Independent hauliers say border queues are not the same for everyone

NURZHAN — On a typical morning this spring, the line of trucks waiting to cross into Kazakhstan at the Chu Gate, east of Nurzhan, has stretched for several kilometers. Drivers for small independent hauliers say they wait two or three days for clearance. Several told the Herald that trucks of Trans-Chuy Freight & Logistics, the country's largest haulier, do not wait nearly as long.

"We sit here with our engines off, and their trucks go past us in the other lane," said one owner-driver from Nurzhan who carries feed and building materials. He and others who spoke to the Herald asked not to be named, saying they feared problems with their own clearances. Competing hauliers and opposition commentators have long said that Trans-Chuy receives preferential access to state contracts and to border clearance.

Trans-Chuy, which runs more than 250 tractor units from its terminal outside Nurzhan, has been controlled since 2008 by Timur Toktarov, the Governor's third son. The company said its contracts are awarded on price and reliability. It said its trucks travel under customs seal, with satellite tracking, so sealed loads can cross into Kazakhstan without being reinspected, and that any haulier meeting the bonded-transit requirements could do the same.

The ISEZ customs service said all vehicles at the Chu Gate are processed under the same procedures, and that delays this spring reflected heavier traffic and checks on the Kazakh side of the frontier.