Developments In The Road Transportation Industry!

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ROAD TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY!

UND Chief Executive Officer Alper Özel,

“THEY ARE TRYING TO TURN TURKEY'S TROUBLES IN TRANSIT INTO OPPORTUNITY”

“ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY GAVE THE BEST EXAM”

“THE MOST FLEXIBLE CONSTRUCTION FOR DOOR TO DOOR DELIVERY ON THE HIGHWAY”

After the KUKK meeting resulted with no agreement with Kazakhstan, Özel made evaluations about the meeting and states that it is regrettable that an agreement could not be reached with the sister country Kazakhstan. Özel said that; “They came up with offers such as ‘Your Central Asian trade is good, since you cannot carry it, give us a share and we will carry it. We give documents, but we stipulate to use 50 percent Roro.’ We will not accept them and we expect them to come to a reasonable understanding. We told them that their policy was against the state policy. They are trying to turn Turkey's transit bottleneck into opportunism. There is no acceptable way around this, we left the table without agreement. If the Turkmenistan border gates were not closed, we would not be so dependent on Kazakhstan. As a result, our transports towards Central Asia getting increased in Kazakhstan. Of course, the documentation was not enough. We are in transit, we do no harm.”

“Let's Come Together as Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan”

Emphasizing that Kazakhstan violated the transit freedom rule of the World Trade Organization, Özel states that there are legal and economic reasons for not accepting the offered conditions. As an economic reason, Özel emphasized that the roro documents they issued have no economic value for Turkey and said that; “Because the fees charged from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan make a difference of at least 2 thousand 500 dollars. Therefore, our suggestion is that we, as Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, come together in the Caspian Basin. In order to reduce the fees here, our proposals to establish a four-to-five country mechanism went to the Ministry. The Ministry has started work on this. The Deputy Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan also attended the KUKK meeting, but no result was achieved.”

“We Are Waiting For The Response Of The Requests Written By Turkmenistan”

Stating that UND met with the official authorities of Turkmenistan, which closed its border gates with the onset of the pandemic, and they made a request to open the border gates, Özel provides information on the situation of Turkmenistan. Regarding the Turkmenistan issues, Özel said the following; “In the first meeting, the requirement for vaccination was very important. It was said, 'They can come vaccinated, but they should unload the freight in Ashgabat.' Vaccination was not that common at that time. Because the vaccine was less at that time and the drivers didn't get vaccine. At the second meeting, we said that our drivers were vaccinated. We also stated that we, as Turkey, have vaccination certificates. Turkey, on the other hand, signed protocols with Kazakhstan, Georgia, Hungary and Serbia for mutual recognition of vaccination cards. Turkey vaccination card is now valid in the EU. They asked for PCR, and they also stated that they would do a PCR on their way to Turkmenistan. We accepted. They want no contact with the public. The Ministry of Health made an attempt to mutually recognize the vaccination card with Turkmenistan. Mr. President was going to go to Turkmenistan, but it was canceled due to forest fires at that time. Our Vice President was going to go, and it was canceled at the last moment.”

“If It Passes by the Parliament, A Significant Discount Is Provided in Costs”

Talking about the developments in Azerbaijan, Özel states that they are waiting for the draft law, which includes the arrangements to be made in the high wages received from Turkish transporters, to be passed by the parliament. Regarding the special issue, he said that; “Especially the large amount of fee they want from vehicles carrying dangerous goods and the $25 fee they receive as a city entrance fee when entering big cities are removed. The 14-day parking period increases to 30 days. 38 tons of the EU standard is increased to 42 tons. In the last KUKK Meeting, the quotas were increased from 35 thousand to 46 thousand. There is a significant increase, but if these items are passed by the Assembly, a significant reduction in costs is achieved. In fact, ship prices should decrease, but that is also on our agenda. Everything necessary is being done by Turkey.”

“We will continue by going through Ukraine to transit Russia”

Referring to the issue of Russian transit documents, Özel states that the document that can be passed through the Russian-Georgian border during transit has been used. Özel said that; “There are the documents which are not valid for Verhniy Lars Border Gate. Now we will continue by going through Ukraine to transit Russia. Because the Verhniy Lars Border Gate, that is, the Russia-Georgia border gate, is located in a geographically disadvantageous location and it is not easy to increase the capacity. Also, the winters are very harsh. When Turkmenistan closed, the whole line shifted there, so we are having trouble. In some of the transit documents they have given, it is stated that this gate is invalid.”

