Chinese trucks raise Thai logistics concerns

Chinese-registered container trucks have reportedly been seen as far south as Nakhon Si Thammarat, prompting fresh questions over whether foreign vehicles are operating beyond routes permitted under regional transport agreements.

Dashcam footage said to have been circulated on 31 July in truck-driver groups showed a tractor unit with red Chinese lettering travelling on Asian Highway AH2, Highway 41, in Tha Phra, Nakhon Si Thammarat. The material was highlighted by the Ru Than Chin Epic Fury page, citing the Team Ngarn Hua Lak Sai Banthoeng Facebook page and Facebook user A Tha Maka.

The report follows the interception of foreign- or Chinese-registered lorries allegedly travelling outside approved cross-border routes in Lang Suan district, Chumphon, in late July.

Questions over permitted routes

The Cross-Border Transport Agreement, or CBTA, initially covers Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China, specifically Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Approved Thai routes are the North-South, East-West and Southern economic corridors. According to the report, these do not extend to the lower South as far as Nakhon Si Thammarat. Each country has a quota of 500 permits; China has used its full allocation, while Thailand has registered about 200 vehicles.

Truck operators have questioned why Thai vehicles are checked over tax-disc displays while foreign trucks are allegedly able to pass. Thongyu Kongkhan, president of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand, told media that Chinese goods were being transported almost entirely by Chinese vehicles through nominee companies, warning Thai operators would face serious difficulties without an effective response.

Claims of price pressure and nominee firms

It is alleged that Chinese capital has bought or leased warehouse sites in the Eastern Economic Corridor provinces of Chonburi, Rayong and Chachoengsao, as well as Bang Na-Trat, Bang Phli and Wang Noi, to distribute imported goods directly to consumers.

It further alleges that Thai shareholders or employees are used as 51% nominee holders to avoid the Land Transport Act, allowing imports of Chinese truck brands including Sinotruk, FAW and Foton. It puts their cost at 1.8-2.2 million baht each, against 3.5-4 million baht for Japanese or Thai brands.

Freight rates have been cut to 20-25 baht per kilometre, compared with Thai standard rates of 35-45 baht, leaving Thai lorries idle and operators facing non-performing loans with leasing firms.

Chinese-brand trucks registered in Thailand reportedly rose from about 6,000 in 2023 to 8,473 in 2024. The federation says the real figure, including alleged nominee vehicles, had exceeded 10,000. Registrations are projected at 15,000-18,000 in 2025-26, driven by Chinese electric trucks, price competition and tax incentives.

Sticker allegations resurface

There are also reports that revives allegations of highway "sticker" payments. Viroj Lakkhanaadisorn, described in the report as a former Move Forward Party MP and quoted as a People’s Party list MP, previously said more than 200,000 trucks were involved in a system worth 10-20 billion baht annually.

He said stickers bearing the message "If driving impolitely, please report..." had reappeared on driver-side doors or windscreens, allegedly making vehicles easier for weigh-station and highway police staff to identify. Such stickers can facilitate overloaded vehicles, GPS evasion and unlawful operations.

Picture courtesy of Manager Online

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2 August 2026

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