Cargo scope: Russian carriers will be protected from Chinese competitors

Russian cargo carriers want to reduce the scrap collection for imported semi-trailers and introduce preferential leasing for truck tractors. The Ministry of Transport believes that this will improve the economics of transportation for Russian companies, which have been losing out to competitors from China on international routes since 2025. If the Chinese have a leasing rate for equipment of 3-6%, then for domestic carriers it is 21-25%. How much it is necessary to reduce waste collection and whether the proposed measures will help carriers — in the material of Izvestia.

Why Russian carriers are losing to Chinese ones

The cost of transportation services provided by Russian carriers turned out to be 33% higher than that of Chinese competitors, which is why they lose customers on international routes. The reason for this is unequal conditions in the purchase of equipment, the Avtogruzex association told Izvestia.

Our trucks rarely enter the territory of China beyond the storage depots at border crossings (up to 30 km), while the Chinese are increasingly delivering goods deep into the Russian Federation, Vadim Filatov, co-owner of the PEC, told Izvestia. According to him, their services are noticeably cheaper.

To remedy the situation, the Ministry of Transport proposed to launch affordable leasing conditions with state participation for freight vehicles, including tractor units, as well as to introduce a preferential recycling rate for semi-trailers for international transportation. This follows from the Ministry's response to the letter from the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights. Moscow by Tatiana Sizova. Izvestia has reviewed the document. In addition, the agency proposes to provide for the possibility of reducing rates under previously concluded leasing agreements and introducing a lowering coefficient for CTP for trucks.

In China, the key rate (LPR) of the People's Bank in May 2025 was set at 3% per annum, while for a long time it was 20-21% and only reached 16% at the end of last year, Alexander Vasilchenko, director of the Department of State Policy in the field of automobile and Urban passenger transport at the Ministry of Transport, said in a letter to the commissioner.

Chinese transport companies have the opportunity to purchase rolling stock at about two times lower prices than Russian ones. A similar situation exists for the maintenance and repair of vehicles, he says.

According to Avtogruzex, a carrier from the Russian Federation spends 936 thousand rubles per month on servicing one car, while from China — 624 thousand rubles based on the average monthly mileage of 13 thousand km.

"In the Russian Federation, the interest rate on leasing trucks for 60 months is 21-25%, and in China it is only 3-5% due to government subsidies," Vadim Filatov, co—owner of the PEC, told Izvestia. — With an initial payment of 20%, the monthly payment for our carrier is 214 thousand rubles, and for the Chinese — 66 thousand rubles. As of mid-January 2026, a 20-ton mainline tractor in China costs 4.5 million rubles, while in Russia it will cost 6.5 million. In terms of kilometers, leasing costs Russian companies 20 rubles, and Chinese companies five rubles.

According to Vadim Filatov, the cost of repairing machinery in Russia is 44% higher than in China. It is becoming unprofitable to work, and competitors are actively exploring the trucking market. As a result, the financial situation of most national trucking companies is deteriorating, and their equipment upgrades are almost suspended, Alexander Vasilchenko added.

The total number of domestic trucks allowed for international transportation from 2022 to 2025 decreased by more than 30%, the Ministry of Transport said in a letter.

According to Vadim Filatov, without preferential leasing, the gap in the cost of services between Russian and Chinese carriers will continue to widen, which will lead to a decrease in the competitiveness of domestic companies on international routes.

— To eliminate this imbalance, we have asked the Ministry of Transport to introduce direct purchases of equipment through authorized domestic leasing companies with the extension of a preferential procedure for the payment of scrap collection, — he said.

The Ministry of Transport conceptually supported the business proposals, Tatyana Sizova, Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Moscow, told Izvestia.

"Now work is underway to detail the proposals within the framework of a working group with the Avtogruzex association, the results will be discussed at the next meeting of the Council for the Development of Transport and Logistics under the Commissioner on March 20," she said.

Izvestia sent requests to the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

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Why there is a need for changes

How much should the recycling be reduced?

— Companies from China have seized 25-30% of cross-border and transit traffic. Their rates are lower by 30-40%, they have cheap transport and financing," said Alexey Shpikelman, General Director of the Byte Transit transport and logistics company. — The Chinese travel deep into Russia up to 2000-2500 km.

Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Belarusian transport companies have also become our competitors. They work in the EAEU without barriers.

"Foreign competitors are not burdened with the Russian recycling fee, which is their competitive advantage," Egor Dotsenko, Chief Operating Officer of Jumbo Trans Logistics, told Izvestia.

Recycling directly affects the final cost of tractors and semi-trailers. The rise in price of equipment, in turn, does not allow our carriers to upgrade their fleets, said Sanjar Ashuraliev, General Director of the Delko transport company.

"That's why it's so important to reduce the size of the scrap collection for trailers from European and Chinese manufacturers for international flights," he said. — We consider a 50% reduction acceptable, as, for example, in Belarus.

According to Alexey Shpikelman, semi-trailers in China are 30-40% cheaper than those sold in Russia. And to even out the conditions, it is necessary to reduce the waste collection by 50-70%. Then domestic companies will become more competitive and the renewal of parks will begin.

As for preferential leasing for tractor trucks, carriers are convinced of the need to reduce rates below 10%.

To compete with foreigners, the equipment leasing rate should be 8-10% per annum, Alexey Shpikelman believes. Egor Dotsenko agrees with him, convinced of the need to set it at 6-10%.

— The cost of equipment is one of the main cost items that puts Russian and Chinese carriers in unequal competitive conditions, — said Vadim Filatov.

As a result, we are seeing an increase in demand for the services of Chinese transport companies in international delivery between Russia and China, the expert noted.

According to Vadim Filatov, if no measures are taken, then in 2026 the cost of international cargo transportation for Russian companies may increase by another 12-14% due to inflation, higher fuel and repair costs, as well as high lease payments against the background of VAT adjustments, which will further affect their competition.