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New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo’s Millionaires’ Club hits the 2.5m km mark for the first time

14Dec2021

The transport company VCHD Cargo has created and supports its Millionaires’ Club for drivers who have travelled over a million kilometres behind the wheel of the company’ trucks. After the very difficult year 2021, three club members reached the 2m km milestone. However, the overall champion is Jiří Kadlec, driver at the Kladno branch, who hit the 2.5m km mark this year. Each year, VCHD Cargo treats its millionaire drivers to interesting benefits.

“The Millionaires’ Club is also a club of our most experienced drivers,” says Jiří Kadlec, VCHD Cargo’s CEO and President, adding, „some of them have been with our company for decades and act as coaches for young drivers who enter our driving school. We greatly appreciate their dedication and we do our best to let them know that they are our company’s most valuable asset.”

Experienced and loyal drivers are a rarity in the labour market. In VCHD Cargo’s experience, young drivers who just get their first driver’s licence are far from ready to face the challenging traffic on European roads. The company has, therefore, set up a system of in-house and external coaches who train newcomers and help them adjust to their new job. „There is a long-term lack of professional truck drivers in the labour market and the coronavirus crisis has only made the situation worse. Drivers are under an ever increasing pressure due to new restrictions and rules that have raised the bar to the hiring of foreign workers,” Petr Kozel explains. VCHD Cargo strives to create conditions that make our drivers’ tough job as easy as possible. Experienced support staff is available to drivers on the phone 24 hours, 6 days a week. The company has the most advanced fleet and our drivers are helped by smart technologies. VCHD Cargo continues to digitise in order to ease the administrative burden on our drivers. “All our vehicles are equipped with modern tablets that dispatchers use to communicate with drivers. Furthermore, we have also rolled out digital drive logs, a tool that has been greatly appreciated by our drivers,” says Petr Kozel. VCHD Cargo drivers also enjoy many company benefits and the most experienced among them receive special bonuses each year as members of the Millionaires’ Club. There are currently 22 members and the Club is open to any VCHD Cargo employee dedicated to the trucker profession.

New-posts

Demand exceeding offer and current market situation

10Dec2021

Two years ago, the most pressing problem plaguing carrier companies was the lack of professional drivers. The corona crisis has only deepened this trend and has brought about many other serious challenges.

There is a lack of professional drivers everywhere in Europe and although VCHD Cargo has been able to buck the trend and actually increase the number of our drivers we keep a close eye on the situation. As things stand at the moment, global supply chains are very shaky and the European market sees demand for transport services hugely exceeding offer. This has been driven by a number of factors such as a swift recovery of European economies after the first wave of covid and, as I already mentioned, a chronic lack of drivers but there have been other unforeseen issues as well including longer delivery dates on new trucks and, most importantly, great shifts in the market. Consumer habits and preferences have changed with a skyrocketing demand for parcel delivery services on the one hand and a collapsing sea shipping industry responsible for bringing cheap goods from Asia on the other hand. Supply chains have been disrupted making freight planning extremely complicated across the globe as well just within Europe. And when planning gets complicated in our business it becomes increasingly difficult to fully leverage vehicles and quickly respond to demands for extra capacity.

A solution of this situation in Europe, the region that concerns us the most, requires first and foremost a more predictable intercontinental traffic. In the long term, however, other crucial steps forward are increasing the prestige of the truck driving profession and improving comfort and services for drivers (such as building more rest stops with high-quality amenities on key backbone routes), rollout of technological innovation and systemic changes. Unfortunately, drivers continue to see little sympathy for their plight and the market shows little willingness to embrace innovations. The only truly progressive change that we have seen recently is the wider use of land trains. There has long been talk about autonomous driverless vehicles but no quick and significant development can be expected in this respect in the near future. As for systemic changes, commercial exchange within Europe continues to grow in intensity. Efforts to boost local consumption have completely failed and demand for long-distance freight keeps increasing. It might seem that carriers such as VCHD Cargo would see this as excellent news. But if we step back and consider the wider context, we must realise that this trend is not sustainable on any level – be in it in terms of price, staff or the environment.

New-posts, Press center

We are betting on the swap bodies

3Dec2021

VCHD Cargo has added swap bodies to its fleet. By acquiring these special freight containers for road transport, the company will be able to offer to their customers more flexibility of shipment planning and a more efficient use of the loading space. A tandem vehicle with swap bodies provides 13% more in loading capacity compared with a regular trailer. The company will use the swap bodies primarily to serve parcel shipment customers.

