Collapse on the border with Chile: more than 3,000 trucks stranded

In addition, on the other side of the border there are lines of trucks of up to 20 kilometers, but in this case it is due to a stoppage of activities by Customs personnel from the trans-Andean country.

Leaders of the Mendoza Truck Owners Association (Aprocam) explained that the protest is due to the few daily checks carried out by Chilean Health officials and the "mistreatment" received by truck drivers, who in If they have a positive covid result, they are isolated in places with very precarious assistance.

Scarce

They also stated that Chilean Customs personnel are very scarce for the average of about 1,000 trucks that cross the pass daily, which generates significant delays.

Each day a truck is detained at the border represents an extra cost of US$700 per day, according to data from the Department of International Transport of the Federation, which brings together 43 transport chambers in Argentina.

In the Chilean sector there are five boxes with health posts that carry out the antigen tests, achieving an average of 150 results per day, which considerably reduces the passage of the average truck that crosses the border every day, bringing it to just over 10 per percent of the total.

Daniel Gallart, president of Aprocam, indicated that Chile is planning to increase the health posts from 5 to 14 booths to carry out tests, but warned that this would only be "a palliative and not the definitive solution" since the vehicular flow would increase from 150 to 450 or 500, so delays and inconveniences would continue.

Events

National and Cuyo authorities are in dialogue with their Chilean counterparts to find a solution to the conflict and resume the normal development of the crossing of trucks, as reported.

The agglomeration of trucks began a few days ago, when the Chilean authorities modified a series of procedures that must be fulfilled to enter the country.

Argentine businessmen estimate that the 1,000 daily units that circulated in the Cristo Redentor Pass, in Mendoza, were reduced to just 150.

Long lines of trucks were on the side of the mountain route, waiting to be able to continue to the Chilean ports of El Callao or Valparaíso, from where merchandise leaves for Asian countries.

The problem affects not only Argentine carriers, but also involves Brazilians, Paraguayans, Uruguayans and Bolivians who use this route to reach Pacific ports.