Image for illustrative purposes. CRH Archive
Insecurity for trucking companies in Central America is a problem, and carriers are traveling less at night and using armed escorts to counter robberies. In Costa Rica, the most dangerous route is the Route 32 highway between San Jose and the port of Limon. Throughout the isthmus, Guatemala and El Salvador are the most dangerous countries and Nicaragua is regarded as the safest.
Frequent border crossings present a logistical problem for private security. Armed escorts are not generally allowed to cross borders, and a new escort has to be contracted for each small nation as a truck travels through Central America. Cost for security between Costa Rica and Guatemala is 166,000 colones and to San Pedro Sula in Honduras the cost is 122,100 colones.
Experts for the world bank are warning the average cost for land freight through central America at 17 cents (USD) per ton-kilometer are too high.