Mexico driver strike ends: what brokers and shippers need to know

The strike has wound down. With the Silao and Nogales blockades clearing, no official source is reporting a strike blockade on a major highway, so we're ending regular updates. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement, and border waits are normal. We'll add an update here if blockades return.

Guanajuato's state security office said the blockade on federal highway 45 at the Bajío airport near Silao had ended as of 5:50 PM, and that protests in the state were over. CAPUFE said at 6:08 PM that protesters are leaving the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at Nogales, Veracruz, though traffic is still heavy in both directions. CAPUFE also reported protesters gone from the La Carbonera toll plaza near Saltillo. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement, and border waits are within their normal range.

Ricardo Monreal, who leads the ruling Morena party in Mexico's lower house of Congress, said at 5:30 PM that he met CANACAR representatives led by its president, Augusto Ramos Melo, to hear their proposals. CANACAR itself still had not posted a statement. The National Guard's highway division reported two points on the Perote-Teziutlán road in Veracruz clear by 5:52 PM, while CAPUFE still reports on-and-off closures on the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at Nogales. Border waits are within their normal range.

Guanajuato's state security office said that, as of 3:45 PM, the blockade on federal highway 45 at the Bajío airport near Silao is partial: two lanes are closed and one is open in each direction. Earlier in the afternoon, SICT had reported a full closure there. CAPUFE still reports on-and-off closures on the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at Nogales, Veracruz. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement, and border waits are within their normal range.

CAPUFE said at 3:04 PM that protesters left the El Caracol toll plaza on the Ciudad Alemán-Tuxtepec road and that traffic is normal in both directions. On the highway from Chihuahua to Ciudad Juárez, the National Guard's highway division reported people in vehicles on the shoulder near the Sacramento toll plaza at 3:05 PM, with no closure. CAPUFE still reports on-and-off closures on the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at Nogales, Veracruz, and SICT has not reported highway 45 at Silao, Guanajuato, reopened. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement, and border waits are steady.

CAPUFE said at 2:52 PM that traffic is moving again on the Chamapa-Lechería highway near Mexico City, toward Lechería. Protesters are still at the site but off the road. At the last official reports, highway 45 at Silao, Guanajuato, was still closed (SICT, 2:13 PM), and the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at Nogales, Veracruz, still had on-and-off closures. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement, and border waits are steady.

SICT, Mexico's transportation ministry, reported at 2:13 PM a full closure of federal highway 45 between Silao and León, at the Guanajuato airport (km 157), because of a driver blockade. Earlier the road had been closing on and off. CAPUFE said at 2:23 PM that the Chamapa-Lechería highway is still closed toward Lechería, though some outlets reported it had reopened. CAPUFE also still reports on-and-off closures on the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at Nogales, Veracruz. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement, and border waits are steady.

CAPUFE reported at 1:48 PM that protesters left the Puebla-Acatzingo highway at km 134, toward Acatzingo, and that the road is running normally. It is the first reopening CAPUFE has posted since Segob's announcement. Closures continue elsewhere: CAPUFE said at 1:49 PM that the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at Nogales, Veracruz, still has on-and-off closures in both directions. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement.

In Veracruz, drivers are fully blocking the Orizaba-Tehuacán road at Nogales, near the Puebla state line, and demanding talks with Governor Rocío Nahle, TV Azteca Veracruz reported. CAPUFE still reported intermittent closures on the nearby Mendoza-Córdoba highway at 1:21 PM. No CAPUFE or GN Carreteras post has reported a reopening at any protest point since Segob's announcement, and CANACAR still had not posted its own statement. Border waits are steady.

Some protests continue despite the agreement. CAPUFE reported the Chamapa-Lechería highway fully closed again at km 4 toward Lechería at 12:56 PM, and Milenio reported that drivers from AMOTAC, a separate trucking group, are blocking it. Guanajuato's state government reported, as of noon local time, intermittent full closures of about 15 minutes at a time on federal highway 45 near the Bajío airport in Silao. CANACAR still had not posted its own statement. Laredo waits are back to normal: CBP shows the World Trade Bridge at 45 minutes for commercial trucks and Colombia at 30.

Segob said at 12:26 PM that CANACAR and other trucking groups committed to permanently withdraw their blockades and stop their protests. In return, the government will hold working groups on highway security, infrastructure, taxes, social security and working conditions. CANACAR had not posted its own statement as of 1:01 PM. Some local protests were still on the road: CAPUFE reported intermittent closures in both directions on the Mendoza-Córdoba highway near Nogales, Veracruz, at 12:44 PM, and GN Carreteras reported a partial closure on the Ixmiquilpan-Pachuca highway in Hidalgo. CBP shows El Paso's Bridge of the Americas open again for commercial trucks, at 15 minutes.

