Thailand is at the crossroads of efforts to take barriers out of the way of bulk trucking between the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Co-Operation (APEC) members.
Thailand is already one of the best regions to begin and operate a freight business in terms of business expenses, but agencies and other bodies in Thailand want to make it even more attractive for investors by removing red tape and taking barriers out of the way.
Red tape in the customs processes of Thailand have always been a red flag for many freight firms, which has slowed down the movement of freight and increased the cost of transporting international freight.
In order to try to speed up the process of getting across the border Thailand has been trying to set up a useful system of trucking networks between Asian countries doing business in Bangkok. Trucking logistics firms like DHL and TNT have been taking bonded freight across the border of Thailand and working hand in hand with customs officials to streamline the process of getting across the border as quickly as is possible.
TNT and DHL have been reporting an increase in freight volumes heading through Bangkok and then to Europe and other international markets. Especially during the holiday season they reported an increase in the number of freight shipments heading back and forth across the border of Thailand.
The process of getting the freight from Singapore to Bangkok apparently takes about 2.5 days for bonded freight moved by DHL or TNT, but 3 to 4 days for non-bonded freight. This represents a significant difference in costs for firms that arent’ moving bonded freight across the borders of Thailand. TNT’s and DHL’s ability to move trucking loads across the border quicker in comparison to their competition, puts them in a favorable position.
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