Enterprises exporting to Russia often focus on customs clearance and cross-border transportation but overlook the Russian internal transit link, which is actually a high-risk area for logistics. After customs clearance, frequent problems such as transit delays, cargo damage, additional surcharges, and trajectory loss not only increase costs but also may lead to order breaches. In fact, the key to avoiding pitfalls lies in choosing a professional customs broker that can take full control of the entire process. Shanghai SBTG takes railway transportation as its main business, deeply integrates customs brokerage with internal transit, and uses full-chain service capabilities to help enterprises avoid transit risks.
1. Core of Avoiding Pitfalls: Choose the Right Integrated “Customs Clearance + Transit” Broker
The root cause of most transit pitfalls is the separation of customs clearance and transit operations, leading to mutual shirking of responsibilities when problems arise. The core value of a professional customs broker lies in achieving seamless connection between “customs clearance and transit”, which is also the core advantage of SBTG. We are not merely a customs clearance or transit service provider, but coordinate the entire chain process with railway transportation as the link.
Enterprises do not need to separately connect with customs clearance companies and transit teams; all links are uniformly responsible by SBTG, with clear and traceable responsibilities. Before receiving the goods, we will reverse the transit schedule based on the railway transportation timeliness. When the customs clearance process starts, we simultaneously connect with local transit resources to ensure that the goods are shipped immediately after customs clearance, fundamentally avoiding detention pitfalls caused by connection gaps.
2. Pitfall 1: Insufficient Transit Qualifications, High Risk of Cargo Detention
Russia has strict qualification requirements for domestic transportation vehicles and carrier enterprises. Many small transit companies use unqualified vehicles, which are likely to cause cargo detention. Professional customs brokers will verify the qualifications of transit partners in advance, which is the basis for avoiding pitfalls.
SBTG has deep roots in Russia for many years, and all cooperating transit enterprises have complete transportation qualifications and customs registration certificates. For goods entering the country via railway transportation, we will report cargo information, transit routes, and carrier vehicle qualifications in advance to ensure that the goods comply with Russian regulatory requirements during domestic transportation. Compared with small transit companies found independently, the qualification control link by professional customs brokers can completely avoid the core risk of cargo detention.
3. Pitfall 2: Unreasonable Route Planning, Frequent Delays and Surcharges
Russia has a vast territory, with great differences in road conditions and logistics nodes in different regions. Unreasonable route planning will lead to serious delays, and some transit companies will impose additional surcharges under the pretext of “route adjustments”. Professional customs brokers are familiar with local road conditions and can accurately plan the optimal route.
Relying on a transit network covering the entire Russia, SBTG plans the shortest and most stable transit route based on the cargo destination and the location of the railway entry port. For over-dimensional goods such as the 388.49-ton large-scale liquid filling production line, we survey the route in advance and complete the over-dimensional transportation permit to avoid delays and surcharges caused by non-compliant routes. All transit costs are clarified in the early stage, with no hidden charges, fundamentally avoiding surcharge pitfalls.
4. Pitfall 3: Insufficient Cargo Protection, Difficult Damage Claims
Some road sections in Russia have complex conditions, and coupled with the perfunctory cargo protection by some transit companies, the damage rate of fragile and precision goods is extremely high, and subsequent claims are even more difficult. Professional customs brokers will take full control of the cargo protection and claim links.
SBTG customizes protection schemes according to the characteristics of different goods: precision equipment uses shockproof packaging and fixing devices, and fragile goods are equipped with buffer materials; special personnel are arranged to accompany the shipment during transportation, and the cargo status is controlled in real time through satellite monitoring. In case of accidental damage, as the overall responsible party, we will initiate a rapid claim process, eliminating the need for enterprises to repeatedly communicate with transit companies. This full-process protection and claim guarantee is difficult for ordinary transit companies to provide.
5. Pitfall 4: Trajectory Loss, Uncontrollable Cargo Status
Many transit companies lack an effective trajectory tracking system. After the goods are shipped, they are in a state of “loss of contact”. Enterprises cannot grasp real-time dynamics and can only wait passively. Professional customs brokers will build a full-chain visual tracking system.
SBTG connects the railway transportation trajectory with the internal transit trajectory, and through an independently developed logistics system, realizes the full-process visualization of goods from railway entry to terminal delivery. Enterprises can check the cargo location, transportation progress, and estimated arrival time at any time, and the information of each node is clearly available. In case of emergencies such as extreme weather and road maintenance, we will adjust the plan immediately and inform the enterprise synchronously, completely avoiding the pitfall of trajectory loss.
Avoiding pitfalls in Russian internal transit is by no means simply choosing a low-cost transit company, but relying on the local resources and full-chain control capabilities of professional customs brokers. Taking railway transportation as its main business, Shanghai SBTG extends customs brokerage services throughout the entire transit process, and uses four core methods—qualification verification, route planning, cargo protection, and trajectory tracking—to help enterprises avoid various transit risks. Adhering to the core values of “reliability, quality, and accountability”, we have achieved 20 years of operation without major transit accidents and established long-term cooperation with more than 400 China-Russia enterprises. Choosing SBTG turns Russian internal transit from “high-risk” to “high-assurance”, building the last logistics line of defense for export business to Russia.
