Freight forwarding Tarragona – transport to and from Czechia

A chemical cluster with its own port

Two large chemical and petrochemical complexes flank Tarragona, one north and one south of the city, with the port between them. The cluster accounts for roughly a quarter of Spain's chemical output, much of it exported. The port mainly handles liquid bulk such as crude oil, refined products and chemicals, plus grain and animal feed. Trucks leaving Tarragona for central Europe therefore mostly carry chemical products.

For a Czech buyer that usually means the load is an input for further production: granulate for injection moulding and extrusion lines, chemicals for paints, adhesives, cleaning agents or laboratories. A delay stops a production line, not just a warehouse, so we fix loading and delivery slots in advance and keep track of them.

Polymer granulate: bags, big bags or silo?

Polyethylene, polypropylene and other polymers leave Tarragona in several forms, each needing a different vehicle:

• Bags on pallets (typically 25 kg) in a curtainsider – wrapped pallets, no stacking unless the producer allows it.
• Big bags in a curtainsider, loaded by forklift – weight spread evenly and secured against shifting.
• Octabins (eight-sided cardboard boxes) – sensitive to moisture and top load.
• Loose granulate in a silo trailer – the receiver needs a silo with a pneumatic discharge connection, and the tank must be clean, so we ask the carrier for a cleaning certificate.

Bagged granulate usually brings a truck to its legal weight limit. Smaller quantities can travel as pallet groupage.

Dangerous goods from the chemical parks

Many products here fall under ADR: solvents, acids, flammable liquids, some resins. They travel only with carriers that have the equipment and trained drivers, which we arrange through our ADR transport service. To book, we need the safety data sheet, UN number, class and packing group, the type and number of packages (drums, jerrycans, IBCs), net and gross weight, and any temperature limits. Mixed loads must respect segregation rules between classes, and tunnel restrictions can change the route.

The chemical parks run strict access procedures: drivers register at the gate, wear protective equipment and load in a fixed slot. A truck that misses its slot may wait until the next day.

Nuts, wine, olive oil and rice

Not everything in the province is chemistry. The area around Reus is known for hazelnuts and almonds, the inland wine regions of Priorat and Montsant lie close by, olive oil is pressed across the province, and rice grows in the Ebro Delta to the south. Nuts and rice travel on pallets in a curtainsider; wine is better shipped temperature-controlled in summer. These consignments are often small and suit groupage or a combined load with other Catalan pickups.

Route, transit time and return loads

From Tarragona trucks take the AP-7 past Barcelona to the La Jonquera border crossing, then through France via Montpellier and the Rhône valley to Lyon, into Germany and on to the Czech border at Rozvadov. The distance to Prague is roughly 1,800 to 1,900 km. A full load usually arrives in 3–4 working days, groupage pallets in 5–7. France and Germany have weekend and holiday truck bans, and Catalonia restricts heavy vehicles on certain days on main roads. Tolls apply in France, Germany and on Spanish toll sections.

In the other direction, Czech exporters send machine parts, pumps and valves for the chemical industry, packaging, glass and building materials. Trucks unloading in Catalonia readily take granulate or chemicals back, which helps capacity. See also our page on Barcelona or get a quote from the calculator.