WE WANT TO BE THE BEST QUALITY, NOT THE BIGGEST

“We Provide Transportation, Logistics Services, Pallet Repair and Plastic Case Washing Services”

“We are one of Turkey's Leading Companies in Project Transportation”

Starting her speech by talking about the establishment of Dota Logistics and the services it provides, Gültekin said that; “Dota was founded in Germany in 2000. In summary, our company has three different business models. In addition to transportation services, we provide logistics services, pallet repair and plastic case washing operations in Turkey and Germany. We provide service to our customers with our logistics warehouses in Türkiye and Germany. We offer all logistics processes such as packaging, handling, warehouse management and order tracking to our customers as a whole. At the same time, we are one of Turkey's leading companies in project transportation. We provide project transportation services to giant companies of the machinery industry in Europe and Turkey.”

“We Have a Young Fleet Consisting of 200 Trailers”

“We Provide Transportation Between Türkiye and Europe”

Stating that they use different transportation models in road transportation service, Gültekin continued her words as follows; “We have a young fleet consisting of 200 trailers, approximately three years old, in Euro 6 norms. This vehicle fleet is also accompanied by our special expandable trailers and vehicles suitable for project transportation. We carry out transportation between Turkey and Europe. As everyone in Europe knows, we can say that Germany has become identified with us. We mainly go to Germany and then all other European countries. We will conduct feasibility studies in the first quarter and decide whether or not to open a new line as a result of the studies we will finalize.”

“We Received our YYS Certificate”

“We will Now Be Able to Switch Much Faster with YYS”

Stating that one of the most important reasons why Europe prefers Turkey is that services can reach them in a short time, Gültekin continued her words as follows; “We work with critical sectors. Especially in the automotive industry, our delivery times are limited to five days. Since we work on a 'just in time' model and provide services to companies in this way, we need to be fast. However, as everyone knows, the long waits in Kapıkule were making it difficult for us to fulfill our commitment to our customers. As an alternative solution, we applied for the AEO certificate and received our certificate. In the following periods, our vehicles will pass quickly through the areas we call the green line. In this way, we will be able to fulfill our promise and commitment to our customers. It will be a very important factor for us.”

“With this Document, the Company Becomes Completely Traceable”

“It Will Add a Lot of Value to Us”

Stating that “By having this document, we are saved from long waits in Kapıkule. But of course, we should not think of this document only as a salvation from such a waiting”, Gültekin continued her words by saying that; “With this document, the company becomes completely traceable. In other words, you share the details of the work you have done with your customers in a transparent manner, there are constant inspections and controls, and you need to constantly renew yourself in order not to compromise on quality. Of course, there are places where the document will add a lot of value to us, not only in transitions but also in our own corporate internal structure.”

“Germany Dota Already Had AEO Certification”

“The Aim is to Reach Results Quickly”

Stating that they received their documents in Germany about 10 years ago, Gültekin said that; “Dota in Germany already had the AEO certificate. Of course, in our currently developing economy, companies around the world are already questioning these documents when delivering cargo to their customers. Because the aim here is to achieve results quickly. For this, one of the things we had to complete in the first place in Turkey was our YYS certificate. We also completed this in our leg in Turkey. To obtain this document, the company must of course have a certain capacity. There is a process monitoring that starts from the security of the company and extends to all working departments. This process also needs to be fully traceable and its procedures must be appropriate. There must be compliance from environmental lighting to the equipment infrastructure we use.”

“Young and Dynamic Representatives of the Logistics Sector Should Take a More Active Role in Projects and Studies”

“We Have Many Problems”

Pointing out that needs change every day and capacity increases day by day, Gültekin continued her words as follows; “Here too, rather than questioning whether our infrastructure is good or bad, we need to take steps to always improve the existing infrastructure. Of course, the state and the organizations that represent us are working on this issue, but my personal opinion is that there are currently young, dynamic managers in the logistics industry and these people should take an active role in these projects. I think that the more people who have this problem like us are among them, the faster and more foresight the problems can be solved. We are having a lot of problems. For example, our drivers experience long queues at border gates. There are ongoing works at the crossing gates, alternative routes need to be widened. The number of personnel working in the customs area or the number of platforms must be increased, or the people working at existing platforms must work at full capacity. We need documents for movement between countries. We have big problems with these documents. These need to be expressed. We are currently facing incredibly extended deadlines for driver visa appointments. After all, we are not doing this for touristic purposes. Our aim is to take our import and export to the highest level. But when we want to get visas for our drivers, there is a very long appointment process. Apart from this, foreign trucks have a really serious percentage in the domestic market. They buy tax-free fuel. They use this as an advantage and make it difficult for us to compete with freight prices that are much lower than the freight prices we give. We have a refugee problem. As both our drivers and the companies, we are truly victims of this issue. Will our drivers ever get any rest? They have to constantly check their vehicles and in certain countries there are really heavy fines. We have many problems like these. Frankly, we are experiencing these problems too. For this reason, I think that people who are truly enterprising and good at their jobs in logistics should receive a little more priority in these areas.”

