Intra Asia road transport connects China with Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore

Traditionally, there have been only two main choices for cargo flows between China and Southeast Asia; costly air freight, or slower sea freight. Now, Panalpina is introducing a new alternative solution, Intra Asia road transport, connecting China, including Western China, with Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Value Added Services include customs clearance with on-site staff and close security monitoring.

The new solution caters to both full-truck-load (FTL) and less-than-truck-load (LTL) shipments. It is a through container service, which means goods remain in the same sealed 40-foot or 45-foot container throughout the entire journey; only the trailers are exchanged. This concept makes the service interesting for high-end products. The door-to-door transit time is five to six days shorter than sea freight, and the costs are 30.0% to 50.0% lower than air freight. Plus, it is a more eco-friendly means of transportation than pure air freight.

The daily LTL service from Shenzhen to Bangkok via Hanoi takes four days. Apart from coastal cities in China, Intra Asia road transport also directly connects Western China with Southeast Asia.

The service covers a number of major cities in Western China such as Chengdu and Chongqing, where the entire market still struggles to find adequate capacity for air and sea transport.

Specialist staff prepare and oversee customs process on-site at country borders to avoid any delay caused by incorrect or incomplete paperwork. For shippers in China, there is no need to physically transfer customs handbooks to the border customs, as copies are sufficient. This makes the process more flexible.

Security is one of Panalpina’s main concerns and all trucks are equipped with GPS devices. CCTV systems are also installed inside each container to survey the cargo, ensuring the highest security standards.