Categories New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo Group last year

The transport company VCHD Cargo a.s. has had a successful year in 2022. According to preliminary results, its revenues exceeded one billion Czech crowns in the Czech Republic alone, representing a 17 percent increase compared to the previous year. The company also significantly strengthened its position in the German market. The revenues of its subsidiary, VCHD Cargo GmbH, increased by a record 93 percent. The number of employees in the group also increased to 428.

Transport company VCHD Cargo a.s. celebrated 25 years of operation on the Czech market last year. The balance of the entire quarter-century is more than positive. The company has been steadily growing in both the breadth of services provided and their quality, and has also experienced stable growth in revenue. However, 2022 brought demanding challenges to the land transport industry. “Last year saw a series of unprecedented events that affected the whole world, and land transport had to cope with their immediate and long-term impacts,” explains Ing. Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the Board of VCHD Cargo a.s., adding, “with the war in Ukraine, fuel prices soared enormously, inflation increased significantly, and the labor market situation worsened. Nevertheless, we managed to strengthen our position in both of our markets, and to do so quite significantly.”

According to preliminary results, VCHD Cargo a.s. achieved revenues of 42.3 million euros in the Czech Republic. New acquisitions and orders from existing customers are behind the 17% growth. In addition, VCHD Cargo has also been successful in the German market. It entered the market in 2019 by establishing VCHD Cargo GmbH, and in 2021 it acquired the transport company Völker Logistik. The highest growth, by a record 93%, was achieved by VCHD Cargo GmbH, which specializes in long-distance transport. The revenues of Völker Logistik, which specializes in regional transport throughout Germany, grew by 12%. Overall, the revenues of the entire group increased by 23% to 52.5 million euros.

“We are very proud of how we managed to cope with last year. We owe it to our long-term strategy and our people, especially the drivers, who tirelessly travel across Europe every day,” says Petr Kozel.

The VCHD Cargo group currently employs 428 people in both countries, with approximately two-thirds of them being professional drivers. The company invests in their education and strives to make their demanding work as easy as possible, whether through the digitalization of processes and communication, which reduces administrative burden, or through high-quality and safe technology.

The VCHD Cargo group has its own fleet of more than 220 tractors and 160 trailers. The average age of the fleet is less than 3 years, and the company invests significantly in its renewal every year. In just last year, it purchased transportation equipment for leasing, credit, or cash with a total value of around 6.3 million euros.

Investments in VCHD Cargo have also flowed into its branches. At its headquarters in Kladno, the company has completed the construction of a new truck parking lot, while in Havlíčkův Brod, it has finished the reconstruction of the offices, as well as the interior and exterior of the branch, creating a pleasant and comfortable environment for its employees. “We are aware of how important it is for our people to feel good here,” explains Petr Kozel, adding, “our industry has been facing a drain of workers for many years, and we are constantly working to retain our team of good people and be an attractive employer for newcomers to the industry.”

In addition to being a good employer, VCHD Cargo is also a quality provider of transportation services and a reliable business partner. This is evidenced by the AAA Platinum Excellence certificate from the prestigious agency Dun & Bradstreet, which VCHD Cargo has received with the highest possible rating, confirming its financial stability, healthy financial ratios, and business conduct, continuously for a period of five years. VCHD Cargo has thus become one of the most trustworthy companies in the Czech Republic. Last year, VCHD Cargo also placed second in the Central Bohemian Region in the prestigious ranking of Czech Leaders.

In 2023, VCHD Cargo plans to extensively utilize its new investments and aims to grow in both transportation and forwarding in both the Czech Republic and Germany.

Categories New-posts, Press center, Uncategorized

VCHD Cargo launches new international route

The transport company VCHD Cargo has started operating an international route between Nuremberg and Wrocław. The line, with regular daily departures, has expanded the company’s portfolio to 112 routes, which go to all corners of Europe every day.

VCHD Cargo is a specialist in line haulage, which is used by logistics, manufacturing and retail companies. Within Europe, it offers international connections not only with the start or end of the route in the Czech Republic. One of these lines is the Nuremberg-Wrocław (Wroclaw, Poland) route, which has been in operation since the end of last year and on which the company transports consumer goods in tandem sets with swap bodies. “The line from Bavaria to Wroclaw, Poland, runs on an optimised route that takes advantage of the possibility of driver changes, both at our headquarters in Kladno and in the vicinity of Chemnitz, Germany, where many of our activities are also concentrated,” says Ing. Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of VCHD Cargo a.s., and adds, “The swap bodies that we deploy on the line have a number of advantages for this type of transport and our customers and drivers appreciate, for example, the possibility of pre-loading them, which speeds up the clearance of the train at the loading point.”

VCHD Cargo has a fleet of quality tractors and trailers and the average age of its fleet is around three years. All vehicles in the fleet are also equipped for the transport of dangerous goods under the ADR agreement, and many of them allow temperature-controlled transport suitable, for example, for the distribution of foodstuffs, paints and coatings, cosmetics and other temperature-sensitive consumer goods.

The company’s experienced drivers guarantee safe and economical driving, and the company’s staffing policy ensures the smooth operation of the lines with “relief” drivers who can replace their colleagues on any line if required. International routes are planned by the dispatchers with an optimum combination of fast delivery and economical driving, and the dispatch centre is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Categories New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo supported the purchase of defibrillators

The transport company VCHD Cargo continues its cooperation with the largest Search & Rescue volunteer rescue organisation in the Czech Republic. This year’s support from VCHD Cargo enabled the Czech SAR Team volunteers to purchase sophisticated automated external defibrillators.

