Over 6,000 Trucks Await Exit from Belarus into EU at "Kozlovichi" Border Crossing

Transporters from Poland have appealed to their government, demanding urgent measures to resolve the crisis at the Belarusian border. Currently, around 4,000 cargo trucks are queued electronically for departure from our country. Here, we delve into the situation at the "Kozlovichi" crossing.

More than 6,000 trucks are waiting to exit Belarus into the EU. The Polish route is the most congested. Since the border's reopening, the electronic queue at "Kozlovichi" has grown substantially. Polish carriers have formally requested their government to address the border situation, citing specific reasons for their discontent.

Under international agreements, the daily quota is 1,200 trucks, yet in reality, this number is three times less. Over the past day, Polish authorities allowed only 402 vehicles to cross. Meanwhile, approximately 4,000 trucks are queued electronically. Drivers are forced to wait about a week to exit Belarus.

"As of the 7th, we've been waiting—today is October 15th. That's the entire waiting period. Currently, Poland is accepting 400 trucks, although they used to process 600," explained a truck driver.

"I've been waiting in line for over a week now, plus some hours—I haven't counted precisely. I live in the Brest region, and it's somewhat easier here than for the guys on the other side, especially the Poles coming here. Honestly, it's all very unclear. My acquaintance lives in his cab during this time. I don't want to get involved in politics; everyone has their own views. But some kind of agreement needs to be reached," said a long-haul driver.

Some Polish drivers are choosing to wait out the backlog in Belarus, while others decide to return home through the "Brest" crossing in passenger vehicles. When their turn in the electronic queue arrives, they are forced to return to Belarus.

This emerging chaos is sharply felt by the Polish Association of International Road Carriers, which is also attempting to influence authorities to ease the situation. Its representatives have appealed to the government, emphasizing that after a 13-day halt, Polish carriers find themselves in an "extremely difficult operational, financial, and humanitarian crisis."

According to carriers, customs processing on the Polish side remains insufficient primarily due to a lack of personnel. The current staffing levels do not allow for an increase in customs procedures, impeding queue elimination and complicating drivers' operations. They urge the Minister of Finance to immediately deploy additional customs and border personnel. Currently, this is the only crossing point servicing freight transport between Poland and Belarus.

Polish carriers call on Warsaw to assign additional staff to the crossing and to develop solutions for redirecting some freight flows to other border points, aiming to restore normal traffic.

"Drivers are standing in line, waiting as if in a queue. The Polish customs seem to be functioning normally—everyone is seated, but there's no movement. In all my years of work, I've never seen anything like this. Why punish our own carriers with such measures?" laments a driver.

"On our side, there are 4,000 trucks waiting—that's terrible. We can almost get through quickly, within a few hours, but heading toward Poland... I wish the Poles worked more efficiently, that they'd open the borders a bit more. I don't understand why they closed them," he adds.

Ivan Demichev, Head of the "Kozlovichi" Customs Post:

"The volume of cargo vehicles processed by the Polish side remains low since Poland resumed operations at the Belarus-Poland border. On average, border control agencies operate at only 25-30% of their capacity. Meanwhile, the queue of freight vehicles exiting Belarus continues to grow daily."

The customs authorities also emphasize that all necessary conditions for comfortable border crossing have been established at Kozlovichi—from rest zones and showers to cafes and banking facilities. Efforts are underway to expand these amenities on the surrounding territory.

Currently, near the "Kozlovichi" crossing, a major construction project is underway to create Europe's largest waiting zone, capable of accommodating 800 vehicles. The facility is scheduled to be completed soon—by the end of this year—and some parts are already operational.