International FTL road freight
A dedicated truck from China, Turkey, Europe and Central Asia
International full truckload (FTL) road freight means a dedicated truck for one shipment: we load at the shipper, seal the trailer and deliver to the consignee's warehouse under one CMR, with no intermediate warehouses and no co-loading. We run from China, Turkey, Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Today FTL transit time is decided at the border. For China the road crossings are Zabaikalsk, Pogranichny–Suifenhe, Kraskino–Hunchun, Blagoveshchensk–Heihe, and Khorgos via Kazakhstan. On EU lanes, EU carriers do not enter Russia with cargo and Russian and Belarusian carriers do not enter the EU, so the trailer is swapped or the cargo reloaded near the border. We agree the handover method before loading.
Specification
Specification · Full truckload (FTL). Standard terms · route, crossing and rate are confirmed per shipment
Service
- Body
- 13.6 m tilt, isothermal, reefer
- Cargo
- up to 20–22 t / 82–92 m³ / 33 euro pallets
- Options
- insurance, customs, ADR, two temperature zones
Terms
- Timing
- Europe → Moscow usually 7–14 days; China → Russia depends on the crossing
- Documents
- CMR and commercial document check included
- Currency
- USD / RUB
Logistics
- Before the border
- loading, CMR, export, TIR / T1
- At the border
- queue, controls, trailer swap or reload
- After
- customs, delivery, e-waybill, closing documents
Price
- Base
- rate per truck, door to door
- Extras
- excess waiting, trailer swap, inspection — as per order
Service flow
- 01
Request and rate
We confirm weight, volume, number and size of pallets, stackability, addresses, ready date and delivery term, then choose the body type and border crossing and quote the rate.
1 day - 02
Truck placement and loading
The truck arrives for loading; we check axle distribution and lashing, issue the CMR and seal the body. Photos for every loading.
1–3 days - 03
Export and border
Export clearance in the country of origin, opening TIR or T1 transit, passing the border crossing. On lanes from the EU — trailer swap or reload at a terminal near the border.
1–3 days at the crossing - 04
Russian customs
We file the import declaration (DT) at the destination or border customs, pay duties and VAT and obtain release. If the cargo moves under customs transit, we close the transit on arrival.
1–3 days - 05
Delivery to consignee
Delivery to the consignee's warehouse, unloading confirmed on the CMR. We hand over closing documents; for the domestic leg we issue the Russian waybill, including the electronic one (ETrN via the GIS EPD system).
1–2 days
Problems
After the trip the rate grows by waiting time at loading, a trailer swap at the border and queue time — the invoice goes up after the fact.
We fix the rate and the list of possible extras (free waiting time, trailer swap, overnight at the border) in the order before the truck is placed.
The truck spends a week at the crossing: queue, changed crossing rules, inspection — while the consignee's production stops.
We choose the crossing by current load, arrange the trailer swap or reload in advance, track the trip by GPS and report the real ETA, not the planned one.
Package count and weight in the CMR do not match the invoice and packing list — the truck is held at customs.
We reconcile the CMR, invoice and packing list before departure and keep all trip documents in one place, with electronic copies available immediately.
Documents
The documents for an international road trip. The delivery term decides who pays for export clearance, waiting time at loading and the leg to the border — settle it in the contract before shipment.
Incoterms
- EXW
- seller's warehouse; export clearance is on the buyer — arrange who will do it in advance
- FCA
- seller loads the truck and clears export — a convenient term for FTL
- DAP
- delivered to the agreed place, import clearance on the buyer
- CPT
- carriage paid by the seller, risk passes on handover to the first carrier
Documents
- CMR
- international consignment note signed by shipper, carrier and consignee
- Invoice
- commercial invoice matching the CMR in description, packages and weight
- Packing List
- packing list with gross/net weight and package dimensions
- Contract
- foreign trade contract stating the Incoterms 2020 term
- Transit
- export declaration in the country of origin, TIR Carnet or T1
FAQ
Usually when the shipment takes about half a trailer or more (13–16 euro pallets or 6–7 loading metres). At that point the groupage rate per LDM approaches the price of a whole truck, while FTL runs direct with no hub transshipments or waiting for co-loads. We calculate the exact break-even per lane.
A standard 13.6 m tilt takes 33 euro pallets (1200×800) single-stacked or 26 pallets of 1200×1000, 82–92 m³ and up to 20–22 t of cargo. A mega trailer gives about 100 m³ thanks to 3 m internal height. Axle loads are also a limit, so heavy cargo is placed according to a loading plan.
From north-east China via Pogranichny or Kraskino to Vladivostok, typically 2–5 days including the border. From eastern provinces to Moscow via Zabaikalsk or Kazakhstan (Khorgos), roughly 12–20 days. The key variable is the queue and operating mode of the crossing, so we confirm timing before loading.
Because of mutual restrictions: EU carriers may not haul cargo within Russia, and Russian and Belarusian carriers may not haul within the EU. The European carrier brings the trailer or cargo to a terminal near the border, where a carrier permitted to operate in Russia takes over. We agree the handover point, seals and documents in advance so the switch does not cost extra days.
The carrier, under the CMR Convention, for the whole leg covered by the CMR note. Liability is capped at 8.33 SDR per kg of gross weight, which for valuable cargo is well below its value. That is why we arrange a separate full-value cargo policy above the CMR limit.
Yes, in a reefer with a bulkhead — for example +2…+6 °C and −18 °C in one trip. Each zone has its own temp-log. It must be requested before the truck is placed, as not every reefer has a second compartment.