Freight forwarding Murcia – fresh produce to the Czech Republic

A cold chain that starts in the field

Murcia is the only large area in Europe that grows leafy vegetables in open fields through the winter. Its season runs from late autumn to late spring, followed in summer by melons and fruit. The region supplies about two-thirds of Spain's lettuce exports and a similar share of broccoli, along with celery, spinach and endive, and almost half of Spain's exported lemons and grapefruit. Germany is the largest market, and a steady flow also reaches the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Lettuce and broccoli lose quality by the hour. They should be pre-cooled at the packing house and enter the trailer already cold: a reefer unit holds temperature, it cannot bring warm produce down. Broccoli is often packed with crushed ice. Our rules for these loads:

• the set temperature is confirmed in writing by the shipper;
• the trailer is pre-cooled and the driver checks product temperature at loading;
• a continuous temperature log runs throughout, available to the receiver on delivery;
• products needing different temperatures are not mixed unless the trailer has separate compartments.

What leaves Murcia, month by month

• November to May: iceberg and other lettuces, broccoli, celery, spinach, endive.
• Autumn to summer: lemons and grapefruit.
• May to August: peaches, nectarines and apricots.
• Summer: melons, watermelons and table grapes.
• All year: ground sweet paprika, canned fruit and vegetables from the Segura valley, and wines from Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas.

Packing houses around Murcia and in the Campo de Cartagena usually dispatch in the afternoon and evening once the day's harvest is packed, so a truck often loads at two or three sites and leaves overnight.

Delivery in the Czech Republic matters just as much. A chilled dock that the trailer can back onto keeps the produce out of the heat. On arrival, measure the temperature of several cartons, inspect the goods and write any reservations on the CMR note before signing. Without that note and the temperature log, a claim for damaged produce is very hard to pursue.

Team drivers on a 2,350 km run

Murcia to Prague is roughly 2,350 km. With a single driver covering 600–700 km a day, a truck needs 4–5 working days. For leafy vegetables we therefore book carriers with two-driver crews who drive almost non-stop, bringing produce to the Czech Republic in about 3 days. Lemons, melons and paprika rarely need a team.

The route follows the A-7 past Alicante and Valencia, the AP-7 past Tarragona and Barcelona to La Jonquera, then through France to Lyon and across Germany to Rozvadov. France and Germany have weekend and holiday truck bans, with exemptions in many cases for perishables; we plan departures so the truck does not stall mid-route. Tolls apply in France, Germany and on Spanish toll sections.

Smaller lots and the return leg

Paprika, wine and canned goods travel well as pallet groupage, which takes about 6–8 working days; wine is better temperature-controlled in summer. Urgent samples or a spare part for a packing line can go by express van.

Southbound, Czech firms send packaging, parts for sorting and packing lines and farm machinery. Because the main flow runs north, reefers often head south with dry freight, so a load that tolerates a refrigerated trailer can ride with a truck returning for produce. Read more about the coastal route on our Valencia page or get a quote from the calculator.