Truckers to Block Mérida and Campeche Ring Roads as National Strike Begins

San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche — Drivers and freight operators planning to travel between Campeche and Yucatán on Monday should make alternative arrangements, after transport groups in both states confirmed they will join an indefinite nationwide truckers’ strike that begins first thing in the morning.

According to representatives of the industry, the day’s actions across the Yucatan Peninsula will follow two separate plans.

Yucatán: Mérida ring road closed from 7 a.m.

Four transport organizations will shut down access points on the Periférico de Mérida in the sections leading toward Campeche starting at 7 a.m., a move expected to choke traffic at the entrances to the Yucatecan capital.

Campeche: trucks massing from 8 a.m.

Local groups will gather at 8 a.m. on the lateral lanes of the Periférico Pablo García y Montilla. Although the initial plan does not call for a full closure, the buildup of heavy vehicles is expected to cause congestion and disrupt regular traffic in the area.

What the strikers are demanding

The movement is backed by a list of demands addressed to all three levels of government, with the sector seeking immediate solutions to problems it describes as critical to its operations:

• Highway insecurity: greater police presence in response to a rise in robberies and violence against drivers.
• Charges and rates: an end to excessive charges for local permits and a general reduction in toll rates.
• Infrastructure: urgent repairs to the physical condition of the region’s roads.
• Tax relief: incentives to ease the sector’s tax burden.

In Mérida, truckers added long-standing complaints about abuses and excessive charges by tow truck operators and vehicle impound lots, as well as what they describe as a refusal by the relevant authorities to open a dialogue.