Mexico freight stabilizes after cartel shock, but supply chains stay on alert

Freight never fully stopped during Mexico’s cartel flare-up, but logistics leaders warn that companies without backup carriers, brokers and warehousing could face serious risk in the next disruption. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Noi Mahoney

Thu, February 26, 2026 at 2:49 AM GMT+9 4 min read

Freight flows across western Mexico are beginning to normalize after several days of cartel-related violence disrupted highways, ports and manufacturing operations tied to U.S.-Mexico trade.

A deadly military operation targeting the leadership of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) on Sunday triggered road blockades, temporary facility shutdowns and airport disruptions across parts of Jalisco, Michoacán and neighboring states. More than 70 people have reportedly died in the violence, including 25 National Guard members.

But as of Tuesday, major freight corridors were operating with “GO” status and no reported blockages, according to supply chain risk management platform Overhaul’s latest intelligence update.

Routes including MEX-15D between Morelia and Guadalajara, MEX-80D between Lagos de Moreno and Zapotlanejo, MEX-45D between Querétaro and Celaya, and the key MEX-200 corridor linking Cihuatlán and Manzanillo were all listed as open with free circulation.

“So far, there have been no reports of roadblocks or vehicle burnings related to the event linked to the CJNG criminal group,” Overhaul said in its Wednesday operational status report.

Echo Logistics: Disruption limited, but contingency planning critical

Troy Ryley, president of Mexico at Echo Global Logistics, described the incident as intense but short-lived, with limited direct impact to cross-border freight.

“To this level, not countrywide,” Ryley said, noting that in his three decades operating in Mexico he has seen localized cartel-related disruptions, but rarely events that draw such widespread attention.

Echo Global Logistics is a Chicago-based third party logistics provider with cross-border facilities in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara, Mexico; along with a major site in Laredo, Texas.

Echo’s trucking operations did not materially slow, he said, aside from limited dialogue with two customers shipping into the Guadalajara region.

“Commerce in general was not affected at all,” Ryley said, emphasizing that major border crossings and core freight corridors continued moving during the height of the unrest.

However, he said that the episode highlights vulnerabilities for shippers relying on single carriers, ports or customs brokers without backup options.

“What if this had lasted for a week? What if there were major bridges shut down? What if you have one asset-based carrier, no backup customs brokers, no alternative routing?” Ryley said, pointing to the need for integrated logistics providers capable of pivoting across ports, bonded facilities and border crossings.

Story Continues  

“The only consistency in Mexico is inconsistency,” he added, noting that flexibility across routing, customs brokerage and warehousing is essential in a dynamic environment.

Ecommerce shipments largely intact at the border

While much attention has focused on truckload and industrial freight, cross-border ecommerce flows have also been tested.

Carlos Barbosa, vice president of eCommerce Solutions at ePost Global, said parcel clearance at the border has continued without major disruption.

“For our parcel flows into Mexico, we are not seeing issues with uplift or customs clearance. Cross-border processing is moving as expected,” Barbosa said.

The primary impact has been inside Mexico, particularly in over-the-road transportation to regional hubs and final-mile delivery in states including Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, Colima, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas.

“We’re not seeing customs slowdowns on either side of the border tied to these events,” he said. “The bottlenecks are occurring within Mexico — mainly in over-the-road transport to regional hubs and in last-mile delivery in the impacted areas.”

Cypress, California-based ePost Global is a technology enabled global shipping solutions provider. The company has facilities in Chicago, New Jersey, Miami and Los Angeles.

Barbosa emphasized that this is “not a nationwide slowdown” and shipments into unaffected regions continue moving normally.

He advised brands to clearly communicate potential regional delivery delays at checkout and review insurance coverage for shipments destined for higher-risk areas.

Manufacturing restarts in Guadalajara

The disruption briefly extended into manufacturing operations.

Honda Motorcycles resumed operations Tuesday afternoon at its Guadalajara-area plant after suspending production for roughly a day and a half due to security concerns, according to El Economista.

The facility, which produces about 500 motorcycles per day for domestic and export markets, paused operations Monday and Tuesday as a precaution. Approximately 750 units may have been affected during the stoppage.

Honda said it is evaluating local production conditions daily and will continue assessing risks.

Automotive assembly operations in Guanajuato were not affected and continued according to normal production shifts.

Short-term shock, long-term lesson

Despite the headline-grabbing violence, logistics operators across truckload, parcel and manufacturing sectors described the disruption as localized and temporary rather than systemic.

Overhaul noted that while routes are currently open, monitoring remains active in case of new developments.

Ryley said episodes like this reinforce the importance of regional redundancy, diversified carrier networks and pre-signed powers of attorney with customs brokers to enable rapid pivots.

“Companies continue to do good business cross-border,” he said. “It continues to be a great opportunity for companies to focus their production in North America.”

The post Mexico freight stabilizes after cartel shock, but supply chains stay on alert appeared first on FreightWaves.

Terms and Privacy Policy

Privacy Dashboard

More Info