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Author Archives: klient

VCHD  /  Articles by: klient
Categories New-posts

Opinion: Danube-Oder-Elbe: Lets ask our clients about their real needs!

“I am not an expert on infrastructure projects or the environment so I am not qualified to judge the impact of the proposed Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal on the environment,” says Petr Kozel, Chairman of the VCHD Cargo Board of Directors, adding: “However, my life-long experience with business and transport has taught me to ask direct questions and look for the best possible answers. When it comes to mega construction projects like this, I think it is useful to approach it based on the key factors that underpin the success of any project:”

  1. Ask the market whether there is any use for the project. Water carriage is not suitable for individual shipments so the question should be directed to, let’s say, the 100 biggest exporters and importers. They should be presented with a lead-time model and an approximate price and asked: “Would you consider this option? Do you currently have sufficient volumes shipped to endpoints along the rivers Danube, Oder or Elbe? Are you comfortable with form of transport?” I am well aware that today’s calculations may not necessarily correlate with future needs but the present situation could influence our decisions.
  2. I work in the truck carriage business and I feel an increasing pressure to cut delivery times. I find it hard to believe that 15-20 years from now customers will be willing to wait several days for their shipment. Other competing, environment-friendly forms of transport such as trains or trucks fuelled by electricity or hydrogen are likely to become the standard with much faster timeframes. Another time-related source of risk is the construction itself. Experience shows that the state takes its time to build infrastructure projects and almost as a rule fails to meet promised deadlines. Unfortunately in this case, no revenues can be expected before full completion of the project and the financial burden on the national budget will be high and long.
  3. A project like this does not depend only on our decision but, much more importantly, on the infrastructure built in the end-points. With the exception of Elbe and Hamburg, the end ports lack sufficient capacity.
  4. Projects of this sort will always raise certain suspicions of corruption. They must always be weighed against other needs of the transport business and the state. And the best rule to follow has always been a slim state and minimal expenditures.
  5. Effect on tourism. On my travels abroad I have often noticed that canals tend to attracts all sorts and types of tourism. But we must keep in mind a very simple question: “Who is the project primarily built for and who will ultimately pay for its development?”

It is my belief that any decision must be based on a clear strategy and economic reasoning, not forgetting about the impact on the environment and surrounding infrastructure. For now, this particular project seems little more than a dream of certain public figures and that is far from enough.

Ing. Petr Kozel, Chairman of the VCHD Cargo a.s. Board of Directors

Author klient
Categories New-posts

Stronger team for better times to come

 Every recession goes away sooner or later, followed by a period of growth. It is a good idea to start preparing for better time in advance to make sure our business is ready to quickly respond to growing demand. VCHD Cargo stays true to this strategy and keeps adding talent to strategic positions despite this year’s coronavirus crisis.

“We believe that now is the time to get the company ready for future growth,” says Ing. Petr Kozel, Chairman of the VCHD Cargo a.s. Board of Directors, explaining that the company “is boosting its key teams – strategic sales and branches”.

The sales department has welcomed the highly experienced Martin Hustoles who has accepted the role of the Business Development Manager in these trying times. Up until now, the core of the sales department’s work consisted of personal contact, visits and meetings with clients, which have been cut short for several months this year. Instead, the “covid age” favours remote communication. “Nevertheless, Martin Hustoles has settled in our team very quickly and his knowledge has already helped us explore new business opportunities,” Petr Kozel added.

Another new and highly experienced logistics expert that recently joined VCHD Cargo is Tadeáš Kos, newly in charge of management of the Brno branch. In his own words: “VCHD Cargo is a great challenge for me and a wonderful opportunity to grow. Moreover, I firmly believe that my experience with international projects can help the family-owned VCHD Cargo establish itself as a stable and renowned partner in the European market.” Brno is the company’s logistics centre for the region of Moravia and in his new position Tadeáš Kos will be responsible for developing both the regional branch and, due to the branch’s strategic location, company’s sales activities in Moravia and Slovakia.

Another unquestionably crucial step in VCHD Cargo’s evolution is the opening of a new branch in České Budějovice under the management of Petra Růžičková. The branch will be responsible for Southern Bohemia as well as many customers in Austria and Bavaria. Thanks to her years of experience and professional career in the logistics business, Petra Růžičková is well familiar with this border region.

Author klient
Categories New-posts

Announcement of the best photos of drivers

We are announcing the winners of the competition for the best VCHD Cargo photo, which we launched for our drivers during this year. More than 30 drivers took part in the competition and we received more than 200 photos. It was not easy for us to choose from so many nice photos, but in the end we were able to agree on the three best photos. The winners received valuable prizes from us. We thank very much to all participants and we look forward to the next time!

