Case study on cross-border e-commerce transportation management and international road transportation
Cross-border e-commerce transportation management is the effective management of the transportation process of products from producers to consumers in international trade. This process covers the selection of transportation methods, determination of time and routes, and cost savings. Its core lies in the rational utilization of various transportation modes, including railways, roads, water transportation, air transportation and pipelines, to achieve specific transportation goals.
A prominent case is the Kunming-Bangkok Highway, which connects Yunnan Province in China and Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, becoming China’s first international highway. The total length of the Kunming-Bangkok Highway is approximately 1,807 kilometers, of which 688 kilometers are in China, 229 kilometers are in Laos, and 890 kilometers are in Thailand. Since its official opening to traffic in December 2008, the Kunming-Bangkok Highway has mainly implemented the international land transportation of “vegetables for oil”, promoted economic cooperation between China and Thailand, and alleviated the tight supply of refined oil and the difficulty of growing vegetables in Thailand.
In order to further optimize transportation efficiency, in 2013, the Yunnan Southeast Asia Economic and Trade Cooperation and Development Association, the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Thailand Urban and Rural Development Foundation signed the “Private Private Solution for Facilitated Transportation on the Kunming-Bangkok Highway”. This solution allows cargo vehicles to carry out only one drop-and-pull operation in Laos after departing from Kunming Tengjun International Dry Port to reach Bangkok, which will effectively save logistics time and costs.
The trial land transportation route of the Kunming-Bangkok Highway is as follows: Kunming (China) – Mohan (China) – Boten (Laos) – Houay Say (Laos) – Chiang Khong (Thailand) – Bangkok (Thailand). At the same time, the trial route of land-water combined transport is: Kunming (China)-Jinghong Port (China)-Chiang Saen Port (Thailand)-Bangkok (Thailand). In actual operation, after departing from Kunming International Dry Port, the cargo vehicles will arrive in Laos via Mohan Port, add Lao license plates, and finally reach Bangkok Logistics Center directly through Chiangkorn, Thailand.
According to the plan, the logistics time is shortened from the current 72 hours to 48 hours, which is reduced by about one-third, while also significantly reducing transportation costs. The implementation of this plan aims to promote the early completion of relevant government cross-border transport agreements and improve the facilitation level of customs clearance on the Kunming-Mangang Highway. Through one-stop service, functions such as customs, industry and commerce, and taxation will be integrated, greatly shortening the time for goods to enter and exit customs.
To sum up, the transportation management of cross-border e-commerce not only involves transportation methods and cost control, but also includes the effective integration of policy collaboration and international logistics to achieve more efficient international transactions.