Posts circulating online say CANACAR agreed with Segob after a three-hour meeting this morning to pull back its protests, in exchange for working groups on security, highways, taxes and social security. Neither CANACAR nor Segob has confirmed this, and we could not find the Segob statement some posts cite. CAPUFE still showed protesters narrowing the Mendoza-Córdoba highway in both directions near Nogales, Veracruz, at 12:19 PM. Hacienda's session on the toll tax credit is set for 2:00 PM CDT.

Laredo's Colombia Solidarity bridge is at 45 minutes for commercial trucks, more than double its usual wait for this hour, CBP shows; the World Trade Bridge is at 35, about normal. In Veracruz, CAPUFE said at 11:51 AM that protesters are still narrowing the Mendoza-Córdoba highway near Nogales, and reported traffic moving only intermittently at the Puente El Caracol toll plaza on the Ciudad Alemán-Tuxtepec highway; GN Carreteras reported a partial closure at km 166 of the Ejército Mexicano highway. CBP still lists the commercial lanes at El Paso's Bridge of the Americas as closed.

CAPUFE reported protesters near Nogales, Veracruz, at km 263 of the Ciudad Mendoza-Córdoba highway at 11:13 AM, with fewer lanes open toward Córdoba. That highway carries freight between Mexico City and the port of Veracruz. In El Paso, CBP lists the commercial lanes at the Bridge of the Americas as closed during their posted weekday hours and gives no reason; Ysleta, El Paso's busiest commercial crossing, is open at 45 minutes, close to its usual wait.

Protests continue in some states while CANACAR waits on today's talks. Mural, the Guadalajara newspaper, reported that drivers are blocking one lane of the Zapotlanejo highway in Jalisco for a second day, with heavy traffic, and GN Carreteras reported a partial closure in both directions on the Nuevo Teapa-Cosoleacaque highway in southern Veracruz. CAPUFE said the Mexico City-Querétaro highway has no protesters, only maintenance work between km 194 and 207. Border waits are steady; CBP shows Santa Teresa at 35 minutes for commercial trucks.

President Sheinbaum addressed the strike at her morning press conference. "Most carriers are not protesting. It's one part of CANACAR," she said, El Universal reported. Reforma reported that she questioned the highway protests while talks were already open, said CANACAR's representatives had met days earlier with the head of the opposition PRI party, and said there can be no defense of privileges. Waits eased at some crossings: CBP shows Calexico East at 20 minutes for commercial trucks, Ysleta at 30 and Otay Mesa at 35. Pharr is still at 35.

Laredo's Colombia Solidarity bridge is open for commercial trucks with no delay, CBP shows; the closed listing earlier came before its first reading of the day. CAPUFE reopened the Chamapa-Lechería highway at km 4 at 9:37 AM, with fewer lanes and heavy traffic. Pharr is still at 35 minutes.

Waits are climbing at some crossings. CBP shows Pharr at 35 minutes for commercial trucks, more than double its usual wait for this hour, and Calexico East at 30; Laredo's World Trade Bridge is at 15. CBP still lists the commercial lanes at Laredo's Colombia Solidarity bridge as closed, past their 8:00 AM opening, and gives no reason. CAPUFE said at 9:05 AM that the Chamapa-Lechería highway is still closed with no estimated reopening time. As of 9:05 AM, the president had not addressed the strike at her morning press conference.

The Guardia Nacional reported the Mexico City-Toluca highway clear again at km 46 near Lerma at 8:07 AM, after a partial closure that followed the overnight crash. CAPUFE still had the Chamapa-Lechería highway closed at km 4 at 7:54 AM. Otay Mesa's first reading today is 40 minutes for commercial trucks, CBP shows; Texas crossings remain at 15 minutes or less.

CAPUFE says the Chamapa-Lechería highway was still closed at km 4 at 7:41 AM, with protesters at the Lago de Guadalupe toll plaza. The Mexico City-Querétaro highway is open with heavy traffic. The Senate takes up the 2027 revenue law today, Expansión reported; CANACAR wants the revenue limit for the toll tax credit raised to 420 million pesos instead of cut to 250 million, and any Senate change sends the bill back to the lower house. Laredo's World Trade Bridge rose to 15 minutes for commercial trucks at 7:00 AM.

Texas crossings are opening with short waits. At 7:00 AM CDT, CBP showed Laredo's World Trade Bridge at 10 minutes for commercial trucks and Pharr at 15. CANACAR and Segob still have not said when today's talks start.

