Trucks transporting goods across Southern Shan State are facing severe disruption as the military regime and allied militias tighten inspections, forcibly unload goods, and impose escalating fees at multiple checkpoints, according to truck drivers and traders.

Since early November, junta troops at the Mong Pawn checkpoint in Loi-lem Township have been forcing all trucks transporting foreign-made consumer goods to unload every item for individual inspection. Drivers say the process causes long delays and significantly increases transport costs.

“They force the driver to unload everything and inspect it piece by piece,” said a truck driver from the Mandalay–Tachileik route. “Unloading, checking, and reloading the truck takes almost a full day. Mong Pawn is the worst; it adds hours to the journey,” the driver added.

Most trucks on the route transport Thai-made food, clothing, and household goods that have already paid commercial tax at official border gates. Drivers say some long-distance operators have suspended work altogether due to heightened scrutiny, fewer transport orders, and rising travel costs.

The restrictions follow the junta’s ban—effective since June 2025—on transporting foreign-made goods that have not paid duty, particularly Thai and Chinese products entering Southern Shan State from northern and eastern border crossings. Drivers say the policy has led to more extortion, more goods being seized, and more arbitrary inspections at checkpoints.

Similarly, since the first week of December, a joint checkpoint operated by junta troops and the Pa-O National Organisation (PNO) militia on the Hopong–Taunggyi road has been imposing heavy fees on trucks transporting goods after strict inspections. Trucks carrying fresh produce are reportedly charged 80,000 Kyats, while those transporting coal, cement, fertilizer, or metal are charged at least 100,000 Kyats per vehicle.

“The line stretches for miles. Some drivers wait one or two days. If you can’t pay, they won’t let your truck pass. After paying the fees, there’s no profit left,” another truck driver told SHAN.

Drivers report that even after paying the fees, they are questioned for long periods and forced to undergo repeated checks.

In Taunggyi, residents say authorities are also stopping both licensed and unlicensed cars at the town’s entry checkpoint, accusing drivers of using fake licenses and demanding bribes to release their vehicles. Locals say inspections intensify unpredictably, especially as the junta’s planned election draws closer.

Along the Taunggyi–Hopong road alone, there are four military checkpoints, all of which are conducting tight inspections, seizing food and supplies, and even poking fresh produce with iron rods during checks—damaging goods and increasing losses for traders.

Drivers and traders say that in the three months since the temporary ban on transporting foreign goods was imposed, extortion, arbitrary seizures, and forced unloading have become routine at junta-controlled checkpoints across Southern Shan State, causing widespread delays and severe financial hardship for transport workers.