Ukraine’s Border Queues Are Easing, but Hundreds of Trucks Are Still Waiting

As of 15 September 2026, congestion on Ukraine’s western borders remains a significant factor for the road freight market.

Queues towards Poland have eased compared with the previous two weeks, when waiting times at some crossings reached five days or more. However, hundreds of trucks are still registered in the queues.

According to eQueue and border-monitoring data, the situation on the morning of 15 September was:

Yahodyn–Dorohusk - approximately 731 trucks.
Krakivets–Korczowa - approximately 518 trucks.
Rava-Ruska–Hrebenne - approximately 467 trucks, with waiting time around 47 hours.
Shehyni–Medyka - 287 trucks, with approximately 29 hours until being called forward.

These figures are lower than the recent peaks, but the impact on available transport capacity remains substantial.

Romania has also become a major pressure point. At Porubne–Siret, approximately 847 trucks were registered on 15 September. Only recently this crossing had relatively limited congestion; now, based on current operational conditions, some trucks may spend around three days waiting.

At Orlivka–Isaccea, the situation was considerably lighter, with around 10 trucks registered in the morning. Nevertheless, recent temporary interruptions at this crossing show how quickly traffic can be redirected towards neighbouring routes.

Why does this create a truck shortage?

A truck delayed at the border for an additional two, three or five days cannot take its next shipment. When hundreds of vehicles are delayed simultaneously, a significant amount of capacity effectively disappears from the market.

This is one of the reasons why urgent truck availability is currently tighter and rates on some routes are under additional pressure.

At LOADSTAR, we analyse border workload before dispatching a vehicle. When Polish crossings become excessively congested, some shipments can be rerouted, including through Slovakia.

A longer route can sometimes be both faster and more economical than keeping a truck stationary for several days. In the current market, successful route planning depends not only on distance, but also on live border conditions and available alternatives.

Sources: eQueue, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Nakordoni. Data as of 15 September 2026.