NBR pilots digital truck tracking system at land ports to modernise customs operations

Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue (NBR) has rolled out a pilot digital system to electronically track the movement of trucks at land ports, marking a key step in modernising border customs operations.

The new “Truck Movement” sub-module, integrated into the ASYCUDA World platform, went live on 15 December at Benapole Customs House — the country’s busiest land port for trade with India. The system replaces manual registers previously used to record the entry of loaded trucks and the exit of empty vehicles.

Under the pilot, customs officials can digitally capture detailed information on every Indian truck entering Bangladesh, including arrival and departure times. This enables authorities to monitor how long vehicles remain within the country and improves oversight of cross-border cargo flows.

The NBR said the system is designed to provide end-to-end visibility of truck movements, strengthening data accuracy, improving record management, and helping prevent revenue losses. By generating real-time reports, the module also supports better decision-making, transparency, and accountability within customs operations, while contributing to enhanced border security.

Following evaluation of the Benapole pilot, the NBR plans to extend the digital truck monitoring system to all land ports nationwide, in line with its broader push to automate customs processes, minimise manual intervention, and strengthen trade facilitation through the ASYCUDA World system.