Lithuania: Stranded Trucks in Belarus Unlikely to Return Amid High Costs

Lithuania faces a lingering issue with trucks stranded in Belarus, with estimates suggesting up to 200 vehicles, including prime movers and semi-trailers, remain on Belarusian territory. E. Mikėnas, president of the "Linava" trucking association, indicated that many of these vehicles may never return to Lithuania. The cost of retrieving them, including storage fees, often exceeds their market value.

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It's not worth taking all the vehicles back, as the so-called storage fee is higher than their value.

"It's not worth taking all the vehicles back, as the so-called storage fee is higher than their value," Mikėnas explained. He added that some carriers are still attempting to raise funds to recover their trucks, while others have accepted the loss.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (VSAT) representative Giedrius Mišutis reported that nearly 1,000 trucks have successfully returned to Lithuania since transit was permitted on March 23. While exact figures are unavailable, Mišutis noted that daily returns have dwindled to one or two, making precise tracking unnecessary.

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The cargo flows have decreased to a minimum, as all cargo has been redistributed and is going through Poland.

Border crossing points at Medininkai and Šalčininkai are operating at full capacity, with daily truck flows to Belarus stabilizing. Mišutis observed that current waiting times, typically 2-4 hours at Medininkai and often none at Šalčininkai, are significantly shorter than before the crisis, indicating a substantial reduction in overall traffic. "The cargo flows have decreased to a minimum, as all cargo has been redistributed and is going through Poland," Mikėnas confirmed.

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The waiting times at the border crossings are now as short as they have ever been.