Freight forwarding Bielsko-Biała – transport to and from Czechia

Two towns, one river border

Bielsko-Biała only exists since 1951, when two towns that had belonged to different states for centuries merged. Bielsko, on the left bank of the Biała, was part of Cieszyn Silesia and came under the Bohemian Crown in 1327, later passing to the Habsburgs. Biała on the opposite bank belonged to Lesser Poland and, from 1772, to Austrian Galicia, so the river was a state border for more than three centuries. Today the practical upshot is that Bielsko shares the old Cieszyn region with Třinec and Český Těšín, and business ties with north-east Czechia are close.

Ostrava is about 80 km away, Brno about 230 km and Prague about 440 km. Goods loaded in Bielsko in the morning are normally unloaded in northern Moravia the same day.

From wool to cars and electrical engineering

Until fairly recently Bielsko-Biała was Poland's second-largest textile centre after Łódź. From the 1970s a small people's car was built here, and a supplier network grew around it. The large engine plant ended combustion engine production in 2024, but component suppliers, metalworking and electrical plants remain in the city and its surroundings. Bielsko also has a long tradition of glider building; local production still designs and builds sailplanes and ships spare parts worldwide. Typical imports to Czechia:

• automotive components – pressings, castings, wiring harnesses, plastic and rubber parts;
• electrical products, switchgear, lighting and appliance parts;
• machine parts, tools and steel structures;
• technical textiles;
• food and drink from the Żywiec area and the Beskids.

Steel from the Třinec and Ostrava area, plastic granulate, packaging and engineering products go the other way.

Parts for a production line

On such a short distance groupage is often slower than a direct vehicle, because goods go to a depot first. If it is urgent, use express transport; for full volumes, full truck transport. For regular runs we agree fixed loading times so drivers do not queue at the gate.

Three expressways

The S52 runs west to Cieszyn and across the border to Český Těšín, continuing towards Třinec, Frýdek-Místek and Ostrava – the route most Czech-bound freight takes. The S1 heads north to Tychy and Katowice, joining the A1 and A4. The S69 goes south via Żywiec to the Zwardoń – Skalité crossing into Slovakia, the shortest way to the Kysuce region and Žilina. From Prague, trucks normally take the D1 to Ostrava and cross at Český Těšín.

Winter in the Beskids brings snow and frost, and both the S52 and S69 cross hilly terrain, so build in a margin for winter deliveries. Polish expressways use electronic tolling.

Calendar and paperwork

Trucks over 12 t may not run on Polish public holidays, and in summer also on Friday evenings and at weekends. Put Polish-only holidays – 3 May, Corpus Christi, 15 August, 11 November – into the schedule for regular deliveries. No customs apply: a CMR note and invoice or delivery note are enough. Send us the loading address with gate or dock, pallet count and sizes, part weights and, for regular runs, the monthly schedule. Prices come from the calculator.