Daily service to Austria brings Eastern Europe closer

Van Duuren’s drivers leave every day at 8.00 p.m. for Austria and arrive in Vienna less than 24 hours later. “In this way we gain a day as compared with other transport companies,” says Wilfred Donkersteeg. “An additional advantage is that thanks to this line we can reach destinations in Eastern Europe more quickly.”

“Many companies leave for Austria in the morning and arrive in the afternoon one day later, thus losing the day of collection,” adds Donkersteeg, who is Manager Operations & Partner Relations at Vianen. “Van Duuren has chosen not to leave until the evening. During the day we collect the goods from the various addresses. Thanks to this schedule a client who has his consignment ready for collection on Tuesday can be sure that it will be delivered in Austria on Thursday. With a morning departure, something which is usual in this business, the goods would have to be loaded on Monday.”

This service requires very careful planning. “In order to comply with the drivers’ driving and rest periods we work with double crewing,” explains Donkersteeg. “A hundred kilometres before Pilzen in the Czech Republic we change drivers so that the truck can carry on along the route straight away. It’s a solution that is a bit more costly, but it does mean that we can give our customers the service that they are used to receiving from us.”

Distinguishing
“This way of working is also advantageous for consignments to Eastern Europe,” continues Donkersteeg. “The depot at Vienna is also a transshipment point, where we can regroup the part consignments for Eastern Europe. The advantage of this is that we can offer a daily service to this region.” In doing so, Van Duuren really distinguishes itself in the market. “In many cases, services to countries such as Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria are offered no more frequently than twice a week. With Van Duuren, the customer can count on his consignment being in Budapest within 48 hours throughout the week.”