“A Training Platform Should Be Established for Drivers”

“Gray Passport Rights May Be Granted to Those Who Document That They Are Drivers”

Stating that she believes that a training platform should be established for drivers, Gültekin said that; “I believe that a department should be opened for this. All companies need drivers very much right now. Unfortunately, we involuntarily transfer all our drivers to Europe. In this context, a good job opportunity can be opened to people who are professionals, document this and complete their service, with a gray passport, by stipulating a condition. Let's prevent everyone from applying for a gray passport here, but we should set a criterion and at least provide the necessary facilities for this transportation to those who we are convinced are real drivers after completing these steps.”

“We Started Our SBTI Process and It Was Approved”

“We Commit to Carrying Out 43 Percent Carbon Reduction by 2030”

Expressing her comments about electric vehicle investments, Gültekin said that; “Electric vehicles have 0 percent exhaust emissions. Of course, in today's conditions, establishing a vehicle fleet without a fuel tank can be a very enjoyable task for all of us. However, before investing in this issue, we, as Dota Logistics, look at the disadvantages as well as the advantages. We see basic problems such as limited range, long charging time, insufficient charging stations, limited battery life and high price. Here too, electricity production will increase in response to these needs that concern us the most, but in this case, can we say that electricity production is completely environmentally friendly? I think we can't say much. For example, will recycling batteries cause less harm to nature? However, we need to consider many factors before investing. Considering the kilometers that we have done in terms of logistics, I do not think that countries currently have a sufficient infrastructure to cover the logistics network for electric vehicles. It should not be understood from here that we are against electric vehicles. Because scientists are seriously doing research on this all over the world. I would also like to inform you that we will not hesitate to invest where we are convinced here. In addition, we, as Dota Logistics, applied to the SBTI institution. This is the Science Based Targets Initiative institution. It offers the opportunity to reduce emissions based on climate science, set net zero targets, encourage them, provide technical support in this regard, and verify them with expert staff and an independent evaluation. So, we started our SBTI process and it was approved. We have pledged to reduce carbon by 43 percent by 2030. We have started a good study on this. Currently, there are very few companies in this institution in Turkey. We are considering completing this process with different systems. When we talk about Dota's 3D, our love and respect for nature always comes first. We donate a tree for each invoice. The pallet repair and crate washing processes we do are actually all recycling projects, to be detailed. Of course, in the vehicle department, the best we can do now is Euro 6 norms. Our fleet always complies with Euro 6 norms. In addition, we always transport our vehicle occupancy at full capacity.”

“We are in Favor of Improving the Existing Conditions in a Way That Appeals to Everyone.”

“If Conditions Are Improved, We Would Like to Support Our State with Our Own Efforts”

Stating that “I think support is never enough. We are a sector that always needs support”, Gültekin continued her words by saying that; “Because there are general problems we are currently experiencing in terms of logistics. That's why we try to benefit from government support as much as possible. For example, there is currently a support project called the green logistics certificate. Of course, in order to receive this support, you must meet certain criteria, or the support line is outside ours and we cannot benefit from this support much. But of course, other companies can benefit from this. Rather than benefiting from too much state-based support, we are in favor of improving the existing conditions in a way that appeals to everyone. If the conditions are improved, we would like to support our state with our own efforts, without too much support from our state.”

“We Are Not Getting Very Successful Results”

“Minivan Vehicles Should Not Get in the Way of Us”

Stating that she adopted a result-oriented approach, Gültekin said that; “When I look at the results, unfortunately, it is not possible to say that we have achieved very successful results. There are efforts, struggles, procedures, laws, but at the end of the day, I am interested in the result. Today is 2024, and I still do not want to have any problems at customs due to the time difference between countries. For example, this problem should be solved. Regarding minivans; minivan owners will be a little angry with me, but we want to support nature and we send the load in small pieces instead of sending a complete vehicle. Also, unfortunately, minivan vehicles are getting ahead of our trucks. This puts us in the background. However, when we look at the value, the product value we carry, the added value we have added to exports, we should actually be given priority. I want these issues to be brought to the agenda. Otherwise, there is no problem with the regulations. There are very good circulars, but at the end of the day, I am interested in how well these circulars are implemented and how much they benefit us. Unfortunately, I cannot say that we achieved 100 percent success in that regard.”

“We Want to Be the Best Quality, Not the Biggest”

“We will Employ 70 Drivers for Abroad”

“Concluding her words, Gültekin said that; “Not as Dota Logistics, but we have gone through a really difficult process related to the contraction in exports. We always want to improve the quality of the service we provide. We do not aim to be the biggest in Turkey, but of course we fight to be the best and the highest quality. As Dota Logistics, we will employ 25 people in Ankara and 50 people in Dilovası in our recycling projects. At the same time, we want to employ a new team of 70 people as international truck drivers. We have also published the necessary announcements regarding this, and I would like to announce it once again to those who follow us here through you.”