“The Most Flexible Structure in Door-to-Door Delivery On the Road”

Özel evaluates the logistics sector in general and emphasizes that the highway can meet the needs in terms of the situation the sector is in. Özel said that; “Our exports are 180 billion, the current forecast is 220 billion. Currently, Turkish business people get significant orders in Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus,Russia and especially in Uzbekistan. When you have a close cooperation with such a geography, your most important mode is road transport. There is a great leap forward in the textile, chemical industry and automotive supplier industry. The most flexible structure in door-to-door delivery is on the road.”

“The Road Transport Industry Gave the Best Exam”

Stating that the transportations shifted to the highway due to the container problem in the seaway, Özel added the following evaluations to his speech regarding the increase in the highway; “Of course every mode of transport has to be improved. The railroad should get its fair share, too. There is no problem with the airline. However, there is a problem in the world conjuncture in the seaway: there is no container. In some ports of China and America, some of the terminals are used, some are not. Ships are waiting at the ports, containers are not going anywhere. This problem will be reflected mainly on the highway. There is a development due to the world conjuncture and an increase in the country's exports. There is a tremendous shift of orders from the EU to Turkey. There are new vehicle entrances on the highway, employment is provided. The industry responds well to needs. The road transport industry has given the best test in this regard.”

“Bulgarians Have a Promise to Us”

Making evaluations about the density experienced in Kapıkule, Özel explains that the average exit from Kapıkule was around 800-900 in the past and they have increased this number with some arrangements and steps. Regarding the works carried out in Kapıkule, Özel said that; “The fuel station in Kapikule was right at the exit point, that fuel station was moved back and the exit line became straight there. We made 5 more platforms in the empty part in the front. The vehicles waiting there are now noticeable. The problem is that Bulgarians usually run a single platform in carbon dioxide measurement. There are 24 pumps at the gas station; vehicles coming out of here suddenly get in a single platform. This is our biggest trouble. We said “open a second platform here and let 6 policemen work”. Then, they made 2 platforms. They even built a closed area so that they can work on rainy days, so that there is no disruption. From time to time, they still work on a single platform. The Bulgarians have another 10 platforms behind the two CO2 measurement platforms. However, they use 6-7 of 10 platforms. We told them to open the remaining platforms. In fact, the Bulgarians have a word for us on this subject. We said, 'Establish the third line for refrigerated vehicles,' and they promised. They went out to tender; but canceled the tender for a reason. Another tender for construction will be held for a separate line for refrigerated vehicles.”

“Our Conversation with Bulgaria Continues”

Speaking about the problem in Hamzabeyli, Özel also evaluates the latest situation of the gate. Stating that the negotiations regarding the solution of the transition problem in Kapıkule and Hamzabeyli are continuing, Özel said that; “There were similar problems in Hamzabeyli. They built 4 platforms in Hamzabeyli and put a weighbridge on each platform. While Hamzebeyli was eligible for 250-300, it has now reached 500-600. This will reach 600 thousand. Kapikule increased from 800-900 to 1,200. Our goal, however, is to increase Kapıkule to 1,800. If we can increase Hamzabeyli to a thousand and Kapıkule to 1,800 in a single day, there will be no queues. Our conversation with Bulgaria continues. We are meeting with our partner association. We also talked about this issue with the Bulgarian Ambassador and he is aware of the problem. The Ambassador said, “Kapıkule is not actually the Turkish-Bulgarian border. Kapıkule is the Turkey-EU, EU-Eurasia border gate. It is the second largest border gate in the world.” Therefore, it turns out that we, as two countries, cannot manage this gate well compared to this size. We need to manage this well. The Ambassador also stated that he would provide all kinds of support. Currently, there is a provisional government in Bulgaria; elections were held, a new government could not be formed. The elections were postponed to November. According to the information we have received, the President of Bulgaria, Mr. Rumen Radev, has instructed the interim government to complete the projects as soon as possible. There is such an administration at the top."

“Right Now, There Is A Shortage Of Truck Drivers Not Only In Turkey, But All Over Europe”

Evaluating Turkey's driver shortage problem in the context of the driver problem, which is also on the agenda in Europe, Özel concluded his words as follows: “We continue our negotiations with relevant authorities for driver training and international driver training. Because there is a deficit and the industry has a demand in this direction. At the moment, there is a shortage of truck drivers not only in Turkey, but throughout Europe. It's a problem, and I think it's also a sociocultural problem. With the definition of international truck drivers as qualified intermediate staff, it is of great importance for our industry to benefit from the training support to be provided by our state for the training of drivers.   Otherwise, it is possible that the trouble experienced in England will also be experienced in our country after a few years.”