The cross-border flow of trucks in Latvia is still regulated «manually». This means vehicles arrive and wait in a queue. This is why the Latvijas auto road carriers association has created an initiative on manabalss.lv platform to replace physical queues with electronic ones.
«There is software that can be successfully integrated in Latvia. It is also possible to develop new software and adopt an electronic external border queue management system. We need to give truck and car drivers an option to register their vehicle’s crossing of the border at a specific time and place, and this should be done using a single electronic system,» according to authors of the initiative.
They note that users of the electronic system will be able to pick the time for their arrival at a border checkpoint to settle the necessary formalities. This system could help prevent the massive downtime truckers have to deal with.
The association also notes that most EU countries, Lithuania and Estonia included, already use an electronic queue system.
Authors of the initiative, knowing that for most Latvian residents this is not the most serious everyday issue, invite members of the Saeima to include this initiative on their agenda and instruct responsible institutions on its implementation.
Latvijas auto road carriers association board’s consultant for legal affairs Ēriks Pūle told BNN that the association has contacted the Customs Office and Ministry of the Interior to discuss this topic.
He also said the issue of raising wages of customs workers is on the table, because the average wage now is EUR 700, but the workload has increased after Latvia imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus. «The government should consider raising customs officials’ wages, because it’s an issue of sate security and a situation when experienced officials leave for better-paid jobs should be avoided.»