Road freight from Turkey, Alternatives anybody.

Any importers or exporters sending goods to and from Turkey will know the basics. Apply for a T1, ensure it is sent with your shipment and book with a road freight haulier or Road focused freight forwarder. Job done.  Is that really where the story ends for sending or receiving your Turkish shipments .

For a lot of goods road freight isn’t necessarily the practical answer. It is what the Road freight based freight-forwarder sells. If the shipment is urgent and it misses the weekly truck he might enquire after a push about airfreight. Usually from a specialist Turkish Consolidating forwarder to keep the customer happy whilst keeping his price exposure as low as possible.  That works well for those used to Road freight from Turkey.  The questions remains, is it the best option.

Alternatives to road freight from Turkey to the UK

Is this really the best way. There are from Turkey sea freight options which are often over-looked. John Good, for example, provide both LCL and FCL options from Izmir and Istanbul. With a direct LCL service by sea these services compete with fast transit times and John Good claim offer significant reductions in freight costs.

There are added advantages, for instance :

• Regular vessel sailings and a schedule meaning better arrival planning
• Less chance of damage or pilferage to cargo
• Less issues at the border, especially clandestine risk
• UK based delivery drivers however large the load

Airfreight and Courier are also good options. With the shortest time frame sometimes the cost difference may surprise you. Especially on small shipments. Turkish Airlines continue to increase their fleet of aircraft. By no means are they the only airline worth looking at. B.Airways also operate direct flights and some of the transhipment options are very reasonably priced on premium carrier options.

Development of Cargo from Turkey to the UK

Turkey continues to be a market which steadily increases in size. With 2019 ahead and the uncertainty that surrounds European road freight is now the time to look at your Turkish services. You may find talking to a Turkish LCL operator about options.  One who also specialises in Air could give you the best possible service? It could help with better planning for your shippers and keeping those accounts secure.

If you do not look at the options maybe your shipper will do directly. With the Turkish Lira issues this year some shippers have changed their freight habits in 2018. It follows that with the uncertainty around Brexit they will continue to look at their supply chain. Road freight was considered the norm for most imports from Turkey. It will be interesting to see if this continues at the present levels through 2019.