by David Couliau

A bumpy ride

In Ulaanbaatar, Tugsbadrakh, who works for North Trans LLC, the first international Mongolian transport company, heads a convoy of four trucks going to the Russian border to deliver fruit and vegetables.

With its sunsets, its yurts and its infinite steppe, Mongolia’s landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful. But its roads are chaotic. During the seven hours it takes to reach the border, on extremely bumpy routes, with only two lanes, the path is often blocked by sheep, cows or horses. A highway is supposed to be built soon, but in the meantime, this road is the only pass. 

Amazing passion

Tugsbadrakh knows these roads inside out, he’s taken them more than a hundred times. He’s a shy and humble man, but he’s one of the best drivers in the country and has even won several truck driving prizes. 

Until now, only IRU’s TIR has made his life a little bit easier: at the Russian border, trucks are fully X-rayed in only 3 minutes. The company’s 22 trucks have been using it since 2016. 

It’s tough to be a driver in this region, as the calloused hands and wrinkled faces of these drivers show, but they never complain. They love what they do.