A resident dispatch and loading-supervision team at Khorgos. One export declaration, one truck to the door, no vehicle change and no transloading on the way. 10–15 days toward Sarakhs in Iran, stable year-round. Irkeshtam as backup, Khunjerab when the season allows. Out-of-gauge equipment, finished vehicles, reefers and dangerous-goods trucks are all on the fleet.
FTL road haulage is the third overland option beside rail and ocean. Its value is not the lowest unit rate. It is flexibility and a date you can hold: no block-train schedule to wait for, departure when the cargo is ready, one truck that can load out-of-gauge freight at the door, and a border that can be switched against how the crossings are running. The delivery date is not parked on a single corridor.
Xi'an Yundongxi Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. (EW TRANS) has a resident team at Khorgos for truck dispatch and on-site loading supervision. The primary routing exits at Khorgos, crosses Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and enters Iran toward Sarakhs, in 10–15 days, stable year-round. Irkeshtam is the backup. Khunjerab can be used in the season when it is passable.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Primary transit | Exit via Khorgos, 10–15 days (border to border, stable year-round) |
| Backup transit | Exit via Irkeshtam at Kashgar, 12–16 days |
| Seasonal corridor | Exit via Khunjerab (through Pakistan). Winter closure is likely; used only as a temporary switch |
| Exit borders | Khorgos (primary) / Irkeshtam (backup) / Khunjerab (seasonal) |
| Mode | FTL road haulage, direct, one truck with no transload |
| Equipment | Tilt trailer, low-bed, car carrier, reefer, DG truck |
| Coverage | All of Iran, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz |
| Scope | Domestic pickup, export customs declaration, border handling, milestone updates, Iranian clearance coordination, final delivery |
Transit is border to border. It does not include pickup and delivery at either end, or production lead time. Winter, a border queue, a sailing or a policy change will move it. Before the cargo leaves we state the transit we expect that week.
On road freight to Iran, the border is the risk decision. We do not have one road. We can operate all three:
| Corridor | Routing | Indicative transit | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exit via KhorgosPrimary | Khorgos → Kazakhstan → Uzbekistan → Turkmenistan → Sarakhs, Iran | 10–15 days | Stable year-round. The regular departure and the primary corridor |
| Exit via IrkeshtamBackup | Kashgar → Irkeshtam → Kyrgyzstan → Uzbekistan → Turkmenistan → Iran | 12–16 days | Used when Khorgos is tight or volume needs to be split |
| Exit via KhunjerabSeasonal | Kashgar → Khunjerab → Pakistan → Iran | Depends on whether the pass is open | Winter closure is likely. A temporary switch only |
Khunjerab sits at about 5,100 metres and is the only overland crossing between China and Pakistan. Traditionally it opened from April to November and closed from December to March the following year. From December 2024 it moved to year-round opening, but high-altitude snow and ice can still close it or interrupt it in winter. We treat it as a seasonal backup. It is not the normal routing. If the primary corridor queues or the weather closes it, this is the exit that keeps the cargo moving.
From June 2025, Irkeshtam has operated clearance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is the second Xinjiang land border, after Khorgos, to clear freight around the clock, so as a backup it can actually take the next truck.
The core advantage of road is that it does not wait for a schedule. A block train waits to be made up and competes for a slot. Ocean freight waits for a sailing and for the routing the vessel actually takes. FTL leaves when the cargo is ready, and it runs from the factory gate to the consignee's gate in Iran without a vehicle change or a transload.
| Your situation | The mode that fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small volume, urgent | FTL road haulage | No schedule to wait for. It leaves when the cargo is ready, and a small lot does not wait to fill a container or a train |
| Out-of-gauge or overweight | FTL road haulage | Rail is stricter on size and weight. Road can load at the door, point to point |
| Door to door, fewer lifts | FTL road haulage | One truck, no transload. Less damage and fewer hand-off errors |
| Large volume, a wider delivery window | Rail FCL | Lower unit cost. Scale is where rail earns its place |
| Uneasy about the ocean corridor | Road or rail | An all-overland routing does not use the strait, so sea-lane uncertainty is avoided |
We would not force a choice between the two. Road and rail can be combined: the urgent portion by road to hold the date, the volume portion by rail to hold the cost. In one enquiry we put cost and transit for both in front of you, and you decide.
