Fox relaunches plan to scrap Mexico's oldest trucks

Jan. 1, 2005
IN AN effort to get the oldest trucks off Mexico's highways, the federal government wants to institute a new sales incentive program, Mexico's President

IN AN effort to get the oldest trucks off Mexico's highways, the federal government wants to institute a new sales incentive program, Mexico's President Vicente Fox said November 17, 2004, at the opening of Expo Transporte ANPACT in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Details on the program probably will not be finalized until sometime in 2005.

Trucks targeted for replacement under the program are at least 20 years old, and the plan is to scrap the vehicles taken in trade. The program is expected to generate additional sales of 15,000 new trucks.

Fox said the program is targeted at smaller trucking companies. Many of these small fleet operators find it difficult to obtain the investment funds needed to purchase new vehicles.

This is actually a relaunch of a fleet investment program that was first announced in 2003. That initiative also had a target of 15,000 trucks, but only 486 vehicles qualified under the program.

Juan José Guerra Abud, president of the Asociación Nacional de Productores de Autobuses, Camiones, and Tractocamiones (ANPACT), said the first program foundered because too many bureaucratic obstacles stood in its way.

Fox said steps are being taken to correct the problems that weakened the first replacement program. For one thing, the government will handle rebates to the fleets, rather than put that responsibility on the truck dealers.

Fox also announced plans to widen and modernize the federal highways in Mexico before the end of his presidential term in 2006. The improvements are needed to ensure that Mexico remains economically competitive in the international markets.

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