DHL Global Forwarding has introduced an integrated road freight network which will connect the cities of Singapore, Penang, Bangkok, Hanoi and Shenzhen.

The new network expands on DHL's China-Vietnam connection and the AsiaConnect service, which was launched in 2011, linking Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

According to DHL, the new offering taps into the rising road freight market in the Asia-Pacific region, which is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 8.3% from 2014 to 2019, to a value of US$822 billion by the end of 2019.

“DHL’s integrated road freight network touches five crucial Asian markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and China – and which are expected to play prominent roles in China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ and other initiatives in the region such as the ASEAN Economic Community,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding in the Asia-Pacific. “Across the region, the total GDP of all 10 ASEAN countries combined was US$2.4 trillion in 2013 while China’s GDP alone was US$10.3 trillion in 2014. ASEAN’s global trade hit US$2.51 trillion in 2013 and China consistently appears among the top five trade partners for ASEAN members. We are confident that intra-Asia trade will continue to grow and our road freight network stands ready to support the potential trade expansion from these initiatives.”

The five-city connection will be operated under the DHL AsiaConnect less-than-truckload service, using GPS-equipped trucks that are in constant touch with DHL’s command centre so that customers can track and monitor their shipments.

Sample transit times are as follows.