VCHD Cargo owns its own fleet of 200 towing vehicles and 180 trailers. The company has recently added a new type of trailer – the swap body – to its portfolio. “Swap bodies are a great solution for certain types of line services as they can also be used as flexible and temporary storage units. They also allow us to maximise vehicle utilisation and minimise loading and unloading times,” says Ing. Petr, Kozel, CEO and President of VCHD Cargo a.s., emphasising that “this is a huge benefit given the current constant pressures on the speed of delivery.”

Swap body manipulation – detaching from the vehicle

A swap body is similar to a regular shipping container. It has standard parameters and dimensions and up-folding legs designed for easy detachment from the vehicle. VCHD Cargo monitors statistics on the utilisation and efficiency of its vehicles and, compared with standard trailers, swap bodies prove to be a more efficient solution. “From practice we know that a tandem vehicle with one trailer and two swap bodies can be more economical in certain situations both in terms of time and in terms of money – one driver can serve the same number of customers in a shorter amount of time. As many as three drivers can alternate on the same vehicle so that it is in use practically 24 hours a day. What’s more, swap bodies are very easy and safe to manipulate with,” Petr Kozel lists the advantages and ads that “the entire process of swapping one swap body for another takes an experience driver approximately 15 to 20 minutes, which saves a huge amount of time if we consider that the vehicle does not have to wait for goods to be loaded. This allows a very high degree of accuracy on delivery.” Furthermore, VCHD Cargo appreciates the longer distances that swap body vehicles can achieve.

VCHD Cargo acquired C782 swap bodies with dimensions of 7820 x 2550 x 2750 mm (l x w x h) and maximum total weight of 18 tonnes. Thanks to the internal dimensions, a tandem vehicle with two swap bodies can carry 38 EUR-pallets, which is 5 pallets more than what a regular trailer can fit in. Another advantage is the rear roller shutter and the possibility to stack up to three empty swap bodies on top of each other.

“Considering how long delivery times are at the moment, we are very happy that we have decided to order the swap bodies this spring before the acute steel shortages that have since hit the global markets and that have affected the production of swap bodies as well as other towing vehicles and trailers,” Petr Kozel reflects on the current market situation, concluding “we will use swap bodies primarily to serve parcel customers.”

New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo acquired the German forwarder Völker Logistik

6Aug2021

VCHD Cargo has announced its acquisition of the German freight forwarder Völker Logistik. The deal is the Czech company’s biggest investment to this day, and aims at strengthening its position in the largest logistics market in Europe. This milestone transaction will increase the company’s competitive edge within the international line market and, at the same time, boost its capabilities in shorter distances within Germany, including last-line services. The merger of the two family-owned businesses will also provide human resource synergies, especially in terms of professional drivers.

VCHD Cargo is a Czech transport company with more than a 20-year history. It entered the German market in 2019 when it set up its VCHD Cargo GmbH affiliate with headquarters in Radeburg. The acquisition of an established forwarding agent like Völker Logistik gives a boost to the company’s growth, contributing excellent knowledge of the local German transport market and especially Völker Logistik’s experience with short-distance hauls.

“We have been looking for an established company in the German market based in an attractive location for logistics activities that would share our core values. In Völker Logistik, we found both a great specialist in the German market, strategically placed in central Germany with excellent connectivity to the Benelux countries, Switzerland and France, and a family-run business dedicated to the same human and entrepreneurial values as VCHD Cargo,” Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the VCHD Cargo Board, explains, adding: “By joining forces, we will be able to offer better services to our current customers and reach a larger part of the Czech and German markets with an expanded service portfolio.”

Völker Logistik was founded in 2005 as a family business specialising in transport services, goods handling, storage and consulting. The company focuses on local short-distance haulage and specialised long-distance haulage to all parts of Germany. It offers a wide variety of distribution logistics solutions for electronics wholesalers and healthcare product manufacturers as well as night transport and second-day delivery services that reach many German federal states. “The portfolios of our two companies wonderfully complement each other and the deal will allow us to offer to our customers sustainable and creative tailor-made one-stop solutions,” says Niko Völker, executive and agent of Völker Logistik, adding: “the current situation in the German haulage market is strongly affected by growing demand on one hand and lack of professional drivers of the other. We will definitely derive HR synergies as well.”

