Freight forwarding Aachen – transport to and from Czechia

A crossroads of three countries

Aachen sits right on the Belgian border, and the Dutch town of Vaals, where the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet on the Vaalserberg hill, is only a few kilometres away. Maastricht is about 30 km from the city and Liège about 50 km. Three motorway corridors meet here: the A4 east to Cologne and west to Heerlen in the Netherlands, and the A44 through the Lichtenbusch crossing towards Liège and Brussels. A large share of the truck traffic between Germany and the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam passes through. On the railway, freight trains to and from Antwerp cross into Belgium via Aachen West station.

This position lets us combine a collection in Aachen with pick-ups in Maastricht, Liège or Dutch Limburg on a single truck heading straight to Czechia. All three countries are in the EU, so no customs formalities apply. More on the Belgian side is on our Liège page.

Gingerbread, chocolate and paper

For six centuries Aachen was the coronation city of German kings, and its cathedral became Germany's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Commercially, the city is better known for Aachener Printen, a hard spiced gingerbread protected as a geographical indication that may only be produced in and around Aachen. Confectionery and chocolate making remain important local industries, with exports to Czechia peaking in autumn ahead of Christmas. Chocolate needs a temperature-controlled vehicle in the warmer months and frost protection in winter.

The regional chamber of commerce lists food, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering, paper, metal production and processing, rubber and plastics, and electrical engineering as the main industrial sectors. The neighbouring town of Düren is one of Germany's traditional paper-making centres. Aachen is also home to one of Germany's largest technical universities, which has spawned many engineering firms – so prototypes, test rigs and measuring equipment are regular cargo. Czech suppliers send metal and plastic components, glass, furniture and food to the region.

Route to the Czech Republic

From Prague to Aachen is about 770 km: D5 to Rozvadov, the A6 to Nuremberg, the A3 past Würzburg and Frankfurt to Cologne, and the A4 to Aachen. That is more than one driver can cover in a day, so delivery is on the second working day. Brno, around 960 km away, also takes two working days. The Cologne motorway ring is among the busiest in Germany, so we build in some slack.

• German tolls apply to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes on motorways and federal roads.
• Trucks over 7.5 tonnes may not drive on Sundays and public holidays; North Rhine-Westphalia also observes Corpus Christi and All Saints' Day.
• A CMR consignment note and an invoice or delivery note are sufficient within the EU.

Choosing the service

A few pallets of confectionery or chemicals travel economically by pallet groupage, while paper and larger volumes go as a full load. Dangerous chemicals use ADR-certified carriers, and urgent parts or prototypes can go by express van.

Before you book

Use the German name Aachen and a German postcode in all documents. Tell us the required temperature for food, and for prototypes send dimensions, weight and a photo of the packaging. Confectionery plants often work with strict loading slots, and the narrow old town around the cathedral is not suitable for articulated trucks. We usually reply with a quote within 30 minutes; for an indicative price, use the calculator.