ASEAN ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORT MARKET - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

ASEAN ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORT MARKET - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The ASEAN road freight market is expected to witness a CAGR of greater than 8% during the forecasted period of 2020-2025. The market is driven by the development of road infrastructure and flourishing ecommerce industry.

Key Highlights

• Southeast Asia spent USD 125 on average on online purchases in 2018, that sum is expected to more than triple to USD 390 in 2025. As the ecommerce market grows the demand for door-to-door last mile delivery will also rise.
• In Thailand road transportation in preferred due to the increasing ecommerce and the continuous border trade with neighboring countries.

Key Market TrendsGrowing Road Infrastructure in ASEAN Region

Average increase of road length in all ASEAN Member States(AMS) during the period of 2006-2018 touched 61,825 kilometers annually. Thailand recorded one of the highest average growths of road length of over 19,000 kilometers annually, after which Malaysia and Indonesia witnessed an average raise of more than 12,000 kilometers annually. Substantial development in total road length was witnessed across all AMS, reaching more than 1.9 million kilometers in 2018. Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Myanmar observed the highest total road length in ASEAN region at 539,415, 456,487, 370,664, 237,022 and 162,766 kilometers respectively in 2018, whereas other AMS observed less than 60,000 kilometer each.

Furthermore, Myanmar and Lao PDR are expected to see improvement in funding in road networks with ASEAN plan to boost connectivity with a series of infrastructure projects. The regional alliance unveiled a list of 19 projects in its Initial Rolling Priority Pipeline of Potential ASEAN Infrastructure Projects which is one of the initiatives under the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. Among the 19 projects, four in Lao PDR and five are in Myanmar. Thailand and Indonesia have three projects each, while Vietnam has two and Brunei & Cambodia each have one. Ten of the projects involve building and improving roads. In Myanmar, these are the Nay Pyi Taw-Kyaukphyu Expressway, Muse-Tigyaing-Mandalay Expressway, Yangon-Mandalay Expressway improvement, and Tarlay-Phasho-Kyainglat Road upgrading. In the Lao PDR, these are the upgrading of National Road No. 2 (AH13) and National Road No. 8 (AH15) on the Asian Highway network, a system of roads linking Asia and Europe. In Vietnam, these are Southern Coastal Corridor Project (Phase 2) and Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway. Cambodia and Thailand have one road projects each—the upgrading of Siem Reap to Rattanakkiri National Roads and Hat Yai-Sadao Motorway.

China has been ASEAN's largest trading partner in the past decade, and bilateral trade reached USD 292 billion in the first 6 months of 2019. Another key factor driving road freight infrastructure in ASEAN is the strong trade relations with China and the development of Belt and road Initiative. Infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative are contributing to improved road, rail and maritime connectivity, which will help to strengthen China-ASEAN trade and investment flows.

Thailand Myanmar Cross-border Trade Growth

Border trade between Thailand and Myanmar is set to increase this year thanks to the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and the implementation of Cross Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA). The second Thai- Myanmar Friendship bridge connecting Myawady in Myanmar and Mae Sot in Thailand opened in October of 2019. Meanwhile, the CBTA, which also came into effect last year, authorizes goods vehicles from each country to cross the border and stay for 30 days.

Trade volume between Myanmar and Thailand in fiscal year 2018-19 hit a total of USD 5.4 billion (K 7.7 trillion) in total. Myanmar’s exports to Thailand accounted for USD 3.2 billion while imports reached USD 2.1 billion. Among three trade posts along the border between Myanmar and Thailand, Myawady-Mae Sot route is the most important, carrying around 70% of trade between the countries.

The completion of the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and the CBTA will not only cut transport costs and time, but also mark a turning point in linking the manufacturing bases in three countries – Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. Under the cross-border transportation agreement, vehicles from Myanmar will stop at Mae Sot for customs inspections and continue to the port city of Laem Chabang, Thailand where goods can be loaded and unloaded. Similarly, Thai vehicles will be able to gain access to the Thilawa Special Economic Zone near Yangon. Thailand is Myanmar’s second-largest trade partner and third-largest foreign investor. The growth in border trade with is a major factor that will drive the road freight market in the countries.

Competitive Landscape

The ASEAN road freight transport market is expected to be fragmented with the large number of international and domestic players in the region. As the region is one of the major logistics hubs globally and the road insfrastructure is increasing raidly, the number of players in the region are increasing.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

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