1st place - Winner of iPhone X

2nd place - Winner of Samsung Galaxy A51

3rd place - Winner of Huawei P30 Lite

The following photographs also have special recognition from us

Author klient
Categories New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo has founded a Millionaires’ Club

The Czech transport company VCHD Cargo has founded a Millionaires’ Club for drivers who have driven a million kilometres for the company or more. This year, the Club has 23 members and more than 10 of them have actually already reached 1.5 million kilometres behind the wheel of the company’s trucks. All Club members received gifts from VCHD Cargo with the message “You are the most valuable thing we have”. The company hopes to welcome more drivers into the Club soon.

It is a well-known fact that there is a lack of drivers in the market and VCHD Cargo can attest to it. In the year when it celebrates its 28thanniversary since its foundation, the company employs nearly 350 people in the Czech Republic and Germany. Petr Kozel, chairman of the VCHD Cargo Board of Directors,  is well aware of the fact that a trucker’s life is no easy ride: “Being a driver is one of the toughest professions in the world. From a distance, the work may seem rather romantic but it is a daily routine for our drivers who must maintain a professional attitude and behaviour every day when they represent VCHD. Our drivers are asked to play many roles at the same time that go far beyond just safely driving heavy vehicles, often with fragile or hazardous cargo. They must also be product specialists when they load and unload shipments. They must also be good psychologists and know how to deal with “crisis” situations during loading and unloading,” Petr Kozel explains. “They must be able to communicate in foreign languages, at least at a basic level, because most shipment documents are not in the Czech language.”

Negotiating, loading and properly securing the cargo is only the beginning of a driver’s job. Every day, VCHD Cargo truckers have to drive as much as 600 or even 700 km in heavy traffic. VCHD Cargo knows the value of what they do and has developed a range of tools for employee motivation. The Millionaires’ Club is one of them.

“We tremendously admire our drivers’ work. They are the face of our company and the success of our business greatly depends on them. That’s why we decided to create the Millionaires’ Club to motivate our drivers to stay with us and get the benefits of being loyal to our company,” Petr Kozel continues.

The VCHD Cargo all-time record is held by Jiří Kadlec who has travelled nearly 2.3 million kilometres for the company. “We are in deep awe of drivers like this and Mr. Kadlec is a true legend in our company,” Petr Kozel says. “He has a lot of stories to tell about how the world has changed over the past 25 years that he has worked for us.”

“Being a trucker is not an easy life although our trucks are often full of happiness that we bring to people. All the goods they can buy in shops – I don’t think there is a type of product that I have not had in my trucks at some point,” Jiří Kadlec reflects on the life of drivers. “What could make our lives easier? A bit more respect for our work, which has suffered a lot because of a few, mostly foreign, drivers causing problems on the roads. And more respect for our dispatch team. In these fast and uncertain times, it is the VCHD Cargo 24-hour dispatchers who are always there to help us solve any problem that we may encounter.”

Author klient
Categories New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo adopts a long-term investment strategy with new fleet investments

The Czech transport company has announced its plans for future strategic development. Despite an economic downturn, the company has adopted an investment plan that maintains the average age of vehicles in its truck fleet at three years. In line with this strategy, the company has acquired 28 utility towing vehicles and 13 trailers this year so far, as of the end of October.

VCHD Cargo is a Czech company with family capital that has been active in the market since 1997. The company offers road cargo transport and specialises in line services for regular goods as well as food and hazardous cargo. Its strategy is built around high reliability of delivery. This ethos has been put to a serious test this year. “The situation this year is complicated in many respects. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges not only for our drivers in the form of strict hygiene measures, facility entry restrictions and a high risk of contagion on the job, but also for our dispatch staff and managers in terms of operative and strategic planning,” says Ing. Petr Kozel, Chairman of the VCHD Cargo Board, adding: “although we have already invested over half a million Czech korunas in PPE and disinfectants for both our drivers and vehicles, we shall continue investing in the renewal of our fleet in order to guarantee reliable and safe transport services.”

VCHD Cargo has adopted a seven-year investment plan intended to keep the maximum average age of all vehicles in the company’s fleet under three years. The aim is to minimise lost time due to vehicle breakdowns or servicing. VCHD Cargo’s fleet in the Czech Republic and in Germany currently consists of 160 towing vehicles and 170 trailers and the company plans to buy more than ten other vehicles before the end of the year. The company’s preferred suppliers are Mercedes, Scania and Volvo. “We firmly believe that modern technology, high-quality maintenance and experienced drivers are the key to VCHD CARGO remaining a trusted parted for all our European customers,” Petr Kozel concludes.

Author klient
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