Akkoç Logistics Continues Its Stable Growth

As My Truck Magazine, Öykü İmset, News Manager of My Truck Magazine, visited Doğan Akkoç from Akkoç Logistics in this month's issue. Expressing his views on many issues from the agenda to sector evaluations, Doğan Akkoç stated that no matter what the outcome, life will brake for a while after the election.

“We Are Transporting Everywhere Except Izmir Region”

Doğan Akkoç started his speech by mentioning that Akkoç, who started to transport passengers with their grandfather, who turned the truck into a bus in the 1940s, returned to the transportation sector in 2004 and said that; “While our Efes Pilsen transports continue, we also transport many other groups such as Coca Cola, Abant Su, Land Forces Command, Hidromek. We mostly serve corporate companies. We carry out transportation to all of Turkey except Izmir Region.”

“Our Drivers Are Very Satisfied With Mercedes”

“Mercedes 1840 Was A Legendary Vehicle”

Expressing that they prefer Mercedes as the majority in their fleet, Akkoç also stated that they also include the Ford Trucks brand. Expressing that they paid attention to certain factors in these choices, he continued by saying that; “There are serious discounts on large purchases. At the same time, Mercedes is easy to repair and maintain, parts can be found easily. In addition, second-hand sales of our Mercedes brand vehicles are also very easy. We also prefer Ford because of the same criteria. Our drivers are also very satisfied with Mercedes. Especially the 1840 model, which was found before, was a legendary vehicle, all our drivers liked it very much. If you gave it to the most inexperienced driver, he could use it.”

“We Take Care To Keep Our Fleet Young”

Expressing that the oldest vehicles in their fleet are 2017 models, Akkoç said that; “We have five percent 2021 and five percent 2017 model vehicles, 90 percent of which is 2022 model. We take care to keep our fleet young. This year as well, there will be a renewal in our fleet, but we do not anticipate any additional vehicles."

“We Grew By 200 Percent İn Terms Of Balance Sheet And 20 Percent İn Terms Of Units”

“2022 Was A Good Year For Us”

Continuing his speech with the evaluation of 2022, Akkoç stated that the declines in 2020 and 2021 recovered in 2022 and that there was an accumulated demand as there was an exit from the pandemic in 2022, and said: “We showed a growth of nearly 200 percent in terms of balance sheet. The accumulated demand after the pandemic and the importance of logistics and exports made us grow domestically. In terms of quantity, we grew by 20 percent. Our growth in terms of units was also reflected in our turnover. So it was a good year and we hope it will continue like this.”

“As E-Commerce Grew, So Did We”

Explaining that they started to carry out Trendyol transportation before the pandemic, Akkoç said that; “Already, these transportations have also recovered the decline experienced during the pandemic period. Trendyol accounts for 25-30 percent of our balance sheet. As e-commerce grew and Trendyol grew, so did we. We are currently serving Trendyol with nearly 45 vehicles.”

 “There Was A 70-80 Percent Decrease İn The Number Of Referrals To Earthquake Zones”

“We Shifted Our Transportation To Other Regions”

Expressing that they started 2023 well, but there was a serious loss after the disaster in February and the factory they transported was affected, Akkoç said that; “There has been a serious loss for two or three months. After this earthquake disaster in densely populated areas, there was a 70-80 percent decrease in the number of referrals. The region has not recovered yet, perhaps there may be a recovery towards the end of the year. As a result of the decline in that region, we shifted our transportation to other regions. We started to evaluate the vehicles of that region in other regions. We are currently transporting briquettes, gas concrete and wood products with those vehicles. In other words, we can say that we were able to quickly turn our service in different directions.”

“Life Will Brake After Election”

Continuing his words by stating that "Although I think that it will not affect us much, life will put a brake on us after the election," Akkoç said that; "We predict for ourselves that this decrease will be 10-15 percent. We are already planning our investments accordingly. We are ready for anything now. I think that tourism and exports can balance this decline to some extent.”

“The Current Economic Model Is Not Sustainable”

Expressing that he does not find the current economic model very sustainable, Akkoç said that; “The government wants people to be happy because of the election, and it implements an election policy – whichever is the case. But this is not a sustainable policy. Although it may be a policy that will benefit people and make them happy in the short term, in the long run it will not be beneficial to give without taking anything, not to produce. If we think that Turkey is a country that makes money with its labor, I think that this business will not work without producing."

