MEXICO · TRUCKING
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico is a major US trade partner, and trucks carry most of its goods.
- —Why it matters A long stoppage could slow deliveries in Mexico and goods heading to the United States.
- —Why now Trucking groups announced on Friday 23 October that the stoppage starts Monday 26 October.
- —What happened Truckers called an indefinite strike over road crime, extortion and a toll tax credit cut.
- —The numbers Organizers cite about 1 million trucks and daily losses of 21.5 billion pesos (US$1.15 billion).
- —What it means for you Expect possible delays in US-bound freight, though organizers say they will not block roads.
- —Still open How many trucks join, whether the government makes an offer, and how long it lasts.
- —Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
In Plain English
- Paro: Spanish for a work stoppage, here meant to run with no end date.
- Canacar: the national chamber of cargo transport, a business group for trucking firms.
- Toll tax credit: a rule that lets trucking firms subtract part of their toll bill from income tax.
- Segob: Mexico’s interior ministry, which handles talks with protest groups.
A Mexico trucker strike is due to start on Monday 26 October 2026, after cargo-transport groups said on Friday that they will stop work for an indefinite period. The groups, led by the national trucking chamber Canacar, cite highway robbery, extortion and a planned cut to a toll tax credit, and they say they will not block roads.
For US readers the first question is the border, because Canacar president Augusto Ramos Melo said about 21,000 crossings and US$1.8 billion of goods move between Mexico and the United States every day. Those are the chamber’s own figures, and the sources reviewed do not say how many of those crossings the stoppage will touch.
The interior ministry, known as Segob, answered the same day with a statement offering talks and asking the groups to avoid harming the public and the movement of goods. The Bank of Mexico’s FIX rate for 23 October was 18.667 pesos per US dollar, and it is the rate used for every conversion in this article.
How the Mexico Trucker Strike Is Meant to Work
The organizers announced the stoppage at a news conference in Mexico City on Friday 23 October, with local events in other states. They say it begins on Monday 26 October with no end date, and outlets give the start time as either 6:00 or 8:00 in the morning.
Canacar is joined by Hamotac, Fematrac and Indeco, and some outlets also name the Amotac and Conatram alliances, so the exact list of groups differs by report. Canacar’s social media post carried the slogan “We do not want to stop Mexico, we want Mexico to listen to us”, translated from Spanish.
Ramos Melo told reporters that trucks will hold a moving protest on roads and in towns across the country and will not set up blockades, W Radio reported. La Razón reported that the organizers expect about 1 million vehicles to take part and that they ruled out blocking roads or toll booths.
N+ reported that trucks may park in the right-hand lane of the main entrances and corridors into cities, and that some closures could still happen. That leaves a gap between the promise of no blockades and what drivers may do on the day, which is why we list it under what is not known.
Why Drivers Say They Are Stopping Work
Ramos Melo listed insecurity, extortion, protection payments, poor roads, heavy regulation and reduced tax incentives as the reasons for the stoppage. He said the 1,299 cargo robberies counted in 2025 are likely to be exceeded this year, a figure SDP Noticias attributed to him.
On Thursday 22 October members of the AMOTAC transport alliance blocked roads in Puebla state for more than eight hours after the killing of a regional delegate, Infobae reported. Puebla’s state interior secretary said the drivers lifted the blockades after talks, with another meeting set for 28 October.
Carlos García Álvarez, who leads Hamotac according to W Radio and La Razón, said the decision responds to a lack of solutions for drivers, firms and their families. He estimated the economic impact at 21.5 billion pesos (US$1.15 billion) for each day of stoppage, while adding that drivers already feel little of it because pay per trip is minimal.
Ramos Melo said the groups want concrete answers rather than more working tables, because earlier talks produced no results. The organizations also asked President Claudia Sheinbaum to step in, La Razón reported.
The Toll Tax Credit at the Center of the Dispute
One grievance is a change in the 2027 revenue law that would lower the income ceiling for a toll tax credit from 300 million pesos (US$16.1 million) to 250 million pesos (US$13.4 million) a year. The credit lets eligible land-transport firms deduct up to 50% of the tolls they pay, excluding VAT, from their own annual income tax, according to TyT and El Financiero.
