Freight Transport Prague → Rotterdam

Rotterdam as the gateway for Czech imports

Most sea containers bound for Czech and Slovak buyers enter Europe through Rotterdam. From the quay to your warehouse the fastest option is road transport: we arrange the terminal pickup, optional unloading near the port and the truck to your door. The distance is roughly 900 km, which a single driver covers in two working days; a double-manned truck brings urgent cargo in about one day.

Two ways to move a container inland

Heavy containers, for example with tiles or metal, often work better when split across two trucks after devanning. Keep in mind that Asian cargo is frequently floor-loaded without pallets: hand-unloading a 40-foot box takes several hours, so plan enough staff and check that a long container chassis can reach and turn at your dock.

What comes through Rotterdam to Czechia

• consumer electronics, appliances, toys, textiles and footwear from Asia,
• furniture, homeware and e-commerce stock,
• plastic granulates and chemical feedstock from the port's petrochemical area,
• tropical fruit and juices needing refrigeration,
• greenhouse vegetables, flowers and plants from the Westland area.

Westbound, trucks carry Czech goods destined for export by sea, along with beer, glass, engineering parts and building materials.

Customs, release and documents

Goods unloaded from a ship arriving from outside the EU are not yet in free circulation. They are either cleared in the Netherlands through a customs agent or travel under a T1 transit document to a Czech customs office for import clearance. You choose the procedure with your agent; we only need the decision and the carrier's release with the terminal PIN, since the terminal will not hand over the box without it. Please also send the container and bill of lading numbers, commercial invoice and packing list. We issue the CMR consignment note for the road leg and, for perishables, provide a temperature record.

Route, terminals and driving rules

The usual route runs via the Emmerich/Zevenaar border, the Rhine-Ruhr area, Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Waidhaus/Rozvadov. For consignees in northern Bohemia we use the northern corridor via Bad Bentheim/Oldenzaal, Hanover, Dresden and the D8. The deep-sea terminals at Maasvlakte lie some 40 km west of the city and work with booked pickup slots. The Netherlands has no general weekend truck ban, but Germany does: no trucks over 7.5 tonnes on Sundays and public holidays from midnight to 10 pm, so a Friday pickup normally reaches Czechia on Monday. German road tolls are included in our price. Slovak consignees are served via Brno on the same truck, so a single container can be split between Czech and Slovak warehouses.

Avoiding waiting time

Most delays come from a missing release or no free terminal slot. Send us the container details as soon as the vessel leaves its last port of call and keep an eye on the estimated arrival. For full loads see our truck transport service, or compare the alternative port on the Prague – Antwerp route. Dispatch answers Monday to Friday, 8:00–18:00, usually within 30 minutes; the freight calculator gives an instant estimate.