Lowering trade and transit costs for landlocked countries could be as simple as signing one tried-and-tested UN convention, said Umberto de Pretto. Speaking at the Third UN Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries in Awaza, Turkmenistan, he called on governments to join the TIR Convention without delay.

IRU’s regional office in Istanbul, Türkiye, celebrates 20 years of driving safe, efficient and green road transport across the Black Sea region.

Five weeks to transport goods from Istanbul to Amman? No, more like five days.

The Upply x Ti x IRU study on European road freight rates has found that the contract and spot rate indexes converged at 132.2 in Q2 2025. The benchmark spot rate index declined by 2.2 points quarter on quarter (q-o-q), while the contract rate index inched up by 1.2 points over the same period. Year on year (y-o-y), spot rates are down by 2.0 points, whereas contract rates have risen slightly by 0.7 points. Spot rates are now at their lowest level since Q4 2023.

More than 300 million people in the Greater Mekong region would benefit from seamless trade enabled by the global TIR transit system.

The Belt and Road Initiative has opened vast opportunities for global trade. Yet its full potential remains untapped. Harmonised measures are needed.

Alongside its core expertise in offshore oil and gas training, Venture Gulf’s extensive training portfolio spans several key sectors, including road safety.