TNT to launch Mid East's first UAE-Iran trucking service

The thrice-weekly Sharjah-Bandar Abbas route is part of the company's plan to double its Middle East Road Network (MERN) revenues within the next three years.

"Iran has consistently featured as a top 10 destination for TNT UAE and currently represents around five per cent of our total revenue, "said Bryan Moulds, UAE Country General Manager, TNT Express.

"We have excellent ground infrastructure throughout Iran and with this new offering, we anticipate our Iranian business to at least double in the next 12 months."

The new road express route will include TNT's fully inclusive door-to-door service. The company will use its state-of-the-art bonded trailers for deliveries to Iran, which will include full track and trace technology, customs clearance, GPS tracking and cost effective prices on heavy weight consignments.

The 12-hour journey to the southern Iran port city of Bandar Abbas will run every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

"While air freight provides a three to four day service, it's very expensive compared to the road haulage, which is around 40 per cent cheaper with a transit time of an additional two to three days," explained Steve Barrett, MERN Operations Manager, TNT Express.

"Initially, this route will be offered on a price on request basis but will be fully integrated into our tariffs in the early part of next year. We will start with the UAE but eventually extend to the other MERN countries."

TNT's other MERN destinations include Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait, Dhahran, Riyadh, Jeddah and Muscat.

"MERN has delivered to an impressive 60% annual increase over the last three years. Such success clearly reflects the need for expansion in response to market demand," added Moulds.