Kapitan Andreevo border crossing in Turkey opening to Europe; TIR queues, which have been prolonged for many years, come to the fore with news. On the one hand, the initiatives of ministries, negotiations with Bulgaria and the work on shortening bureaucratic processes between countries continue, while on the other hand, the living conditions of the TIR chauffeurs continue to push the human limits.
Turkey's leading exports its products to various European cities in the country lorry drivers they install Agility opened in Bulgaria Edirne sometimes waiting hours or even days. In this process, the situation of the drivers, who had difficulties in meeting their human needs such as eating, sleeping or even going to the toilet due to environmental conditions, was discussed recently at UTIKAD Highway Working Group.
UTİKAD, the International Transport and Logistics Service Providers Association, has stepped up its work on the queues at the Kapıkule Border Gate, one of the important problems of the logistics industry. The reasons for the queues at the Kapıkule Border Gate were discussed at the Highway Working Group meeting held in March. In the light of the sketch and the detailed information provided by the TIR drivers as a result of the work done by the members of the Working Group; In addition to the reasons for the tails formed, another very important fact was revealed again. In the queues formed in Kapıkule and reaching 35 kilometers from time to time, TIR drivers have to wait for hours or even days. During these long and tiring periods, the drivers who cannot sleep or eat cannot meet the toilet needs, which is one of the most human needs.
Expressing his views on this problem that has not been solved for many years, UTİKAD Board Member and Highway Working Group President Ekin Tırman; "Agility in the physical side of Turkey is experiencing systemic problems in the Bulgarian side. As a result of both, there are results that affect the industry negatively. However, the most crucial part of this issue is that approximately 50 thousand drivers carrying international transportation have to work within a system that forces humanitarian conditions ”.
UTIKAD Highway Working Group President Tirman summarized the process as follows: “As a result of the studies conducted and the feedback received from the TIR drivers, it is stated that the problems experienced in Kapıkule are caused by the lack of physical factors on the Turkish side rather than the Bulgarian side. The waiting times from the park area located by the Turkish side to the diesel field are very long, and on the Bulgarian side, the system closes from time to time causes accumulation. The Kapıkule highway line takes between 15-35 km, and when it comes to Kapıkule, the waiting time for the parking area, police and registration procedures is 12 hours. There are only 3 police officers and 3 registration points on the Turkish side. As a result, the vehicle, which comes out on Saturday, can only pass through Kapıkule on Tuesday. TIR drivers have to spend the entire process in their vehicles. They can't leave their vehicles and sleep. There is no facility in the environment where they can meet their human needs such as toilets and meals. On the Turkish side, vehicles passing through the police and registration point, this time, rank in the diesel diesel. After diesel intake, which takes an average of 6 hours, the vehicles pass through the buffer zone in one row and enter the Bulgarian customs area. On the Bulgarian side, 7 police checkpoints often have queues due to system malfunction or updates. ”
In Turkey, underlining that there are about 50 thousand drivers carrying international cargo Climb; “TIR chauffeur is a difficult task in itself. These people are already away from their families for days, sometimes weeks. He tries to perform his professions in difficult conditions. These conditions affect not only our 50 thousand drivers but almost a huge community of 250-300 thousand people. It is necessary to take the necessary measures and implement them as soon as possible to facilitate the lives of these people and ensure that they are physically and spiritually healthy. ” Indicating that if these precautions are not taken, the tails will continue to increase in the coming years. In the coming years, we will have a hard time finding a driver to send our export goods abroad by road. For this reason, this issue should be on the agenda of not only the NGOs of the logistics sector but also other professional organizations. Humanitarian conditions should be created at the border gates, ”he said.
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