Völker Logistik and VCHD Cargo are family-owned businesses that share the same traditional values and business attitudes. “We will continue supporting Völker Logistik specialists through a sustainable and fair HR policy, focus on customers and a drive to satisfy their specific needs,” says Petr Kozel. Niko Völker, the son of the company’s founder, will remain at the helm of Völker Logistik. Ing. Petr Kozel will become the second executive, and the company’s team of agents will newly include Ing. Pavel Sirotek and Lars Holste, who will be responsible for the company’s financial management. “With the wonderful team that we have been able to bring together, we are looking forward to new tasks and challenges, growing our customer portfolio and further increasing the quality of our services,” Niko Völker concludes.

VCHD Cargo a.s. was founded in 1997 and specialises in export and domestic cargo transport. The company has branches in Kladno, Brno, Havlíčkův Brod and České Budějovice and offers regular cargo lines to 72 European destinations. It offers full-vehicle as well as LTL export and import transport as well as domestic terminal-terminal and supplier-client services with regular schedules. VCHD Cargo has its own fleet with more than 160 vehicles, including vehicles for ADR shipments and temperature-regulation vehicles. The company is also a carrier certified by the Czech Civil Aviation Authority for the transport of post consignments subject to security checks.

VCHD Cargo also has its own petrol station, professional service and wash line for passenger cars and trucks. The company has more than 335 employees in the Czech Republic and its 2019 gross turnover reached CZK 730 million. For more information, visit http://www.vchd.cz/cs

More about Völker Logistik GmbH: Founded in 2005, the forwarding company Völker Logistik GmbH specialises in haulage services, goods handling, warehousing and consulting. It focuses on local short-distance haulage and specialised long-distance haulage to all parts of Germany. It offers a wide variety of distribution logistics solutions including services for electronics wholesalers and healthcare product manufacturers as well as night transport and second-day delivery services that reach many German federal states. Located in Alsfeld, central Germany, the Völker Logistik headquarters is well connected to the German highway network and offers 1,300 m² of warehouse space for short-term and medium-term storage and transhipment. The company has its own fleet of vehicles fully compatible with the EURO VI standard. Völker Logistik lays special emphasis on the use of cutting-edge technologies, economic efficiency and sustainable development. As a family-run business, Völker Logistik has built an excellent reputation over the past 15 years, mainly thanks to its high level of professionalism, first-rate consulting, successful educational programmes and maximum effort to meet all deadlines. For more information, go to www.voelker-logistik.de

New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo introduces direct cargo lines to Ireland

11May2021

The Czech transport company VCHD Cargo has launched a pilot project of direct LTL (less than truck load) services to Ireland. VCHD Cargo transports OEM products for LEEL COILS EUROPE to the island including a direct ferry passage from France. The solution allows clients to bypass customs procedures necessary for a transit through the UK, saves time and brings economic benefits.

LEEL COILS EUROPE s.r.o. is a leading European manufacturer and supplier of heat exchangers for OEM (original equipment manufacturer) clients. One of its key markets is Ireland which has been traditionally supplied through the Britain. Since the UK’s exit from the European Union and the imposition of customs procedures even on transiting goods, the flow of cargo from EU countries to the Irish market has been jeopardised. VCHD Cargo has, therefore, proposed a new solution and won LEEL COILS EUROPE’s tender for transport to this destination. “Our company enters each tender with maximum dedication and effort to put our professional experience and know-how to the best possible use, including the development of new strategies,” says Martin Hustoles, the sales director of VCHD Cargo a. s., explaining that “we proposed to LEEL COILS EUROPE an approach that uses ferries from the French port of Cherbourg to Dublin, Ireland, and guarantees stable delivery times as well as a balanced quality / price ratio.”

The cargo transport line from the Czech Republic to Ireland with a delivery time of 120 hours is being offered as a pilot project. It is currently available once a week and the capacity can increase to meet clients’ changing needs. The service is administered by VCHD Cargo’s branch in České Budějovice.

“It makes me really happy to see that our solutions and value added help manufacturing companies like LEEL COILS EUROPE reliably deliver their products to the target markets,” says Ing. Petr Kozel, CEO a Chairman of VCHD Cargo a.s., adding: “this case once again highlights the importance and impact of transport and logistics processes on sales strategies and the future of manufacturing and trade companies. It is a great feeling to know that the VCHD Cargo team not only provides high-quality and reliable services but also assists our customers in designing their entire supply chains.”

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Author Archives: klient

VCHD Cargo’s Millionaires’ Club hits the 2.5m km mark for the first time

Demand exceeding offer and current market situation

We are betting on the swap bodies

VCHD Cargo acquired the German forwarder Völker Logistik

VCHD Cargo introduces direct cargo lines to Ireland

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