Trucks carrying Turkish exports to Europe formed a 30-kilometer queue at the Hamzabeyli border crossing in Edirne on Oct. 17, as drivers waited to enter Bulgaria.
Drivers blamed slow processing on the Bulgarian side and complained of long waits and difficulty meeting basic needs, including access to food and toilets.
Sait Özkan, who said he had joined the queue the previous day, was still 20 kilometers from the crossing.
“We don’t know how much longer we will have to wait. It could be two or three days,” he said.
“There are no toilets along the road. Our food is running out.”
Özkan also said migrants were secretly entering trucks at night. He feared they might break cargo seals or cut through tarpaulins, leaving drivers to face blame at customs. He said he planned to take turns with other drivers keeping watch overnight.
Another driver, Ercan Ulus, said he had moved just three kilometers in about 10 hours and was still 23 kilometers from the crossing.
Ulus said only one person was checking passports on the Bulgarian side, adding that drivers faced similar delays in both directions.
“We want things to improve. We want everything to move faster,” he said.
