Aleksandr Karpuk described the route through Belarus as the simplest, most direct and most efficient for goods movement. Trade, as everyone knows, is built on competition, and logistics costs can sometimes make up as much as 30% of a product’s price. According to World Bank research, a one-day delay in shipping increases the cost of goods by nearly 1%. And this directly impacts competitiveness.
«Belarus made full use of its geographical position. While in 1993 revenue from transport services exports in the international road transport sector stood at just over $20 million, by 2021 (before EU sanctions were imposed) it had reached $1.7 billion. That is a 60-fold increase,» Aleksandr Karpuk said.
In 2022, the situation changed dramatically. On 16 April, EU imposed restrictions on Belarusian carriers, banning them from carrying out independent transport operations on EU territory. In effect, Belarus risked losing all the client business, direct ties and relationships built up over 30 years. But that did not happen.
Under Resolution No. 247 «On the movement of vehicles,» the Council of Ministers established the procedure for moving foreign vehicles to specially created locations. «This involves reloading, when goods are moved from one vehicle to another via a warehouse or directly from one semi-truck to another, and re-hitching. There are goods that cannot be reloaded — pharmaceuticals, for example. The Good distribution practice (GDP) prohibits this. Such goods must remain in the vehicle unchanged. This is where re-hitching comes in: a tractor unit with foreign registration delivers the semi-truck to a designated location, and a Belarusian carrier re-hitches the semi-truck and delivers it directly to the recipient,» he explained the mechanism.
Aleksandr Karpuk added that it is very important to coordinate two vehicles at a precise time, despite the situation at the border, clearance delays, border crossing closures and queues. According to the association’s director general, such a fragile balance is easy to disrupt. When the neighboring side begins to impose restrictions, delivery times are disrupted. Goods become blocked in transport. Businesses and foreign economic entities incur significant costs.
«Unfortunately, this is exactly the situation that arose after the Lithuanian side’s decision,» the BAMAP director general noted. «The Belarusian government responded quickly and called on the Lithuanian side to normalize the situation, to start negotiating and make decisions that would prevent such destructive impacts on the movement of goods in the future. But the Lithuanian side did not meet us halfway.»
The association hopes for normalization of relations. A recent meeting took place between Belarusian Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin and Lithuanian and Polish carriers. The head of government reported the results to Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. «They are very grateful to the government and, above all, to the president for meeting them halfway and receiving them at such a high level,» Aleksandr Karpuk said. «Everyone is living in hope that the situation will be resolved positively.»
Since 2022, Belarusian road carriers have also restructured, following the reorientation of the economy. Previously, work in the western direction accounted for almost 50% of the services provided. Today, it accounts for no more than 15%. The main trading partner is the Russian Federation. There are also shipments to Central Asian countries, Türkiye and China. The latter direction has seen significant growth recently.
«We are flexible in responding to all changes,» Aleksandr Karpuk said.
