01/09/2021
TTO - Cross-border road transport in the ASEAN region is forecasted to grow with economic recovery and the boom in e-commerce. Especially, there is an increased demand for low-cost, sustainable logistics solutions.
Air freight and sea freight rates volatile sharply amid the COVID-19 pandemic, making these two forms less competitive than road transport with routes in the same region. (Photo: TTO)
International carriers are moving towards cross-border freight transport between ASEAN countries by road as an inevitable trend associated with the growth of e-commerce.
This trend is outlined in the white paper "Southeast Asia Freight: The Road to Growth" published on August 18.
In an online conference with the media in Asia, a representative of DHL Global Forwarding, an international shipping service provider, forecasted the increase in consumer and commercial e-commerce spending. The rise in e-commerce consumer spending and B2B e-commerce, which is predicted to see a 70% increase by 2027, is also pushing demand for door-to-door logistics solutions.
“Trade cooperation will continue to strengthen and bolster intra-Asia trade”, said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.
One of the most important innovations is the The ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS) by 2020, which allows operators to move goods seamlessly across multiple ASEAN borders with a single guarantee that covers duties and taxes for the entire journey.
"This augurs well for ASEAN countries as they gear up to bounce back strongly from the Covid-19 pandemic", said Mr. Kelvin Leung.
According to experts, while air and sea freight rates volatile sharply amid the COVID-19 pandemic, road or multimodal solutions have offered more stable pricing, capacity, and easier border access in Southeast Asia.
Thomas Tieber, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Southeast Asia, said that road transport is now playing a more significant role in international long-haul solutions across Asia as it offers a cost effective and sustainable option.
Road solutions are also highly flexible with trucks able to manage door-to-door local, cross-border, long-haul and short-haul delivery.
According to calculations by Mr. Thomas Tieber, an air-road shipment from Jakarta to Bangkok via Singapore cuts carbon emissions by half, in addition to cost savings of 35%, as compared to a direct flight, while trucking a shipment from Singapore to China reduces carbon footprint by 83% as compared to airfreight.
Tuoi Tre Online
