3PL specialist, CEVA Logistics has developed a Truck-Rail-Truck (TRT) solution to keep customers’ freight moving during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The TRT is a practical multimodal transport solution to remedy the problems China and the Southeast Asian region are facing due to flight suspensions and reductions, space limits and operational restrictions in addition to long waits at border crossings due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Export documentation requirements for the TRT service are the same as an all-trucked service and customs clearance can be achieved within three hours.
The China-Vietnam road border crossing point between Pingxiang and Lang Son currently suffers from backlogs of 2-4 days. To avoid this, shipments are picked up by CEVA across South and East China and loaded into 45-inch hi-cube (HQ) containers.
They are taken by truck to the cross-border train, which operates three times a day, and into Vietnam, where they are then unloaded onto trucks and delivered to the final destination.
Shipments bound for Thailand take no longer than 3-4 days, as opposed to 8 days.
Chief Operating Officer CEVA Logistics Guillaume Col said, “With our TRT solution, serious traffic jams at the border crossings can be avoided. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it really is the best solution for customers wishing to move urgent shipments between China and Southeast Asia. As a pioneer in TRT service, we will keep exploring our Road & Rail network between China and Southeast Asia to further develop these services.”
Several CEVA technology customers are reported to already having taken advantage of the TRT solution to keep their cargo moving over the last month. CEVA customers in Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore are also reported to have been using the new service.
