A representative from the Lublin tax chamber, Michal Derus, described long lines of trucks at critical border crossings between Poland and its neighboring countries. The update came as officials monitored on-the-ground conditions and coordinated with regional logistics partners to understand real-time freight flows and bottlenecks affecting cross-border trade into Ukraine and Belarus. These observations help illuminate how customs policies and traffic management strategies interact with the broader supply chain in Central Europe.
Derus reported that nearly a thousand trucks were queued at the Dorohusk crossing aimed at moving goods from Poland into Ukraine, with a waiting period approaching 45 hours. At that moment, there was no comparable congestion observed on the Ukrainian side of the border, suggesting that the delay was primarily a poland-side management or processing issue rather than a bilateral standstill. The numbers underscored the pressure points at one of the region’s busiest freight corridors and highlighted the need for synchronized throughput both upstream and downstream of the border line.
Further, the tax chamber official noted that about 640 trucks were cleared in both directions during the night shift at Dorohusk, signaling continued active traffic management and the incremental clearance of stalled loads as border operations adapt to shifting cargo volumes. This ongoing clearance rate indicates a dynamic balance between scanning, paperwork, and convoy coordination that keeps the border from freezing completely while still enforcing regulatory checks essential for security and compliance.
In addition, approximately 400 trucks were lined up to enter Ukraine through the Khrebennoye crossing, with an estimated 25-hour wait. On the Ukrainian side of this crossing, around 60 vehicles were present, implying a roughly six-hour delay to cross into Poland. In the most recent shift, 242 trucks were recorded at this crossing, reflecting a fluctuating pattern of demand that logistics planners must absorb. The dual-direction nature of the queues emphasizes how cross-border freight depends on smooth dependencies from both sides and how small changes in processing times can ripple across the entire corridor.
Earlier in the discussion, the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs had paused the passage of trucks carrying goods registered in Russia and Belarus at the Polish-Belarusian border. This policy measure sought to tighten controls on cross-border freight flows and align with broader sanctions and regulatory frameworks. The pause affected cross-border routes that had previously served as important conduits for goods moving westward, prompting carriers to reroute, reprice, and reschedule shipments to maintain delivery timelines for clients in Poland and neighboring markets.
On May 15, Ukraine’s Minister of Community Development, Regions and Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, stated that Poland had unblocked the Dorohusk–Yahodyn checkpoint, a corridor that represents a substantial share of Ukrainian freight traffic into Poland. This corridor accounts for roughly 40 percent of the cargo moving through the route, and its reactivation has been critical for restoring efficiency in cross-border logistics and reducing bottlenecks as Ukrainian freight shifts westward. The reopening supports traders who rely on predictable transit times and just-in-time deliveries, and signals a broader commitment to maintaining reliable freight corridors despite evolving geopolitical and regulatory conditions.