CAPUFE closed the Chamapa-Lechería highway again at km 4, toward Lechería, at 6:41 AM because of protesters, about an hour after reporting it open. CANACAR has not said when or where its talks with Segob start today. In CBP's first Tuesday readings, El Paso's Ysleta bridge is at 10 minutes for commercial trucks and the Bridge of the Americas shows no delay.

CANACAR and the three groups striking with it, HAMOTAC, FEMATRAC and INDECO, said in a joint statement that talks with Segob begin today and that they will report progress. The statement does not call off the strike. On the Mexico City-Toluca highway near Ocoyoacac, a truck hit two parked protest trucks around 4:30 AM CDT, three trailers burned and two people were hurt, Infobae reported; traffic is getting through only on the side lanes, every 20 minutes. CAPUFE reported the Mexico City-Puebla highway running normally and traffic restored on the Chamapa-Lechería highway, where protesters remain off the road.

The strike is in its second day, and CANACAR has not called it off. Most blockades lifted Monday night, but Mexico State's office of the transport ministry (SICT) reported closures that held overnight on the Mexico City-Toluca highway, at Plazas Outlet Lerma and the La Marquesa toll plaza. Drivers have threatened new blockades Tuesday at the Tepotzotlán toll plaza and on the highways to Pachuca and Puebla; none is confirmed yet. Most U.S. commercial lanes had not opened by 6:00 AM, so CBP has no Tuesday readings yet.

Two things to know for Tuesday. Farm groups in the Confederación Agropecuaria de México suspended the highway blockades they had planned for 9:00 AM Tuesday in 10 states, including the State of Mexico, Guanajuato and Michoacán; that protest is separate from the driver strike. The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on the 2027 revenue law, which lowers the revenue cap for the toll tax credit CANACAR is protesting from 300 million to 250 million pesos, and Ramos Melo asked senators to revisit it.

The strike is continuing overnight. CANACAR president Augusto Ramos Melo told Imagen Radio the strike will go on indefinitely, until CANACAR gets direct talks with Segob and the finance ministry. CAPUFE's closures were unchanged at 9:50 PM, all in central and southern Mexico, and CBP waits were flat.

Segob said at 9:16 PM that CANACAR members are keeping up their protests, and again called the chamber to talks. The trucking groups that oppose the strike will hold their first working session with finance officials at 1:00 PM Mexico City time Tuesday (2:00 PM CDT), La Jornada reported; CANACAR is not part of it. CAPUFE's 9:06 PM list still shows seven closures, all in central and southern Mexico, and no closures have been reported on roads to the border crossings.

On the route to Ciudad Juárez, the National Guard reported the Chihuahua-Miguel Ahumada highway clear at km 20, after this evening's total closure there. CAPUFE's 8:46 PM list is back up to seven closures, all in central and southern Mexico: it adds the Nuevo Teapa-Cosoleacaque highway at km 27, both directions, and the Chamapa-Lechería highway at km 4 toward Lechería. CBP posted no new readings after 8:00 PM, and no closures have been reported on roads to the border crossings.

CAPUFE reopened the Saltillo eastern bypass at the La Carbonera toll plaza, the only closure it listed on a northern route. Its 8:21 PM list shows five closures left, all in central and southern Mexico: the Tehuacán toll plaza, the Puebla-Acatzingo highway at km 134, the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at km 269, and two closures on the Cuernavaca bypass and city ramps. In CBP's 8:00 PM reading, Laredo's World Trade Bridge was still at 60 minutes for commercial trucks, and no closures have been reported on roads to the border crossings.

CANACAR has not called off the strike. In a video posted at 7:40 PM, the chamber answered Segob's criticism and listed demands it says have gone unmet for months, from tougher penalties for cargo theft to rest stops guarded by the National Guard. It said it wants to keep talking with officials who can make decisions and will end the protest only with "commitments that are kept." It did not announce plans for Tuesday.

The strike has no end date tonight. CANACAR skipped Monday's talks at Segob, and Interior Undersecretary César Yáñez said the government will wait: "the table is set." The head of HAMOTAC, another group on strike, told T21 the strike will continue indefinitely. CAPUFE's 7:11 PM list shows the same six closures as at 6:45 PM, and CBP waits barely moved: Otay Mesa at 30 minutes, Eagle Pass at 15, and Laredo's World Trade Bridge still at 60 in its latest reading, from 5:00 PM.

