Freight and Imports from Turin to the Czech Republic

Supplying production lines from Piedmont

Turin remains the heart of Italian car making, and its industrial outskirts are packed with tier suppliers, toolmakers and machine builders. Much of what we ship from here ends up at Czech and Slovak automotive plants, where a missed delivery slot can halt a line. For these loads we book a dedicated truck that runs without cross-docking, track it en route and share the reference number the consignee requires at the gate. Regular shipments work best with fixed pickup days agreed with the supplier.

Common inbound cargo from Turin:

• automotive components, pressings, castings and wiring,
• moulds, dies and fixtures,
• industrial robots, machine tools and spare parts,
• aerospace and electrical components,
• Piedmont food: chocolate, hazelnuts, rice, wine and vermouth.

Crossing the Alps

The standard route runs from Turin through Milan, Brescia and Verona, over the Brenner Pass, through Innsbruck and Kufstein to Munich and Regensburg, then across the Waidhaus/Rozvadov border on the D5 to Prague. That is roughly 1,050–1,100 km, normally 2 working days for a single driver. When Brenner is congested we switch to the Tauern route via Villach, which adds about 150 km. Swiss routes would mean customs transit outside the EU, so we avoid them.

Tyrol restricts heavy traffic with a night-driving ban, weekend and seasonal limits and truck metering near Kufstein on busy days. Tolls apply in Germany, Austria and on Italian motorways; our freight calculator includes them.

Heavy machinery and tooling

Machine tools and moulds often concentrate a lot of weight on a small footprint or exceed pallet dimensions. Please send exact dimensions, weight, centre of gravity and the loading method (crane, forklift or top loading). We then choose a trailer with an opening roof, a sliding-roof curtain-sider or a flatbed, and make sure the carrier brings enough straps or chains. If the piece needs a crane, the supplier must confirm it is available on site.

Picking the right service

A few pallets of parts with no rush fit our groupage pallet service, typically 3–5 working days. Line-side deliveries go by dedicated full truck in about 2 working days. An urgent part or sample can go by express van and usually arrives the next day. Machines on open-top trailers or flatbeds take around 2–3 working days, depending on loading.

Exports, rules and paperwork

Automotive goods flow both ways: Czech suppliers ship pressings, plastic parts, steel products, glass, wiring harnesses and packaging to Piedmont, which keeps trucks available on this lane.

Food from Piedmont needs its own planning. Chocolate and confectionery should travel in a temperature-controlled trailer from late spring to early autumn, because a standard trailer heats up quickly on Italian motorways. Rice, hazelnuts and wine are less sensitive, but they are heavy, so we check the weight per pallet before booking a groupage slot.

Italy is in the EU, so no customs duty applies. A CMR consignment note and an invoice or delivery note are enough; for machinery we suggest adding a packing list. Italy bans heavy trucks on Sundays and public holidays during the day, plus some summer Saturdays; Germany bans them on Sundays and holidays. A Friday pickup in Turin will therefore usually arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

Central Turin has restricted traffic zones and winter anti-smog measures for older vehicles, but most industrial sites are outside the centre. Ask your supplier to confirm the address, opening hours, loading method, and the number and weight of pieces.