📊 Industry data: Per the WTO, full implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement can cut average import time by 47% and export time by 91%. Dünya Ticaret Örgütü (WTO) – Trade Facilitation

In logistics operations, if export is the “start,” then import is the “finish.” A truck heading to Europe or Asia with an export load is only the first half of the operation. Whether the match is won or lost becomes clear in the second half, that is, on the return leg.

The biggest profitability killer in the sector is the “Empty Mileage” (Deadhead) problem. A truck that unloads its cargo in Munich returning empty to Istanbul, or waiting in a lot for days searching for a return load, is a major loss item for the business.

In addition, import processes are far more painful than exports. Customs regulations, border gate queues (Kapıkule, Hamzabeyli), missing documents and bonded warehouse congestion delay the goods from reaching the factory or the shelf.

The Loggerise Import Planning Module is designed to solve these two major problems:

Never sending your vehicle back empty.
Managing the customs and bonded warehouse process at digital speed.

In this comprehensive guide, we will examine how to match your empty vehicles with profitable loads, how to work in integration with your customs broker, and how to prepare your bonded warehouse before the vehicle arrives.

1. End the Empty-Return Nightmare: Smart Matching

A logistics manager’s greatest stress is finding a load for a vehicle that has emptied abroad. Usually carried out through phone traffic, freight exchanges and personal contacts, this process is slow and inefficient.

Loggerise turns the process into algorithm engineering.

Location-Based Load Suggestion

The system uses Vehicle and Fleet Management data to know where the vehicle has emptied (or when it will empty).

Scenario: The vehicle with plate 34 AB 123 will empty in Munich in 2 days.
System Analysis: It scans the “Pending Import Orders” in the database. It lists the loads around Munich (e.g., within a 150 km radius).
Result: It offers the planner a suggestion: “This vehicle can take the load of company X in Stuttgart. The empty mileage is only 50 km.”

This way, your vehicles do not wait in lots; they keep their wheels turning by matching with the nearest and most profitable load.

2. The Import Cockpit and Live ETA Tracking

The import load has been loaded onto the vehicle and set off. Now the most critical question is: “When will the goods arrive?” Production lines may be waiting for this raw material, or store shelves may be left empty for this product. Uncertainty is unacceptable.

The Loggerise Import Cockpit provides full visibility to you and your customer.

Dynamic Arrival Time (ETA)

We go beyond standard GPS tracking. The system;

the road conditions,
border gate congestion (e.g., there is a 15 km queue at Kapıkule),
by analyzing the driver’s remaining driving time (tachograph data), it continuously updates the Estimated Time of Arrival. “The vehicle will be at customs at 09:00 on Friday morning.” You convey this information clearly.

Border and Customs Statuses

You track with real-time statuses whether the vehicle has entered through Kapıkule, whether it has entered the customs area, or whether it is being processed at an inland customs office (Erenköy, Muratbey, etc.).

3. Digital Document Case: Integrate with Your Customs Broker

In imports, the biggest reason a vehicle waits at customs is “Waiting for Documents.” A declaration cannot be opened until the original ATR document, T1 form or invoice reaches the customs broker.

Loggerise speeds up the document flow.

Digital Sharing: At the moment of loading or while the vehicle is en route, images of the T1, ATR, Certificate of Origin and invoice are uploaded to the system.
Early Access: Your customs broker accesses these documents, while the vehicle is still at the Bulgarian border, through File Management.
Pre-Preparation: The broker prepares the draft declaration. The moment the vehicle enters customs, the procedures begin.

This method can shorten the customs clearance time by 1-2 days.

4. Bonded Warehouse and Customs Clearance Integration

When the vehicle arrives at the customs area or your bonded warehouse, there should be no chaos. Which dock will it pull up to? Who will unload the cargo? The answers to these questions must be given in advance.

Automatic Bonded Warehouse Notification (Pre-Alert)

When the planned vehicle approaches the customs area (with Geofence technology), an automatic notification is sent to bonded warehouse management: “ATTENTION! The vehicle with plate 34 AB 123 will enter the bonded warehouse within 2 hours. It contains 24 pallets of Chemical Raw Material.”

Thanks to this notification, the warehouse chief:

Clears the appropriate dock.
Prepares the forklift team.
Takes the necessary OHS measures since the cargo is chemical.

5. Urgent Load Prioritization

Not every load has the same urgency. Sometimes 2 pallets of goods inside a truck are vital to keeping the factory from coming to a halt. In Loggerise, you can mark loads as “Critical / Urgent.”

These loads are shown with a red flag in the system.
The operations team gives priority to the vehicle carrying this load.
The customs broker and warehouse team move this load’s processing to the front of the queue.

6. Order Consolidation and Partial (LTL) Management

Another way to reduce costs in imports is to combine small loads coming from different suppliers. For example, you have purchases of 3 pallets each from 3 different cities in Germany. Instead of bringing them in 3 separate vehicles, it is far more profitable to consolidate (Groupage) them in a single vehicle.

The Loggerise Import Planning module:

Calculates the volume and weight of the loads.
Optimizes the collection route (e.g., first Munich, then Frankfurt, and lastly Cologne).
By showing the vehicle’s fill rate, it prevents you from “shipping air.”

7. Cost Reflection and Trip Profitability

In import operations, many additional costs arise beyond the freight charge:

Customs Duties
Storage and Warehousing Fees
Delivery Order (Ordino) Costs
Demurrage (Waiting) Fees

These costs often go unnoticed, and while the trip is assumed to be profitable, it is only later understood that a loss was actually made. Thanks to the Loggerise Finance Management integration, you record these costs onto the trip card in real time. When the trip ends, your “Net Profit” figure is the real figure after all these hidden costs have been deducted.

8. Cross-Trade Opportunities

Sometimes the most profitable business is not returning to the country, but carrying goods between two foreign countries (e.g., from Germany to France). While your vehicle is abroad, the system can show you not only loads from Türkiye but also Cross-Trade opportunities (if you have an international partner network). This way, your fleet acts like a global player.

Conclusion: Don’t Leave Imports to Chance

The import operation is the most sensitive link in the logistics chain. A delayed import load can halt production lines or leave shelves empty.

With the Loggerise Import Planning Module:

Return Full: End the cost of empty mileage.
Clear Quickly: Digitize your customs documents.
Be Prepared: Organize your bonded warehouse before the vehicle arrives.
See Clearly: Track the vehicle’s location in real time.

To maximize your profitability on the return leg, reach us via our Contact page or request a free demo.