--- title: "Attendance control for freight transport companies: how to comply with the law · Sicheca" description: "How to keep the electronic working-time record at a freight transport company: shifts, overtime, fines and the simplest way to record." url: https://sicheca.com/en/blog/control-de-asistencia-para-transporte-de-carga lang: en alternate_es: https://sicheca.com/blog/control-de-asistencia-para-transporte-de-carga.md --- By industry · 5 min read # Attendance control for freight transport companies: how to comply with the law Short answer A freight transport company can meet the electronic working-time record requirement by combining a QR code on site with location-based clock-in for people who work offsite. The law requires recording each person's start and end time; it does not require a wall-mounted time clock. ## How work happens at a freight transport company A freight transport company employs drivers, loading crews, dispatchers and mechanics, with multi-day trips and a yard that runs in shifts. That brings three challenges for measuring working hours: - Drivers spend days away. - Waiting for loading and unloading is time at the company's disposal. - The yard works in shifts. ## What the law requires of freight transport companies Since the 2026 reform, the Federal Labor Law requires recording electronically the start and end time of each worker's workday (article 132, section XXXIV). Failing to do so is fined 250 to 5,000 UMA. The STPS will define who it applies to and what exceptions there will be. The details are in [the reform guide](https://sicheca.com/en/reforma-laboral-2027). **Night shifts.** A night shift lasts 7 hours at most, one less than a day shift. It helps if the record separates night hours from day hours. **Work peaks.** Overtime has a weekly cap: 9 hours at double time in 2027, with a maximum of 4 per day on no more than 4 days, and never more than 12 total hours in a day. **Work outside the premises.** The time a person is at the company's disposal is working time, even if they are not at your facilities. ## How to record working time at a freight transport company 1. Register the location, your team and their shifts. 2. Those who work on site scan the QR code. 3. Those who work offsite clock in from their phone, with the location confirmed at that moment. 4. They all appear in the same report, with the place or mode of each record. **Example.** The dispatcher and the mechanic scan at the yard; the driver clocks in with location at the start and end of their shift. ## Calculate your overtime ## How to do the math by hand Take a salary of $400 per day on a day shift. The ordinary hour is worth 400 ÷ 8 = $50. In 2027, with 11 overtime hours in the week, the first 9 are paid at double time (9 × $100 = $900) and the remaining 2 at triple time (2 × $150 = $300). Total: $1,200. ## Common mistakes at a freight transport company - Keeping attendance from memory or in a notebook. - Recording the clock-in and forgetting the clock-out. - Not separating night hours, which have a lower daily maximum. - Covering peaks only with overtime, until exceeding the weekly cap. - Asking staff who work offsite to stop by the office just to clock in. ## What to check every day and every week **Every day.** - Who did not record their clock-in or clock-out. - Shifts that went over their daily maximum. - Records made in unexpected places. - Departures later than planned. **Every week.** - Each person's overtime against the weekly cap. - Days when someone came close to 12 hours. - Rest days that were actually taken. ## How much an overtime hour costs: example in pesos Suppose a daily wage of $480 on a day shift. The ordinary hourly rate is $60. One overtime hour at double time costs $120 and one at triple time, $180. If a person works 9 overtime hours in a week in 2027, that is $1,080 extra. It is an example to show the calculation, not a reference wage for the sector. ## What changes every year, from 2026 to 2030 | Year | Maximum working hours | Double-time overtime | Triple-time overtime | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026 | 48 h | 9 h | 4 h | | 2027 | 46 h | 9 h | 4 h | | 2028 | 44 h | 10 h | 4 h | | 2029 | 42 h | 11 h | 4 h | | 2030 | 40 h | 12 h | 4 h | Decree published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on May 1, 2026, second and fourth transitory provisions, and article 68 of the LFT. Each change applies from January 1. ## Related terms **[INFONAVIT contributions: what they are](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/aportaciones-al-infonavit).** The INFONAVIT contribution is 5% of each person's contribution base salary, paid by the company. **[What the UMA is and how much it is worth](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/que-es-la-uma-y-cuanto-vale).** The UMA is the Unit of Measure and Update (Unidad de Medida y Actualización): the peso reference for calculating fines, contributions and procedures. **[Night shift: schedule and maximum length](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/jornada-nocturna).** The night shift is the one worked between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does a freight transport company need to buy a time clock? No. The law requires an electronic record of working time, not a device. An app on a phone complies. ### What options are there for recording working time? An app on each person's phone, a shared tablet or a clock connected to a system. All three comply if they generate an electronic record per person, with a start and an end time. ### How are shifts that cross midnight recorded? Clock-in and clock-out are saved with their actual date and time, and the hours are added up even if the day changes. ### Can I ask for more overtime in peak season? The weekly cap is not extended for the season. It helps to plan relief staff. ### Does this replace the advice of a lawyer? No. It is general information. For decisions about your company, consult a labor lawyer. ## Legal basis and sources - Electronic working-time record: article 132, section XXXIV, of the LFT and fifth transitory provision of the decree. - Overtime: articles 66 and 68 of the LFT and fourth transitory provision of the decree. - Working hours: articles 58 to 64 of the LFT and second transitory provision of the decree. - [Decree amending the Federal Labor Law on the reduction of the working week](https://sidof.segob.gob.mx/notas/docFuente/5786537). Official Gazette of the Federation, May 1, 2026. - [Federal Labor Law, current text](https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LFT.pdf). Chamber of Deputies. **How we write this content.** The Sicheca team writes it from the official text of the law. When something is not yet defined by the authority, we say so. It is general information and does not replace the advice of a lawyer or an accountant. ## Keep reading [ By industry **Electronic working-time record for parcel and last-mile delivery companies**](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/registro-de-jornada-para-paqueteria-y-ultima-milla) [ By industry **Time clock for fleets and transfer services: working-time record without devices**](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/reloj-checador-para-flotillas-y-taxis) [ By industry **Time clock for restaurants: working-time record without devices**](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/reloj-checador-para-restaurantes) [ Law and fines **Fine for not keeping the electronic working-time record**](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/multa-por-no-llevar-registro-de-jornada) [See all articles](https://sicheca.com/en/blog/) Who publishes this blog Sicheca is a digital time clock for recording working time from your phone. We write these guides from the official text of the law, so any business can understand what applies to it. 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