What a day of waiting at the border costs
Border waiting rarely appears in the budget, but someone always pays for it: the carrier for the truck, the terminal for storage and the project with a slipped schedule.
Updated 22 September 2026
What it is made of
- Truck and driver: $95–165 per day (lease, driver, insurance)
- Border terminal storage: about ₸1,600 per tonne per day
- Middlemen margins: broker, crane, weighing and permits each add their own
- Slipped site schedule: installers wait and start-up is delayed
Example
Ten trucks a month waiting ten days each at $185 a day is $18,500 a month and over $200,000 a year. Check your own volume in the savings calculator on the home page.
How to remove the wait
Prepare everything before the cargo arrives: slot, documents, permit and equipment. Then the truck leaves the border the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for idle days?
The cargo owner, through the carrier rate and terminal invoices, even if it is not visible in the budget.
How many idle days are typical?
10–15 days per shipment under the usual scheme, when everything starts after arrival.
How do I calculate the savings?
With the calculator on the home page: trucks per month, idle days and the cost of a day.
See also
Border queue
Why cargo waits 10–15 days at Khorgos and other crossings: electronic queue, bonded warehouse, permit, trailer. What an idle day costs and how to leave the border the day you arrive.
Turnkey delivery
One contractor instead of five: trucks, transloading, axle weighing, customs, permits and documents. The truck leaves the day the cargo arrives, on one invoice.
Nur Zholy — Khorgos
Nur Zholy — Khorgos is the main road crossing in south-east Kazakhstan and the closest to Almaty. It suits most cargo, and it is also the busiest. How to pass without idle days: slot booked early, documents with the broker before arrival, equipment waiting.
Industrial equipment
Industrial equipment from a Chinese factory to your site in Kazakhstan: documents, customs, low-bed trailer, permits and unloading. Installers do not wait.
Preparing an equipment shipment?
Send drawings and the packing list — we will show what data is missing and come back with a preliminary estimate.