Laredo's World Trade Bridge reached 60 minutes for commercial trucks in CBP's 5:00 PM reading, up from 30. CBP had not posted a newer Laredo reading by 7:00 PM. El Paso's Ysleta bridge was at 45, and South Texas stayed light: Pharr at 10 and Brownsville's Veterans bridge at 5. CAPUFE's 6:45 PM list adds closures on a northern route and around Mexico City: the Saltillo eastern bypass at the La Carbonera toll plaza, toward Puerto México; the Puebla-Acatzingo highway at km 134 and the Mendoza-Córdoba highway at km 269, both directions; the Chamapa-Lechería highway at km 4, toward Lechería; and the Cuernavaca bypass plus the Cuernavaca ramps of the Mexico City-Cuernavaca highway. The Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway is still closed at the Tehuacán toll plaza. The National Guard reported a total closure of the Chihuahua-Miguel Ahumada highway at km 20, near Ciudad Juárez. Open again: the Nuevo Teapa-Cosoleacaque highway at km 27, the Cd. Alemán-Tuxtepec road, and the Tepotzotlán toll plaza on the Mexico City-Querétaro highway. Segob said the trucking groups it met with reject highway blockades and will keep talking with the government. CANACAR is not among those groups, and it has not announced an end to the strike. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

Border waits eased in South Texas. At 4:00 PM CDT, CBP showed Pharr at 10 minutes for commercial trucks, down from 50, and Brownsville's Veterans bridge at 15. Laredo's World Trade Bridge was still at 30 in CBP's 3:00 PM reading, and Otay Mesa was at 35. The National Guard reported two new full closures in Durango, on the Torreón-Jiménez highway at km 8 and the Gómez Palacio-Cuencamé highway at km 239. Protesters left the Mexico City-Cuernavaca highway at the Tlalpan toll plaza, the Texcoco-Mexico City highway, the Chihuahua-Miguel Ahumada highway in the Ciudad Juárez municipality, and the Guadalajara-Colima highway at the Acatlán toll plaza. CAPUFE's 3:18 PM post still lists the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway closed at the Tehuacán toll plaza. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

At 3:00 PM CDT, CBP showed Laredo's World Trade Bridge at 30 minutes for commercial trucks, up from 10 at 1:00 PM, while Laredo's Colombia Solidarity bridge was at 5. Otay Mesa was at 30, and Pharr's latest reading, from 1:00 PM, was 50. CAPUFE's 2:29 PM list shows three closed roads, all in southern Mexico: the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway at the Tehuacán toll plaza, the Cd. Alemán-Tuxtepec road at the Puente El Caracol toll plaza, and the Nuevo Teapa-Cosoleacaque highway at km 27 toward Cosoleacaque. The convoy from Tepotzotlán is now in Mexico City, heading to La Raza on one of three lanes of Calzada Vallejo. Near the border, the National Guard reported drivers on the shoulder of the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway at km 20, by the Nuevo Laredo monument, with no closure. In Tijuana, drivers marched from City Hall toward the Vía Rápida, on a route that ends at the Otay import customs office. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez said she and the finance, security and transportation ministries met at Segob with the trucking groups CONCAMIN, CANAPAT, ANTP and CONATRAM, which said they do not support CANACAR's strike. CANACAR was not among the groups she named. The National Guard reported one lane open each way at the Tehuacán toll plaza on the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway, after the full closure. New closures: CAPUFE closed the Acayucan-Cosoleacaque highway at km 39 toward Cosoleacaque, in Veracruz, and the National Guard reported a partial closure on the Puebla-Orizaba highway toward Puebla at the La Esperanza toll plaza. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

Outside Mexico City, drivers partly blocked the Mexico City-Pachuca highway at the San Cristóbal toll plaza in Ecatepec, with two lanes toward the city taken and three open, and gathered along the roads around the AIFA airport. The convoy that left Tepotzotlán was last reported at Cuautitlán Izcalli, heading into Mexico City. Reports of drivers at every highway into Mexico City trace to social media posts, not a CANACAR statement. In Reynosa, Zócalo reported light truck traffic at the Reynosa-Pharr customs office, with no blockade. Segob asked CANACAR members to stop road blockades, and no outcome of the 11:00 AM Mexico City meeting has been published.

