Ningbo launches first TIR cross-border e-commerce road transport service

Ningbo Customs officials inspect the truck. [Photo by Li Huan/Yongpai App]

Ningbo has launched its first transports internationaux routiers (TIR) cross-border road transport service as a TIR-certified truck loaded with cross-border e-commerce parcels departed from the Ningbo International Mail Exchange Center on July 2.

After customs clearance and sealing at the departure point, the cargo can travel across participating countries without repeated inspections. Border authorities only need to verify the TIR carnet, license plate, and vehicle registration, allowing goods to move directly to their overseas destination with a single declaration and seal.

This marks Ningbo Port's first use of the TIR transport model and the first TIR service integrated with cross-border e-commerce exports via Zhejiang's postal channel.

The inaugural shipment includes 35,000 parcels, mainly clothing, footwear, hats, and daily consumer goods, worth around 1.23 million yuan ($181,424.46). The truck will leave China through Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia autonomous region before heading directly to Kazan, Russia.

Compared with traditional sea and rail transport, TIR road transport offers door-to-door delivery, predictable transit times, and greater flexibility, making it particularly suitable for the small, frequent, and time-sensitive shipments common in cross-border e-commerce.

Zhu Zhehong, from the Ningbo International Mail Exchange Center, estimated that the new transport model will improve delivery efficiency by more than 20 percent, while providing more stable routes, better cost control, and stronger resilience.

The service also opens a new overland logistics corridor linking Ningbo with Central Asia and Europe, creating fresh opportunities for the city's export-oriented manufacturers and e-commerce businesses.