Road freight usually fails not on the highway but at loading and at the border. A poor stow, weak lashing, or documents that do not match the goods become a dispute hundreds of kilometres away. That is why the resident team is at Khorgos. Those two steps stay in our hands.
| Equipment | What it carries | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tilt trailer | The workhorse for general cargo | General merchandise, machinery and electrical goods, auto parts, building materials and other standard loads. Flexible stow, lowest cost |
| Low-bed | Heavy and out-of-gauge equipment | Construction machinery, large equipment, over-height and over-width pieces. Send dimensions, weight and centre of gravity in advance |
| Car carrier | New energy vehicles and passenger cars | Vehicle-specific securing, several units per truck, with condition and state of charge recorded |
| Reefer | Cold chain and temperature-controlled cargo | Food, and chemicals or pharmaceutical goods that must hold a temperature, with a temperature record for the move |
| DG truck | Dangerous goods and speciality chemicals | The vehicle, the driver and the escort must hold road dangerous-goods licences |
| Direction | Main commodities |
|---|---|
| China → Iran | PV modules, machinery and electrical goods, auto parts, new energy vehicles, building materials, general merchandise, energy-storage lithium batteries |
| Iran → China | Dried fruit, saffron, carpets, minerals |
Lithium batteries are Class 9 dangerous goods. They are not cargo that moves because someone wrote a line on the declaration. We take them when the compliance file is in place first. A false declaration or a missing document means the truck is detained and fined, and that cost sits with the shipper.
| Form of the goods | UN number |
|---|---|
| Lithium-ion batteries, shipped alone | UN3480 |
| Lithium-ion batteries contained in equipment, or packed with equipment | UN3481 |
| Containerised energy-storage systems (batteries in a cargo transport unit) | UN3536 |
| Lithium-metal batteries (alone / contained in equipment) | UN3090 / UN3091 |
Two further points. Packing must be Packing Group II, with terminals insulated against short circuit, and it must meet the drop and stack tests. Document consistency is a hard line. The description cannot be a vague "electronic products". It must state battery type, UN number, watt-hours and state of charge. Book this cargo more than 7 days ahead, so packing and the document pre-check have time.
These are the general compliance points. The binding rules move with the international transport regulations in force. Before shipment, confirm the current edition and Iran's import requirements.
Exit via Khorgos is usually 10–15 days, stable year-round. Via Irkeshtam at Kashgar it is about 12–16 days. Khunjerab is seasonal and often closed in winter, so it is only a temporary switch. These are border-to-border figures. Door to door adds pickup and delivery at both ends.
Three cases. Small lots and urgent orders, when rail space is tight or the volume will not fill a container: a truck can leave when the cargo is ready. Out-of-gauge and overweight equipment: road has more room on size and weight, and it can load at the door. Precision equipment and high-value goods that need door-to-door with fewer lifts. The flexibility comes from not waiting for a block-train schedule.
A typical 13.5 m tilt trailer is about 80–90 cubic metres, with a payload usually around 25–30 tonnes. Light cargo hits the volume limit first. Heavy cargo hits the weight limit first. Rate and stow both need volume and weight. Send cubic metres and tonnes together and we will give the loading plan that actually fits.
On a low-bed or an extendable trailer. Send overall dimensions, piece weight, centre of gravity and lifting points in advance, so the out-of-gauge class, the lashing plan and the time for permits along the route can be worked out. Out-of-gauge cargo usually needs extra time for permits. Book 7–15 days ahead. Some pieces also need a separate filing on the Iranian side.
Yes, but only as dangerous goods. Lithium batteries are Class 9. Shipped alone they are UN3480. Contained in or packed with equipment they are UN3481. A containerised energy-storage system is UN3536. You need a UN38.3 test report, MSDS, a dangerous-goods packaging certificate and a transport classification report. Road transport limits state of charge on Class A traction batteries, usually to 30% or below. The vehicle needs a road dangerous-goods licence, and the driver and escort must be certified. Send the battery model, watt-hours and UN number with the enquiry.
PV modules go on a tilt trailer or a flatbed, with corner protection and securing against tipping. New energy vehicles go on a car carrier, fixed as vehicles, with state of charge recorded. Heavy building materials need axle load and weight distribution checked. Fragile goods such as tiles and boards need separators and support. Loading plans differ a lot by commodity. Tell us the packing and the piece weight at the enquiry stage.
Khunjerab is about 5,100 metres and is the only overland crossing between China and Pakistan. Traditionally it opened from April to November and closed from December to March. From December 2024 it moved to year-round opening, but high-altitude snow and ice can still close it or interrupt it in winter. We treat it as a seasonal backup. In winter, use Khorgos or Irkeshtam.
We can operate Khorgos, Irkeshtam and Khunjerab. If one border queues, weather closes the road, or policy changes, the departure can switch. Your date is not parked on a single crossing. The switch is confirmed with you before the cargo leaves.
We coordinate and support Iranian import clearance. You provide the invoice, packing list, company tax number and the other base documents, plus the permits and certificates Iran requires. Note that Iranian borders generally do an entry pre-check only. Formal clearance is usually at Aprin dry port on the edge of Tehran. Who is responsible for clearance, and which documents are required, follow current Iranian rules and the consignee's status. We issue the list before the cargo leaves.
In the trade, cross-border FTL road haulage is often described as a direct truck service: a full truck, door to door, that does not wait for a block-train schedule, leaves when the cargo is ready, and does not transload. That is the service on this page.