Transporters Say: BiH Economy Has No Alternative to Road Transport

(Patria) - The consortium "Logistika BiH" stated that the announced protest of professional drivers is not exclusively a fight of road transporters, but a joint struggle of the entire economic system because, as they noted, road transport represents the foundation of the functioning of input and output supply chains in BiH and the region.

From the Consortium, they call on employer associations, export and import companies, chambers of commerce, and sectoral associations to actively engage and publicly support the demands for the protection of the rights of professional drivers, as this is also the protection of the interests of the real sector and the economy of BiH.

"Regardless of whether we are talking about import flows (raw materials, energy, repro materials), export flows (industrial and agricultural products), upstream or downstream logistics processes, there is no real and quick replacement for road transport," the Consortium states.

The statement emphasizes that the elimination or serious restriction of the work of domestic road transporters automatically means disruptions in deliveries, loss of contracts, delays in production, price increases, and market instability.

From the Consortium, they point out that in the event of supply chain disruptions and forced reliance on alternative solutions, transport costs could increase by up to 70 percent compared to existing road transport prices, while domestic exporters and importers become hostages to blackmail through price and capacity availability, and foreign operators and intermediaries take control of the market, without an obligation of long-term stability.

"In other words, the loss of domestic transporters means the loss of control over one's own supply chains," the Consortium emphasizes, adding that domestic road transporters, employers, exporters, and importers share the same goals, depend on each other, and bear the common consequences of institutional inaction.

The consortium "Logistika BiH", which gathers transporters, announced for Monday, January 26, a regional protest of the transport sector at EU cargo border crossings due to accumulated problems related to the stay of drivers in Schengen countries, the latest being the new system of entry into the EU.