UND EVALUATES…

“ROAD TRANSPORT HAS BEEN A LIFEBOARD FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY WITH ITS SPEED AND FLEXIBILITY ADVANTAGES”

“EXTENDED WAITING TIMES AT BORDER CROSSES DAMAGE OUR EXPORTS”

“DISCRIMINAL TRANSIT RESTRICTIONS AND VISA PROBLEMS REDUCE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF OUR EXPORTS IN THE TARGET MARKETS”

Details from our conversation:

“The container shortage experienced all over the world in the post-pandemic period, rising container freight rates, extended delivery times as a result of rising energy prices brought production to a standstill even in developed economies, and in this sense, road transport has become a lifeline for the global economy with the speed and flexibility advantages it provides. On the other hand, we see that Turkey is gradually rising to the top of the list with the proximity and road cost advantages it offers to European companies in new searches in global production and supply chains, which have entered a serious transformation process with the pandemic. As Turkey gradually increases its effectiveness in various supply chains of Europe, this is reflected in the increase in our exports, especially towards Europe. As a result, there has been an increasing density in recent years at our border gates, which are the main exit points of our exports, especially at Kapıkule, Hamzabeyli, Sarp and Habur border gates. Extended waiting times at the border gates ultimately harm our exports and create the risk that our country will lose its opportunities to increase its trade. In international transportation activities, despite the Customs Union, discriminatory transit restrictions (quotas, high transit fees) applied to our carriers in countries such as Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in most of the European Union countries and visa problems for our drivers reduce the competitiveness of our exports in the target markets.”

“As International Road Transporters, We Supported Our Manufacturers and Exporters”

“As international road transporters, we have supported our producers and exporters by striving to carry our country's exports under all conditions. When we overcome the problems experienced by our companies providing transportation services, we will be able to see clearly what the road transportation sector, which provides approximately 12 billion dollars in service trade income to our country, can bring to this country's exports, in addition to its contributions to the trade of goods.

As a solution:

- The rapid completion of capacity building works that will increase the speed of border crossing of vehicles loaded with exports at our border gates and facilitate the crossing, and the implementation of simplification applications and digitalization applications for the sector as soon as possible,

- Determining the quota supply targets of the pass documents related to the number of transports in parallel with the export growth and targets of our country,

- Elimination of transit problems in transportation in the European region by signing a separate and special road transport agreement with the European Union,

- Providing long-term visas to our drivers more easily by Schengen countries or accepting service provider status and providing visa exemption according to certain conditions,

- Establishment and support of new routes so that our transporters can benefit from lower-cost alternative routes (for example, the establishment of a ro-ro line between Turkey and Russia, logistics cooperation with countries on the route from Europe to China),

- Getting benefit from financial supports or tax exemptions to be provided by international freight transport companies, most of which are SMEs, in compensation for serious problems and loss of flights during the pandemic process,

- Eliminating the SCT burden in the purchase of tow trucks, which is the basic machinery equipment of the sector, and providing VAT exemption, in order to create suitable loan opportunities to be provided from private public banks for the logistics sector, and to increase investment and employment,

- Adding the Habur, Haydarpaşa and Filyos border gates to the tax-free fuel sales gates for the trucks carrying export products, and starting the fuel sales from the Sarp Border Gate, which was included among the border gates where tax-free fuel can be made in 2017 and became the main exit gate for Central Asian transports with the pandemic. ”