020.
Source: eleconomista
