Freight forwarding Frankfurt – transport between Frankfurt and Czechia

Germany's air cargo gateway

Frankfurt has Germany's largest cargo airport and one of the largest in Europe. Freighters and passenger aircraft bring in goods from Asia, the Americas and the Middle East, and a large share of that cargo continues by road – including to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. For Czech importers, Frankfurt is therefore often the point where an overseas shipment switches from aircraft to truck or van. Cargo areas on the north and south sides of the airport house handling agents, airline warehouses and customs.

Collecting an air shipment

To pick up an air shipment at Frankfurt and deliver it to Czechia, we need:

• the air waybill (AWB) number and the handling agent holding the goods,
• pieces, weight and dimensions – air cargo often comes on non-standard pallets or in crates,
• the customs procedure: non-EU goods are cleared in Frankfurt or move under transit to a Czech customs office, as agreed with your broker,
• temperature requirements for pharmaceuticals and lab supplies.

With everything ready, delivery in the Czech Republic usually follows the next working day. Urgent parts and samples can go by express van straight to the consignee.

Industry in the Rhine-Main region

Frankfurt is best known for banking, but the surrounding Rhine-Main region is strongly industrial. Typical imports to the Czech Republic include chemicals and pharmaceuticals from the large industrial park in the Höchst district and from the Darmstadt area, which also produces speciality materials for electronics; cars and car parts from Rüsselsheim; precious-metal alloys, special materials and technical ceramics from around Hanau; leather goods and printing machinery from Offenbach; electrical and medical equipment; and wine from the Rheingau and Rheinhessen. Czech suppliers send car parts, metal products, glass, building materials, furniture and food the other way.

Routes and transit times

Trucks run on the A3 via Würzburg to Nuremberg, then the A6 to the Waidhaus / Rozvadov crossing and the D5. Approximate distances: Frankfurt–Plzeň 420 km, Frankfurt–Prague 510 km (one working day), Frankfurt–Brno 710 km (one to two days) and Frankfurt–Ostrava 880 km (two days). Groupage pallets take one to three working days depending on the destination. The Frankfurter Kreuz, where the A3 meets the A5 next to the airport, is one of Germany's busiest interchanges, so we allow time for congestion. See also the Prague–Frankfurt route.

Choosing the right vehicle

Chemical and pharmaceutical shipments from the region are often dangerous goods; we arrange ADR-equipped vehicles and certified drivers and need the safety data sheet, UN numbers, classes and packing groups. Pharmaceuticals travel temperature-controlled with a continuous log. Wine from the Rheingau is sensitive to frost and heat, so a temperature-controlled trailer is advisable in winter and summer. Car parts for production lines usually go as a full truck with a fixed slot, smaller volumes as groupage. Large industrial parks require pre-registration of the vehicle and driver and often protective equipment, so confirm gate rules, ramp number and opening hours with the shipper to avoid waiting time.

Trade fairs, holidays and city access

The Frankfurt exhibition centre hosts major international fairs for automotive parts and workshop equipment, household consumer goods, lighting and building technology, plumbing and heating, and books. During those weeks roads around the grounds are congested and trucks are in short supply, so book exhibit transport early. Hesse adds Corpus Christi to the nationwide public holidays; trucks over 7.5 t may not drive on Sundays and holidays, and on selected motorways on Saturdays in July and August. Frankfurt has a large low-emission zone for vehicles with a green sticker, and deliveries in the centre and banking district are limited to set times. Tolls are included in the price from our calculator.