“We Have a Breakthrough on Fleet Leasing”

“We Consider Growing Cautiously”

Stating that they made a breakthrough in the fleet leasing sector within their own structure in 2023, Akkoç said that; "We have such a breakthrough that we started on a small scale but aim to expand. We are talking about a serious market, but we want to move forward with sure steps. For now, we rent out 15-20 vehicles. We are testing the system. There is a fluctuation in the market, as a result, this sector can be affected very quickly. That's why we think about growing cautiously."

“Everyone Should Have A Set Role On February 6th”

Continuing his speech about the 6 February earthquake disaster, Akkoç mentioned about the period and his troubles by saying that; "Unfortunately, we woke up to a disaster on the morning of 6 February. Logistics companies also did their best in this period, but I have to say that there was a lack of preparation. We supported the delivery of aid such as construction equipment, food, tents to the region. We are used to supporting our state as much as we can in order to be with our people. However, of course, there were deficiencies. Everyone fulfills these duties. I believe that this should be the same in natural disasters. Everyone should have a designated duty. The EMASYA Protocol, which was abolished after the coup attempt in 2015, was a protocol that served exactly this. With the EMASYA protocol, TAF support could also be provided in case of natural disasters. I think it would be of great benefit to have a similar movement on February 6th. I think our people should trust these institutions.”

“We Acted By Taking Initiative At First”

“There Was A Great Discoordination”

Expressing that they made about 80 shipments during the earthquake, Akkoç said that; “We have given vehicles to the Red Crescent, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, Körfez Municipality, Presidency, that is, to all institutions. We wanted to put out the fire there for free, to help people. As much as we could, we sent aid to the region within our means. However, the expedition mission order came to us too late, so we took the initiative at first. The expedition mission order came to us 15-20 days later, after the first intervention there. I also went to Hatay on the fourth day of the earthquake and saw it with my own eyes. There was a great lack of coordination. It was not possible for AFAD to coordinate this work anyway because there was a huge destruction in a very large area. It was wrong to reduce this to a single institution. We could not unload many of the machines we brought because it was not known where to send them. For example, we sent the latest machines to the military. Because there was a serious security vulnerability. Our vehicles remained in the military for two or three days. Considering that most lives were saved in the first 48 hours, delegating a mission beforehand could have changed a lot.”

“The State Must Leave the Market to Its Equilibrium”

“Short-Term Solutions Will Bring Bigger Problems”

Expressing that the market has become cramped recently, Akkoç said that; “Frankly speaking, there is no credit at the moment. If the interest rate is called eight, it is 40 in real terms. There is no interest rate announced by the Central Bank, it is limited. So, as an operator, I can't make an account and since I can't predict what will happen, I can't give a price, of course, neither can my partner. As such, the market tightens even more. The state is doing its best, but it is imperative that it leaves the market to its own balance. If the BRSA, CMB, state institutions regulate these, investors or individuals make their own plans accordingly. The market needs to find its own balance, the state has taken an initiative, but I believe that there will be bigger problems if the problems are overcome with short-term solutions. Since it is election time, an electoral economy is in operation and anyone from the government or opposition could maintain these policies, but this does not affect the future of the country very well. If there is a bitter medicine and we need to use it for healing, we should still do it.”

“Support Should Be Made For The Production Of Value-Added, High-Tech Products”

“If You Do Your Job Well, You Can Be Self-Sufficient Without Support”

Expressing that the state does not support the sector much, Akkoç said as the reason for this: “If there is to be a support, more specific and more contributing sectors should be supported. Of course, there are supports for our industry, but I think our industry is self-sufficient, so it is thought that it does not need any support. Of course, this is not wrong either. If you do your job well in the sector, if you provide a good service, you can be roasted in your own oil. Support should perhaps be given to the production of value-added, high-tech products so that our foreign trade deficit will be closed.”

“Training Is A Must For Driver!”

Finally, stating that one of the main problems of the industry is education, Akkoç said that; “Our industry has no place in education. Logistics departments have just started to proliferate, but there is no driver's school. Driving school is one of the important needs of this country. We are still training drivers with assistantship. However, they must have other training. Large companies can provide these trainings, but it is not very possible for someone with 10 intermediaries to establish this school. The institutions of the state should make a breakthrough in this regard and open their schools. The industry needs to be regulated. This job should be seen as a profession and should be included in the education plan.”