The Czech SAR Team is an independent SAR (Search and Rescue) association. It was founded in 2019 and its main focus is searching for missing and lost persons across the Czech Republic using ATVs and other equipment available to its members. Since 2021, according to the Integrated Rescue System Act, the association is part of the Integrated Rescue System as an “Other component of the IZS”. In cooperation with it, it cooperates not only in searching for people in inaccessible terrains, but also helps in natural disasters such as floods, forest fires and others. In addition, there is also an URBAN Team within the association, which specializes in searches in cities and other built-up areas.

This is the third year that VCHD Cargo has supported the volunteer rescue organisation, the first initiative coming from a company employee who is himself a member of the SAR association. “We see the importance of volunteer work and the members of the Czech SAR Team convinced us of the importance of their work,” explains Ing. Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of VCHD Cargo a.s., and adds, “They regularly search for lost children, seniors or other vulnerable groups of people free of charge and are involved in many other areas, for example, they helped in South Moravia after the tornado in 2021.”

The Czech SAR Team has conducted 113 searches, 28 technical interventions in partner communities, 23 recoveries and 1 humanitarian deployment. It can be called upon by any major component of the Integrated Rescue System and relatives of the person being searched for. The team’s departure to the incident is within 60 minutes from the time of reporting (unless the team is already at another intervention).

Categories New-posts, Press center

Workshop with Scania Vice President

In October this year, the transport company VCHD Cargo conducted an internal survey of the satisfaction of its employees, especially professional drivers, with Scania vehicles, which have a significant presence in its fleet. The results of the survey showed a high degree of satisfaction with the brand and both partners agreed at a joint workshop to strengthen cooperation in the coming years.

VCHD Cargo’s fleet currently has 240 trucks of various brands. Among the so-called “heavy” trucks of the N3 category, Scania is one of the three most represented brands. And because VCHD Cargo considers the opinion of those who come into contact with the vehicles on a daily basis to be important, it conducted an internal satisfaction survey. Over 300 employees took part – professional drivers as well as fleet managers and fleet engineers. The survey showed a high level of driver satisfaction with the brand, and respondents particularly highlighted the excellent gearbox with its superior ease and speed of shifting in both directions, as well as the service relief brake (retarder). On Scania vehicles, drivers also appreciated the clear and easy-to-use on-board computer and the swivel rear axle, which makes the vehicle easy to handle even in smaller spaces and causes significantly less tyre edge wear. The large windscreen and optimally sized mirrors are also an advantage, and last but not least, respondents appreciated the comfortable beds. In addition to optimising vehicle maintenance and repair costs, the challenge for Scania, according to VCHD Cargo, should be to shorten delivery times, which remain long even after the so-called ‘chip crisis’ has been dealt with; however, all brands show this trend.

“The survey has shown what we have known informally from drivers for many years – that Scania vehicles offer them a high level of user comfort and also provide sufficient facilities for their demanding work commitments away from home, on long-distance routes,” says Ing. Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the Board of VCHD Cargo, adds: “We place high demands on our vehicle technology, especially in terms of the reliability of individual brands and the cost of operation, repair and maintenance. We also demand a high standard of service from our contractors in the area of vehicle repair and maintenance, not only in the Czech Republic and at weekends, as is usual, but also throughout Europe and at any time of the year. And in this respect, we consider the Czech Scania dealership to be a first-class premium brand.”

VCHD Cargo currently has almost 90 Scania vehicles in its fleet and its drivers have driven 40 million kilometres with them over the past four years. Representatives of the VCHD met with representatives of Scania’s European and Czech dealerships and exchanged their experiences in a joint workshop. “VCHD Cargo is an important customer for us, and we very much appreciate the openness and proactivity with which they conducted an internal survey with valuable insights,” says Stefano Fedel, Scania’s Executive Vice President and Director of Sales and Marketing, adding, “Our industry has entered an era where success is closely linked to how we can use the information and what services we can offer based on it in cooperation with our trusted partners. By using the data available, we can tailor everything from financing and insurance to preventive parts replacement and driver services to the individual needs of each customer.”
The average age of the VCHD Cargo fleet is approximately 3 years and all vehicles meet the strictest emission limits according to the EURO 6 standard.

Categories New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo among the TOP companies in the Czech Republic

The transport company VCHD Cargo has been awarded the AAA Platinum Excellence certificate by the prestigious Dun & Bradstreet agency and thus ranks among the 0.1 percent of TOP companies in the Czech Republic that achieve this award. The certificate with the highest possible rating confirms VCHD Cargo’s financial stability, healthy financial conditions and business conduct. According to Dun & Bradstreet’s statistical predictive model, the company has met the most stringent criteria for evaluating economic entities continuously for five years and ranks VCHD Cargo among the most trustworthy companies in the Czech Republic.

For nearly 200 years, Dun & Bradstreet has leveraged the power of data, analytics tools and data solutions to help its clients and partners grow and prosper. It is a leader in business-critical data and analytics and employs more than 6,000 people worldwide. Dun & Bradstreet’s data and insights are valuable at all stages of a company’s business cycle and in all economic environments. Dun & Bradstreet certification is proof that its holders are making beneficial use of their inputs and effectively turning them into quality products or services. The rating’s stringent criteria guarantee the exclusivity of the companies that are eligible for the award. Only a small percentage of Czech companies achieve the highest level of the award. “The AAA Platinum Excellence certificate, which assesses the risk and financial health of companies, confirms that VCHD Cargo meets the strictest criteria for economic entities,” says Ing. Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of VCHD Cargo a.s., and adds, “for our partners it is an independent proof that they are dealing with a proven company of the highest quality.”