The Chamber of Deputies passed the 2027 revenue law early on Thursday 15 October by 340 votes to 109, and the bill is now in the Senate. Senate committees approved the package unchanged this week, Dossier Político reported, and Senate president Higinio Martínez said debate could begin on Tuesday 27 October, with a vote no later than Wednesday.
El Financiero reported on 12 October that, by the sector’s own figures, tolls rose 9.7% on average in 2026 and trucking firms paid 49.3 billion pesos (US$2.64 billion) for toll roads and bridges in 2025. The paper attributed these numbers to trade representatives.
A ruling-party deputy, Javier Borrego Adame, argued in the Chamber that the ceiling has not kept up with inflation since 2019 and floated roughly 400 million pesos (US$21.4 million), TyT reported. He then withdrew his proposal, and the plenary did not debate the transport incentive.
How the Government Has Responded
Segob said on Friday that it recognises the drivers’ concerns and that institutional channels exist to reach agreements through working tables with the competent authorities. It urged the groups to put dialogue first so that the public, traffic and the movement of goods are not harmed.
The organizers said they want concrete answers rather than more working tables, though Dossier Político reported that they left the door open to agreements with the federal government. No source reviewed reports a meeting with Segob since the announcement.
An earlier protest by truckers and farmers on Monday 6 April 2026 blocked roads in at least 20 states and some northern border crossings, FreightWaves reported, and Segob said then that there was no reason for it. That protest was led by a different group, ANTAC, and it ended after about two days, whereas this one says it will avoid blockades.
What It Means for You
US importers and manufacturers with Mexican suppliers should ask their carriers how the Mexico trucker strike affects Monday pickups and border crossings. The organizers say they are not blocking roads, but a long stoppage could slow trucks near ports, terminals and distribution centres.
Drivers and visitors in Mexico may meet slow traffic or parked trucks near city entrances and terminals, as N+ described. Our guides Mexico Security and Crime Explained 2026 and Who Dominates Mexico, Elites and Regions Explained give background on highway crime and on who holds power.
Readers in the capital can find local context in our Mexico City expat city guide. The tax background is in our Mexico 2027 budget article, and the wider picture is in Mexico 2026 Explained.
What Is Not Known
No source reviewed says how many trucks will actually stop on Monday, because the one-million figure is an organizer forecast and Semanario Zeta cited about 1.2 million. Outlets also give different start times, 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning, and different lists of the groups taking part.
It is not known whether any road closures will occur, since the groups promise a moving protest while N+ noted that closures are possible. The sources also do not show whether the government will make an offer on the toll tax credit before the Senate votes, expected from Tuesday 27 October.
The loss of 21.5 billion pesos (US$1.15 billion) a day is an estimate by a trucker group leader and has not been checked by an independent source. We could not open Canacar’s own statement, so its quotes come from the news reports that carried it.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Mexico trucker strike start?
It is due to start on Monday 26 October 2026 and has no end date. Outlets differ on the start time, giving either 6:00 or 8:00 in the morning.
Who is behind the strike?
Canacar, the national chamber of cargo transport led by Augusto Ramos Melo, called it with groups including Hamotac, Fematrac and Indeco. Outlets differ on which other groups have joined.
Will roads be blocked?
Organizers say they will protest on the move and will not block roads or toll booths. N+ noted that some closures could still happen.
Why are the truckers striking?
They cite highway robberies, extortion, poor roads and cuts to tax incentives. A toll tax credit ceiling would fall from 300 million pesos (US$16.1 million) to 250 million pesos (US$13.4 million) under the 2027 revenue law.
Will it affect US trade?
Canacar says about 21,000 crossings and US$1.8 billion of goods move between Mexico and the United States daily. How much of that the stoppage touches is not yet known.
Sources: W Radio, 23 October 2026; La Razón (Segob statement), 24 October 2026; UnoTV, 23 October 2026; N+, 23 October 2026; SDP Noticias, 23 October 2026; Semanario Zeta, 23 October 2026; Infobae México, 23 October 2026; TyT, October 2026; El Financiero, 12 October 2026; Dossier Político, 22 October 2026; FreightWaves, 6 April 2026; FreightWaves, 9 April 2026; Bank of Mexico FIX exchange rate, 23 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error