Shippers Become Hostages in Transport Company Feuds

Having a contract for transportation does not guarantee receipt of the cargo. If a carrier company hires a subcontractor and fails to pay them, the subcontractor may detain the truck with the goods, demanding payment of the debt. Owners have to prove their property rights in court, where every waybill and invoice is meticulously checked.

Conflict Over Cargo in Tatarstan

In June 2025, about seventy Irkutsk firms, including Kantslider, Germes, and Turkov Irkutsk, ordered delivery of goods from the Moscow transport company Transgarant. Long-term cooperation had been problem-free, but this time the cargo did not arrive. Transgarant reported that the truck was detained in Tatarstan by the company Dio Logistik, which acted as a subcontractor.

The cause was a debt of Transgarant to Dio Logistik of about 5 million rubles (approx. $55,000). To secure payment, the Tatarstan carrier is holding the cargo, even though the entrepreneurs have already fully paid for the transportation services and have no relation to the parties« debts.

• The cargo with a total value of approximately 20 million rubles (approx. $220,000) has been held since mid-June.
• The exact condition and location of the goods are unknown, and access for owners is blocked.
• Appeals to police and courts have so far not led to the return of the property.

Crisis in the Transportation Industry

The road freight market is in a deep crisis. Volumes are falling, freight rates have dropped below cost, many players are dumping prices to cover lease payments. Leasing companies are seizing thousands of trucks for debts, not knowing what to do with them.

In such conditions, risks for cargo owners have sharply increased. Any entrepreneur can suddenly become a hostage to a dispute between carriers, caused by a crisis of non-payments. The state does not provide real protection: police refuse to intervene, directing to courts where proceedings last for months.

The situation is exacerbated by competition with drivers from Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and China, who work at lower rates due to the absence of many fees and cheap fuel. Russian carriers, paying off leases, often have no free funds and are forced to agree to unfavorable terms.

Legal Consequences

Lawyers specializing in transport disputes consider the detention of someone else«s cargo illegal. Such actions may fall under Article 330 of the Russian Criminal Code, »Arbitrariness,« which is usually punishable by a fine. If some of the goods are lost, Article 158, »Theft,« may be applied.

«The situation on the market now is such that drivers are constantly being tempted not to pay at all or to pay »sometime later,«» states Vladimir Matyagin, head of the association GRUZAVTOTRANS. «Essentially, their only trump card and at least some hope to guaranteedly get money is someone else»s cargo in their own truck.«

General Director of Germes Natalya Seregina is outraged by such a position: «How to understand this? To ignore the sacred property rights of cargo owners, to ignore their interests, their obligations to their clients?»

Court Battles

Irkutsk companies are trying to recover their property through courts. Germes filed a lawsuit in late September to early October, but the court denied an inspection of the truck to establish the cargo«s condition. The proceedings have already lasted four months. Kantslider and Turkov filed lawsuits in November and December, with first hearings held on January 19 and postponed to February and March.

Police in Tatarstan and Irkutsk Oblast refused to initiate criminal cases, citing the civil-law nature of the dispute. Meanwhile, the Arbitration Court of Tatarstan, within a case between carriers, indicated that a creditor has the right to detain the debtor«s property until the debt is paid. Cargo owners fear that their goods may be sold as part of enforcement proceedings. Germes has appealed this decision.

Risks for Entrepreneurs

Anyone who orders transportation of goods can now find themselves in a similar situation. Experts advise entrepreneurs to more carefully choose a carrier, ensuring they have their own fleet, and to meticulously prepare all legal documents.

The problem is systemic and could lead to a wave of litigation, disruption of state contracts, and further crisis in the industry. «State authorities should pay attention to this and other examples of carriers» actions and regulate the market so that arbitrariness is unacceptable and strictly punished,« believes Natalya Seregina.