Legislator Lilia Batista Rodríguez, exercising the legislative initiative granted to her by the Constitution of the Republic, submitted Preliminary Bill No. 452 to the National Assembly on April 21, 2026, and it was referred to the Communication and Transportation Committee. The initiative seeks to fill a regulatory gap in compensation for damages caused by foreign-registered cargo vehicles traveling through national territory. The bill remains at a preliminary stage, pending adoption.

The articles establish a specific civil liability regime for international cargo transport. Under Article 3, in the event of a collision in which the operator of the heavy equipment is found at fault, three parties are jointly liable: the driver of the vehicle, the registered owner, whether a natural or juridical person, and the contracting transport or logistics company. The bill is grounded in Article 17 of the Political Constitution, which requires the State to protect the property of its nationals, and in Article 1644 of the Civil Code on the obligation to repair damage caused by fault or negligence.

On financial guarantees, Article 2 provides that every cargo vehicle with foreign plates entering the country must carry a valid civil liability insurance policy, issued or backed by an insurer authorized in Panama. The minimum coverage set is B/. 50,000.00 for damage to third-party property and B/. 100,000.00 for bodily injury or death per person and per accident. Failure to comply with this requirement will prevent the vehicle from entering at border checkpoints. The statement of purpose notes that Decree 640, the Traffic Regulations, requires only basic insurance that is often insufficient to cover the scale of damage caused by heavy equipment.

The preventive detention mechanism, contained in Articles 4 and 5, authorizes the Land Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT) or the Public Prosecutor's Office to order the immobilization of the vehicle and its cargo when the accident causes significant property damage or personal injury. The vehicle may only be released if full payment of the damages to the affected party is proven, or if a bank or insurance bond equivalent to 125% of the estimated amount of the damages is posted before the competent court. In addition, the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) and the National Customs Authority are required to prevent any vehicle with a pending proceeding arising from a traffic collision from leaving national territory if it has not met that condition.

Article 6 creates the National Registry of Offending International Carriers: companies with more than two collisions with established liability in a calendar year will lose their transit permit through Panama for 24 months. Regulation of the law, if approved, would fall to the Executive Branch through the Transit and Transportation Authority within a maximum period of six months from its promulgation in the Official Gazette. The preliminary bill remains at a preliminary stage and must be adopted before beginning the formal process of committee debates.