Frequently Asked Questions

A carrier owns vehicles and physically moves the goods. A freight forwarder organises the transport - planning the route, selecting and contracting the carrier, preparing documentation, arranging insurance and monitoring the shipment. DMF Express is both: we run our own 7.2 t curtain-side fleet as a carrier, and we organise transport on trailer capacity we do not own as a forwarder.

Full loads are priced per route: distance, tolls, fuel, driver time, border crossings, waiting time at the sites and the likelihood of finding a return load. Part loads are priced on loading metres (LDM) or chargeable weight, whichever is higher - one Euro pallet is 0.4 LDM, and the usual conversion is 1 LDM ≈ 1 750 kg. Dense goods are charged by weight, bulky goods by space.

On working days between 07:00 and 18:00, normally within 15 minutes of receiving the route, weight, dimensions and loading date. Urgent and line-stop shipments are priced immediately - by phone on +421 948 998 193, by message or by email.

Loading and unloading addresses (at minimum postcode and country), gross weight, dimensions or pallet count and whether the pallets are stackable, the loading date, and anything unusual about either site - no ramp, no forklift, timed slot, restricted access, tail lift needed. For ADR goods we also need the UN number, class, packing group and safety data sheet.

Our own fleet of 7.2 t curtain-side vehicles carries up to 3 200 kg and has 37 m³ of load space (15 Euro pallets). Above that we book standard, mega and jumbo trailers from our carrier network, up to 24 t of cargo and 120 m³. See our fleet.

7.2 t is the gross vehicle weight - the total permitted weight of the vehicle including its body, fuel, driver and cargo. After all of that, the usable payload is up to about 3 200 kg. Always quote us the cargo weight rather than a vehicle class and we will confirm what fits.

CMR liability insurance covers the carrier’s liability under the CMR Convention for loss of or damage to goods occurring between taking over and delivery. Crucially, it is capped by weight - 8.33 SDR per kilogram of gross weight, roughly €10–12 per kilogram. For high-value goods this can be far below the actual value, which is why we recommend additional all-risk cargo insurance for valuable consignments. We can arrange it per shipment. For domestic transport within Germany we also hold liability cover of €600,000.

28 European countries. Daily and near-daily lanes to Austria, Germany, Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia; regular traffic to Italy, France, the Benelux countries, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, the Baltics and South-Eastern Europe. See coverage for the full list and transit times.

Vienna, Brno and Budapest are same-day from Bratislava. Most of Germany, Poland, Czechia and northern Italy are next-day on a direct run. Western Europe is typically two days, Iberia and Scandinavia two to three. Part loads add one to two days because of consolidation. All of these assume legal driving times and account for European driving bans.

Yes - ADR classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8 and 9, with certified drivers and correctly equipped vehicles. We do not carry Class 1 explosives or Class 7 radioactive material. Many small consignments qualify as limited quantities or fall under the ADR 1.1.3.6 exemption thresholds, which is significantly cheaper - we check this for every enquiry. See ADR transport.

Yes, from −25 °C deep frozen through chilled and pharmaceutical cold chain (+2 °C to +8 °C) to controlled ambient (+15 °C to +25 °C), with continuous monitoring and a temperature record returned with the proof of delivery. See temperature-controlled transport.

All vehicles are GPS tracked 24/7. Your forwarder provides a status update at loading, at any border crossing and before unloading, and for scheduled lanes we can send regular position reports by email.

You hear it from us first. Delays happen - traffic, weather, border checks, a delay at the previous loading point. What matters is whether you find out in time to react. We call as soon as we know, with a revised time and the options.

A CMR consignment note on every international road shipment. Depending on the cargo and destination: ADR transport document and written instructions for dangerous goods, export declaration and T1 transit document for non-EU traffic, EUR.1 for preferential origin, delivery note and packing list. We prepare or coordinate all of it.

For registered companies we invoice after delivery with payment terms agreed individually, usually between 14 and 45 days. New clients and one-off shipments may be asked for payment before unloading or a partial deposit.

For traffic crossing the EU customs border we prepare and coordinate customs documentation with our clearing partners - export and import declarations, T1 transit documents, EUR.1 certificates and ATA carnets. Send the commodity code, the incoterm and the parties involved.

We arrange short-term storage and cross-docking in connection with transport - for example holding a consignment for a few days before a timed delivery slot, or consolidating several inbound deliveries into one outbound load. For long-term contract warehousing we will put you in touch with a specialist partner.

Yes. Cross-trade movements that never touch Slovakia - Germany to Italy, Poland to France - are a normal part of our work, with the same forwarding, documentation and invoicing.

One Euro pallet, or a single bulky item that needs a truck rather than a parcel service. Below roughly 30 kg and 120 cm a parcel carrier is normally cheaper, and we will tell you so rather than quoting you for something you should not buy from us.

Send your first shipment through the contact form, by email to info@dmfexpress.sk, or by phone on +421 948 998 193. Most clients start with a single load - often an urgent one - and move their regular lanes across once they have seen how it goes.