“German lorry ban on Sundays and holidays hits fresh produce trade hard”

Trade, commission, storage, transfer and transport: Peter Hendriks has been active in all these disciplines from the Fresh Park Venlo site for years. “It is the combination that makes it interesting. I do not know if I would have lasted if we only did transport. Now I can tell from the ZON clock which orders I can expect, for example, from our customers in the Westland in the morning.”

Hendriks’s logistical activities take place mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium, and to a lesser extend in Germany. “Our lorries drive between Brussels, Mechelen and Roeselare every day. We do not drive farther than 100 kilometers into Germany,” Hendriks explains. He does not see a major role for his company there. “I would like to keep our company this size, so that it remains surveyable, and we can continue using the advantages of a small organisation.”

The location at the Fresh Park Venlo is important to Hendriks. “I do not believe that there are fresh produce companies here that we do not work for. The auction site is just an important hub for the export to Germany. That is why it is quite worrisome for the fresh produce trade that sales in Germany are not rising, it just dampens growth,” says Hendriks. He is personally satisfied with the amount of work. “We are not the most expensive, nor the cheapest. We just have correct prices and provide great service to our customers.”

Over the years, Hendriks has learned to keep a low profile during the winter. “We always sell a few lorries during autumn, and in summer we buy or rent a few extra. We now have 22 lorries, but in winter that number is down to 12. Efforts to get a lot of work in the winter did not produce much above the line in the past, that is why we prefer working a little harder in summer and keep a low profile during the winter period. We did notice that our winter is lasting a little longer each year. Whether Spanish cucumbers or Belgian lettuce are involved, our suppliers transport more directly to Germany.”

Hendriks has been working with foreign drivers for years, and always to his complete satisfaction. “Some of the Polish drivers have been driving for us for more than ten years already. They do the same work as Dutch drivers and are paid according to the Dutch collective labour agreement. We are not making any concessions in that regard.” He does not see a role for additional logistical activities, such as packing and repacking. “The trend is that nursery gardens are doing more and more of their own packing, and that is for the best, because it keeps costs low. Companies on site that do the packing for supermarkets are also increasingly doing that.” 

This year he bought a trailer that is driving around in the style of soft fruit producer Berrybrothers. Some of the lorries are driving around with stickers from loyal customers, such as QPI, Kompany, Special Fruit and Hermans Suikermais. “A clear win-win situation, as it saves costs for us, and they have cheap advertising because they are seen daily at all the Dutch auctions,” Hendriks explains. He expects the lorries will eventually be electrically run. “That is definitely going to happen, the first tests for that are already taking place.”

To conclude Hendriks has to voice a frustration. “The German lorry ban on Sundays and holidays has to be lifted as soon as possible. It is unbelievable that so many drivers are waiting in the cabin at parking lots from Saturday night to Sunday night, that shouldn't be happening in this day and age. Although this ban does not apply to fresh logistics, it hits our sector just as hard. The entire fresh produce sector is, in fact, now summoned to deliver the principal part on Sunday. My guess is that more than 30 per cent of weekly sales are delivered to German DCs on Sunday. That should be fresh produce with correct date coding.”

“That is all a result of the driving ban on Sundays. German supermarkets want their DC filled seven days per week. This results in crowded parking lots and even parked lorries on the hard shoulder next to the motorway on Sundays and holidays in the Venlo region. All that would not be necessary if it were not for the German driving ban. Also, international drivers have a right to a personal life, and not to have to spend every weekend in a cabin at a crowded parking lot.”