In 15 years, transport company Hermus International has continued to expand year on year. Trucks depart from Oud-Gastel to customers all over Europe. The transport company transports a range of products from the fresh produce sector and we also have many customers in confectionery, but the emphasis is on fresh produce transport. "What makes us unique is that we are not limited to one particular country and transport both groupage and full loads," says co-owner Jeroen van Leijsen. "For example, we mainly provide groupage transport in the Benelux and Germany and we also drive full freights to countries such as Switzerland, Italy, and the UK."
Takeover C. van Dijk Transport
Hermus International is particularly well-represented in the German market. Several trucks depart daily for the Ruhr region and southern Germany. Thanks to the takeover of C. van Dijk Transport, East Germany (Berlin) was added last year. "Regions we focus on are mainly the Ruhr area up to Mannheim and Berlin, we supply all DCs up to the wholesale markets on a daily basis," Jeroen says. He says the recently introduced border controls in Germany are not causing too much inconvenience yet. "Occasionally our drivers are caught in traffic jams because of this, but we are not yet disappointed. It's not that any drivers are standing still for hours because of this."
The transport company experienced a nice growth in recent years. "What we hear from many customers is that they appreciate our flexibility. For instance, we don't limit ourselves to a certain destination and we always try to find a solution, even if a customer calls at 6 pm, we try to help them. That makes us unique," says Jeroen, who is responsible for HR & the transport company's purchasing and sales.
Peak between March and October
Besides its trucks, Hermus International often has around 15 to 20 charters running during the season. "Our season runs parallel to the Dutch fruit and vegetable season. That peak is therefore between March and October. We often catch the winter period with customers in the cuttings and sweets business. During the holidays, we also had a few busy weeks, but now it seems to be getting quieter slowly," Jeroen says. According to him, AGF customers' loyalty to their transporter is generally high. "What you do see is that especially the larger parties do not bet on one transporter, but select several carriers for certain areas."
As the biggest challenges, Jeroen mentions the shortage of drivers, increased costs, but also new legislation around driving hours. "It is not easy to find enough drivers for the job. After all, our work goes on 24/7 and 365 days a year. With us, the majority are Dutch drivers, but we also employ several foreign drivers. Furthermore, we have to deal with big price increases, for example, the increase in the Maut last year was significant and this affects the market."
LHVs
"With our diversity of trailers, any kind of transport is possible. We have several combinations running, three of which we can use as LHVs (Longer and Heavier Trucks), which we are also allowed to drive in Germany. For us, this works ideally. It allows us to transport more cargo per trip, which means a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions per kilometer. So we drive greener and more efficiently and can serve more customers."
"Our equipment is always well-maintained and meets the latest environmental requirements. However, we have recently taken a step towards automation, including on-board computers in cars and digitalization of the paper flow. We have grown rapidly in recent years, but the processes behind the scenes have not grown with us. We have therefore invested heavily in this so that we can continue to deliver efficiently and reliably to our customers in the future."
For more information:
Jeroen van Leijsen
Hermus International
Emmerblok 17
4751 XE Oud Gastel
Tel: 0630591447
[email protected]
www.hermus-international.com