Batrovci Border: Trucks Wait 8 Hours, Cars Pass Freely
Trucks leaving Serbia at Batrovci are waiting eight hours this morning, twice as long as overnight at Bezdan. Passenger cars are crossing without delay at every checkpoint.
How long is the wait at Serbia’s borders today? If you’re driving a car, not at all. If you’re behind the wheel of a truck, brace for up to eight hours at the exit from the country, depending on which crossing you pick.
According to the Border Police Directorate, in data gathered at 5:15 a.m. on September 15, freight vehicles leaving Serbia are still facing hours long waits, while passenger cars are moving through every crossing without delay. The figures were published by the Auto Moto Association of Serbia (AMSS), and picked up by several outlets this morning, Novosti around 7:26 a.m. and 24sedam around 8:15 a.m.
Where the waits are longest today
If you’re planning a cross border trip by truck, here’s the exact picture at each crossing, according to this morning’s update:
- Batrovci, cargo terminal on the exit from Serbia: 8 hours
- Sid, cargo terminal: 4 hours
- Bezdan, cargo terminal: 4 hours
- Sremska Raca, cargo terminal: about 1 hour
- passenger terminals at all border crossings: no delays
- highway toll stations: no delays, traffic is normal according to AMSS
For anyone driving to the coast or heading out for a weekend shopping trip, that’s good news: you’ll cross the border without losing a single minute, whichever crossing you choose.
What changed overnight
Last night, September 14, the picture looked somewhat different, and that’s exactly where the story is. At 6:27 p.m., citing data from the Border Police Directorate, AMSS and the Serbia Roads public company, B92 reported that Bezdan and Sremska Raca each had two hour waits at the time, while Batrovci and Sid were already at the levels seen again this morning. The same figures, two hours at Bezdan and two hours at Sremska Raca, also came through the Beta news agency, in a report SNM published at 8:28 p.m. So on that point, the two sources line up exactly.
Comparing this morning’s snapshot with last night’s shows that the wait at Bezdan doubled overnight, from two hours to four. At Sremska Raca, the opposite happened: the line was cut roughly in half, from two hours down to about one. Batrovci and Sid didn’t change at all. None of the reports we tracked explained why Bezdan specifically got worse, so we’re not guessing at a reason, just passing along the numbers as they stand.
Along with the queue figures, AMSS also warned last night that light rain was possible in some areas overnight, and advised more cautious driving because of wet roads. If you’re setting out today, factor that in too, especially if you’re driving through the northern part of the country.
Pros and cons for today’s trip
Pros:
- passenger vehicles are crossing without delay, at every crossing
- highway toll stations are running smoothly, with no backups
- Sremska Raca is the only cargo crossing where the overnight wait actually got shorter
Cons:
- Batrovci still holds the record, eight hours for trucks on the way out
- Bezdan got twice as bad overnight, from two hours to four
- the reason for the delay hasn’t been published, so there’s no telling when the truck queue will clear either
Our recommendation
If you’re traveling by car, you can pick your crossing purely based on convenience, since there’s no wait anywhere. If you’re a carrier, or you’re waiting on cargo that’s moving by truck, Sremska Raca is by far the fastest option this morning at around an hour, while Batrovci remains the slowest choice.
Worth remembering: we also reported earlier that carriers had announced protests at border crossings at the start of the month, before postponing them to September 14. This morning’s data from the Border Police Directorate doesn’t mention any protest as a cause of the delays; as on previous days, the queues are a result of the volume of cargo traffic leaving the country.
The picture changes hour by hour, and the morning and evening numbers for Bezdan show that best. So if you’re heading for the border by truck today, check the latest information right before you leave, through the AMSS website or app.
