Mandatory inspections will be extended to 158,402 cargo vehicles in El Salvador following fatal 15-vehicle accident

Members of the Salvadoran Green Cross and Civil Protection work on rescue efforts after a vehicle collided with a cargo truck. (El Salvador Rescue Corps) The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) will extend mandatory vehicle technical inspections to the 158,402 cargo transport units registered in El Salvador, following the first controls applied to trucks and trailers manufactured in 1999 or earlier. Minister Romeo Rodríguez Hernández reported that the plan includes more inspection points, extended hours at authorized workshops, doubled roadside controls, and sanctions that may include the confiscation of vehicles operating without the required documentation. The statements were made during a live broadcast from the accounts of the Press Secretariat of the Presidency. Rodríguez Hernández indicated that the technical inspections began on August 8, 2026, for 1999-model units or earlier. That group represents, according to the official, about 10% of the country's registered cargo vehicle fleet. During the first month of the program, the MOPT inspected 1,653 units, of which 361 were trucks and 1,292 were trailers. Of the total inspected, 232 trucks and 1,040 trailers met the requirements to renew their circulation permit. The minister noted that around 30% of the inspected vehicles did not meet the minimum required conditions and were taken out of circulation until completing repairs and passing a new inspection. The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Romeo Rodríguez Hernández, reported that the plan includes more inspection points, extended hours at authorized workshops, doubled roadside controls, and sanctions that may include the confiscation of vehicles operating without the required documentation. (Photo courtesy of the Press Secretariat of the Presidency) "They have not even been able to renew their circulation permit, and those units have been taken off the road until they pass the mandatory vehicle technical inspections," said Rodríguez Hernández. The official stated that mandatory inspections for cargo transport had not previously been implemented on a widespread basis in El Salvador. He mentioned that Costa Rica and Panama already have similar mechanisms to verify the mechanical condition of these vehicles. The program's expansion will reach the 158,402 units registered as cargo transport in the country. That figure includes truck tractors, light and heavy trucks, as well as trailers with capacities below or above 15 tons. The MOPT expects to announce in the coming days the next manufacturing years that will be subject to inspections. The process will be linked to the renewal of the circulation permit: each owner will have to present the technical inspection certificate in the month corresponding to the renewal of the document. "We are going to carry out mandatory vehicle technical inspections on all these units," the minister said. "We will start gradually." Units that do not show a passed inspection or that have not renewed their circulation permit may be stopped at checkpoints. According to Rodríguez Hernández, authorities could impose fines, take vehicles off the road, and apply other measures provided for in traffic regulations. The minister called on cargo transport companies and owners to carry out inspections within the deadlines set by the Government. He warned that a vehicle without a valid circulation permit will not have authorization to travel. The system currently has 12 establishments authorized by the Vice Ministry of Transport (VMT): seven perform technical inspections and five are dedicated to emissions controls. Rodríguez Hernández announced that the MOPT will publish a statement to expand the network to more than 50 workshops. The measure seeks to increase service capacity given the progressive incorporation of thousands of vehicles into the mandatory inspection system. The workshops operate Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The MOPT is evaluating extending those hours to make it easier for units to complete the process. The authorized locations are in the western, central, and eastern zones of the country. The official intention is to expand territorial coverage as the requirement reaches more categories and manufacturing years. Rodríguez Hernández stated that roadside vehicle controls have already been doubled and that, at certain times, they could be tripled. To this end, authorities will assign more personnel to enforcement tasks. Surveillance will focus on entrances, exits, and highways with the highest flow of cargo vehicles. The official mentioned the road to the Port of La Libertad, Constitución Boulevard, Ejército Boulevard, and the Los Chorros road as some of the roads with circulation restrictions. These limitations apply during high-traffic time periods, in the early morning and afternoon. Rodríguez Hernández indicated that the schedules will be published again on social media, although he stated that transporters have already been informed about the restrictions. Failure to comply with the schedules or the required conditions for circulation can result in sanctions and, if the case warrants it, confiscation of the unit. "We are going to be more attentive, with more equipment and more personnel so that these are enforced," he said. The Ministry of Public Works will extend mandatory mechanical inspections to the country's entire heavy vehicle fleet, adding more than fifty authorized workshops and doubling roadside enforcement to remove units without a valid permit (Photo courtesy of the Press Secretariat of the Presidency) The announcement about the tightening of controls came after a traffic accident involving 15 transport vehicles that left two people dead, according to Rodríguez Hernández. The fatalities were a 60-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man.