Freight forwarding Amsterdam – transport to/from the Czech Republic

Which "Amsterdam" is your pickup?

A pickup in Amsterdam can mean very different places. The port along the North Sea Canal is one of the world's major hubs for cocoa beans and a key European port for fuels. Schiphol airport, southwest of the city, is among Europe's busiest cargo airports and the gateway for flowers, pharmaceuticals and electronics flown in from overseas. North of the city, the Zaan area has a long tradition of cocoa and food processing, while the cut-flower and plant trade is concentrated around Aalsmeer. Between them sit numerous distribution warehouses from which international manufacturers supply the whole continent.

Typical imports to the Czech Republic

• cocoa beans, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and chocolate semi-finished products,
• cut flowers, house and garden plants,
• cheese, dairy and other foods,
• electronics, IT accessories and consumer goods from European distribution centres,
• spare parts and medical supplies that arrived by air via Schiphol.

Czech exporters send machinery, car parts, glass, furniture, building materials, beer and food to the Amsterdam area. If your goods arrived in the Netherlands from Asia or America, check where they were cleared: once released for free circulation in the EU, they move on with only a CMR note and invoice. Containers are more often handled in Rotterdam – see freight forwarding Rotterdam.

Two routes across Germany

Prague to Amsterdam is roughly 900 km depending on the route, which a single driver normally covers in two working days. The northern route runs on the D8 via the Krásný Les/Breitenau crossing, Dresden, Leipzig, Hanover and Osnabrück to the Dutch border at Bad Bentheim/Oldenzaal and on via the A1. The southern route takes the D5 via Rozvadov/Waidhaus, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Cologne to Emmerich/Elten and the A12. We choose according to the Czech loading point, traffic and any extra stops along the way.

Germany charges a distance-based truck toll and bans trucks over 7.5 t on Sundays and public holidays, plus Saturdays in July and August on selected motorways. The Netherlands has no general weekend driving ban, so a Monday morning delivery in Amsterdam works if the truck clears Germany on Saturday.

Canals, bridges and booked docks

The historic centre, with its canals, narrow streets and lifting bridges, is not built for articulated trucks. Heavy goods vehicles face access restrictions and an environmental zone there, and shops are supplied by smaller vehicles in the morning. For city-centre deliveries we arrange a van or a rigid truck with a tail lift, or a transfer on the city edge.

Dutch warehouses almost always work with booked time slots. Drivers report at reception with the order reference and are often turned away without it. Warehouses are also strict about load securing and may refuse unstable or damaged pallets, so good wrapping pays off.

Cocoa products need a clean, dry and odour-free trailer, because cocoa easily absorbs foreign smells. For food raw materials we therefore select carriers who meet these conditions and pass the shipper's trailer requirements on in advance.

Choosing the service

For a few pallets, pallet groupage is usually the most economical option at around 4–6 working days. Full loads of cheese, plants or consumer goods travel as a full truck, and flowers and fresh food always go in a reefer with temperature recording. An express van suits parts that landed at Schiphol and are needed on your production line the same week. Before booking, ask the supplier for the exact address and dock number, the booked slot, the reference, pallet count and dimensions, weight and, for chilled goods, the required temperature.