Freight forwarding Freiburg – transport to and from Czechia

Where Germany meets France and Switzerland

Freiburg is Germany's southernmost major city, set on the western edge of the Black Forest. The Rhine and the French border are around 20 km away and Basel roughly 70 km. For transport to the Czech Republic that position matters twice: Freiburg is among the furthest German cities we regularly serve from Czechia, and the area is a meeting point for German, French and Swiss cargo.

The city is known for its university and its green credentials. It ranks among the sunniest places in Germany and hosts solar energy research, while its economy leans towards healthcare, pharmaceuticals, measurement technology and renewable energy rather than heavy industry.

Swiss consignments and customs

Switzerland is outside the EU, so goods from Swiss suppliers always need an export declaration in Switzerland and either import clearance or a transit procedure in the EU. Many Czech buyers ask their Swiss suppliers to deliver to a warehouse in southern Baden where the goods are already cleared, and we then carry them on as an ordinary intra-EU shipment. For direct collections in Switzerland we need:

• the EORI number of the Czech consignee,
• the commercial invoice and the supplier's export document,
• a decision on clearance at the border or T1 transit to a customs office in Czechia,
• declared value and any temperature requirements for medical or high-value goods.

Swiss rules also include a night and Sunday driving ban for trucks and a 40-tonne weight limit.

Typical imports from southern Baden

Medical devices, consumables and pharmaceuticals often travel in temperature-controlled vehicles. Solar inverters, sensors and laboratory instruments come from the technology sector. The Black Forest, one of Germany's most heavily wooded regions, supplies sawn timber, wood panels and furniture parts, and its old clockmaking tradition lives on in precision mechanics. Food shipments include wine from the Kaiserstuhl, Tuniberg and Markgräflerland districts and Black Forest ham, a protected geographical indication that travels chilled. Czech exports to the region are mainly metal and plastic parts, glass, packaging and food for wholesalers.

Route and timing

The route runs from Prague via the D5 and Rozvadov, the A6 past Nuremberg and Heilbronn, and then south on the A5 past Karlsruhe and Offenburg – about 700 km in total. That is at the limit of one driver's daily range, so we normally deliver in Prague on the morning of the second working day; a double-manned truck is faster. Brno, about 880 km away, also receives goods on the second working day.

The A5 between Karlsruhe and Basel is a key north-south freight axis to Switzerland and Italy, and the parallel railway is being expanded to four tracks, which can affect road traffic at times. German trucks over 7.5 tonnes cannot drive on Sundays and holidays, and in summer the Saturday ban also applies to the A5.

Wine season and loading tips

Most wine orders come after the harvest in autumn and before Christmas. Wine needs protection from heat in summer and frost in winter. A few pallets are best sent by pallet groupage, while timber goes as a full truckload on a curtainsider for side loading. Many Kaiserstuhl wineries sit in hillside villages with narrow streets, so please check access for an articulated truck. Freiburg's old town is a large pedestrian zone with limited delivery hours. Request a quote and we usually reply within 30 minutes; for a price indication, try the calculator.