The expansion of international transport corridors towards the Middle East, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Africa and Asia-Pacific is putting road freight at the centre of a wider connectivity push, according to the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
At a recent United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) working party, IRU highlighted the challenge of making planned corridors genuinely operational. The focus is shifting from creating routes on maps to co-ordinating transport modes, border procedures and regulatory systems.
A key enabler is TIR, the international customs transit system operating under the United Nations TIR Convention. It facilitates the movement of goods across borders under a common transit framework, helping connect road, rail and maritime operations along an end-to-end journey.
TIR is already operational in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Oman, with Iraq joining in 2025 and Egypt expected to follow in 2027. The expanding network is opening additional routes linking Europe and Türkiye with the GCC through Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
Why It Matters
The emerging corridor network is becoming less about individual routes and more about regional connectivity and resilience. Trucks can link ports, railheads, borders and final destinations while providing flexibility when established trade routes face disruption.
