Since El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama have set a 72-hour time limit for freight drivers operating in the region, hundreds of units have decided to halt their operations as a measure of pressure.
Due to the health crisis resulting from the covid-19 outbreak, Salvadoran, Costa Rican and Panamanian authorities decided that the drivers of the cargo transport units entering the country will have only 72 hours to make the formalities at the borders, and to unload and reload the goods from the vehicles.
While authorities have reactivated the process for binational customs liberalization, entrepreneurs have pointed to constraints on issues related to bureaucracy, corruption, and infrastructure at border crossing points.
The governments of Guatemala and El Salvador have resumed work in Technical Groups to liberalize binational border posts. In a statement, they reported that dialogue has been revived over customs, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, migration, security, and legal and tax issues.
Only cargo destined for El Salvador should be charged with the $18 fee for the inspection with scanner, request freight carriers.
According to the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA), this fee violates conventions and trade agreements in the region. In addition, they believe that the inspections and the time it takes to submit all shipments to the procedures are excessive.
After the Salvadoran Supreme Court suspended the Fonat law, carriers decided to resume their work.
"There is no longer a reason for the strike," said Raul Alfaro, president of the Association of International Cargo Transporters (ASTIC).
"The Chamber accepted a constitutional challenge submitted by the ASTIC against the collection of accident insurance, namely the Fund for Victims of Traffic Accidents (Fonat), from which the Legislature excluded foreign transporters, but not Salvadorans," noted an article in Elsalvador.com.
An agreement has been made to reform the law "Fondo de Atención para Víctimas de Accidentes de Tránsito" (Fund for Attention to Traffic Accident Victims) to exempt carriers carriers who already have private insurance from additional charges.
The agreement was reached in the Finance Committee of the Salvadoran Congress after the Salvadoran Association of International Freight Carriers (ASTIC by its initials in Spanish) threatened to paralyze the service at all of the country's border crossings, on 1 July.
The regional freight sector has agreed to purchase insurance to protect accident victims.
Prensalibre.com.gt reports that "The government of El Salvador and cargo transport unions in Central America, agreed yesterday in "supporting" a legal reform which alleviates them from the payment of a tax on those who already pay insurance to cover against any accidents, an official said. "
The main freight union of Central America has issued an ultimatum to the government of El Salvador to modify the collection of the new tax levied at customs offices.
Representatives of these unions which integrate the Central American Council of Transport have given a deadline of May 31 to amend this charge, otherwise on that date, if Congress has not amended the law which created the new tax, the truckers will go on strike for an undefined period causing heavy losses to Central American companies.
It was announced that the price of freight transport from El Salvador to any country in Central America have been reduced.
The new rates which came into effect yesterday are as follows: from El Salvador to Guatemala $672.50, the price was $710.00; to Tegucigalpa, Honduras $845.00, the price was $1,000 and to San Pedro Sula $982.50, down from $1,040.