Slovak hauliers stand ready to join Polish blockade impacting Ukrainian trucks

Slovak hauliers are considering joining the Polish blockade affecting Ukrainian trucks. They extended their support to Polish counterparts after the movement of freight vehicles was restricted on the eastern Slovakian border due to heightened freight traffic on the night of November 12.

There have been significant queues forming at multiple border crossings with Ukrainian trucks lined up for several consecutive days. The Union of Slovak Road Carriers (UNAS) is urging the European Commission to reinstate the issuance of commercial permits for transportation within the EU. In case the European Transport Commission doesn’t act, UNAS is prepared to back Polish carriers immediately at the border, preventing Ukrainian carriers from entering the Slovakian side of the border, a UNAS spokesperson stated.

According to Slovakian assessments, Ukrainian truck traffic has surged by an estimated 600-800% in the last eighteen months of the war, following Brussels’ decision to waive permit requirements for Ukrainians due to the blockade of Ukrainian seaports. Slovak authorities argue that this scenario paves the way for various infringements such as illicit transfers, technical negligence in vehicle transportation and fraudulent activities related to tachographs.