CAPUFE now lists one closure on its highways: the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway at the Tehuacán toll plaza. The Huitzo toll plaza is open again, and protesters at the La Carbonera toll plaza on the Saltillo bypass are not blocking traffic. Mexico's interior ministry (Segob) called on drivers to avoid disrupting the public. At 1:00 PM CDT, CBP showed Laredo's World Trade Bridge at 10 minutes, up from 5, and Brownsville's Veterans bridge at 30, up from 20. Pharr was at 50, up from 45. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

In Tijuana, drivers are gathering for a truck march that starts and ends next to the Otay import customs office, El Imparcial reported, with video from Frontera. Expect slow traffic near Otay Mesa. The National Guard reported drivers on the shoulders of the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo and Matehuala-Monterrey highways, the main routes to the Laredo crossings, with no closure reported. At noon, CBP showed Pharr at 45 minutes and Brownsville's Veterans bridge at 20. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

At 12:01 PM, CAPUFE reported that protesters left the Tepotzotlán toll plaza and the Mexico City-Querétaro highway is running normally there in both directions. Drivers then started a convoy toward Mexico City on the same highway, with two lanes open. CAPUFE now lists two full closures on the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway, at the Tehuacán and Huitzo toll plazas. The National Guard reported a full closure of the Puebla-Xalapa highway near Xalapa, in Veracruz. In Nuevo Laredo, El Mañana reported one lane open in each direction on the Carretera Nacional, the free highway from Monterrey, at the city's entrance sign. CBP has posted no new Texas readings since 11:00 AM CDT. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

Near the border, local outlet Noticias 24siete reported with photos at 11:30 AM that traffic reopened on the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway at the entrance to Nuevo Laredo. It did not say how long the road had been closed. In Reynosa, El Mañana reported about 180 trucks in the protest, causing congestion on the Monterrey-Reynosa highway and city boulevards. The National Guard confirmed the full closure of the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway at the Tehuacán toll plaza and pointed drivers to the free road between Huajuapan and Tehuacán. At 11:00 AM CDT, CBP showed Pharr at 45 minutes, down from 50, and Brownsville's Veterans bridge at 20. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

Mexico's interior ministry (Segob) counted 38 protest points in 19 states as of 10:30 AM CDT, with 691 vehicles. It reported one full blockade, in Tlaxcala, plus partial closures elsewhere in Tlaxcala and Veracruz. At 11:03 AM, CAPUFE reported the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway closed in both directions at the Tehuacán toll plaza, and the Mendoza-Córdoba highway in Veracruz open again. CAPUFE still lists the Tepotzotlán toll plaza on the Mexico City-Querétaro highway as open, but video posted at 11:09 AM shows a partial closure there. In Chihuahua, the National Guard reported drivers on the shoulder of the highway from Chihuahua toward Ciudad Juárez at the El Sacramento toll plaza, with traffic moving. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

At 10:21 AM, CAPUFE reported that the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway at the Huitzo toll plaza is open again. It also reported a new full closure in Veracruz: the Mendoza-Córdoba highway, part of the main route between Mexico City and the port of Veracruz, is closed in both directions at km 269. Mexico's National Guard reported a partial closure on the Mexico City-Pachuca highway heading into Mexico City. Drivers are gathering on the Saltillo-Monterrey highway and running a slow caravan between Reynosa and Río Bravo, with no blockade reported. At the border at 10:00 AM CDT, CBP showed no commercial delay at Laredo's World Trade Bridge, and Pharr held at 50 minutes. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

CAPUFE reported the first full highway closure: the Tehuacán-Oaxaca highway at the Huitzo toll plaza, closed in both directions. Mexico's National Guard reported partial closures at the Texcoco toll plaza east of Mexico City and on the Xalapa-Banderillas highway in Veracruz. On the Matehuala-Monterrey highway, the main route from central Mexico to Monterrey and the Laredo crossings, it reported protesters on the shoulder with traffic still moving. In the same post, CAPUFE said the Tepotzotlán toll plaza on the Mexico City-Querétaro highway is still open. No border bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

President Sheinbaum said at her morning press conference that strike leaders will meet with Segob and the finance ministry (Hacienda) at 11:00 AM Mexico City time (12:00 PM CDT). Mexico's National Guard reported protesters on the shoulders of the Mexico City-Querétaro and Mexico City-Pachuca highways, with traffic still moving. At the border, Pharr's commercial wait was 50 minutes at 9:00 AM CDT, up from 20 minutes at 7:00 AM, per CBP. CBP doesn't give a cause. No highway, bridge or customs closure is confirmed.

No highway, bridge or customs closure is confirmed. At 8:28 AM CDT, Mexico's federal toll-road operator (CAPUFE) reported protesters in both directions at the Tepotzotlán toll plaza on the Mexico City-Querétaro highway, with traffic still moving. Infobae, a Spanish-language news site, reported trucks parked in the side lanes near Nuevo Laredo without blocking traffic, and slow traffic between Reynosa and Río Bravo. We have not seen any statement from Mexico's customs agency (ANAM) or its transport ministry (SICT) about border delays.

Mexico's interior ministry (Segob) said most trucking groups agreed to talks. CANACAR kept its strike call.