Freight from Slovakia to the Czech Republic
From Slovakia to the Czech Republic we move car parts, steel, metallurgical products, paper, timber, chemicals and food. From Bratislava (about 330 km) a full truckload usually reaches Prague the same day; from Košice (about 650 km) it is normally the next day. Depending on volume we book a van, a rigid lorry or an articulated truck; the calculator gives an indicative price and we email a firm quote.
Almost a domestic run – but not quite
No language barrier and no customs border separate Slovakia from the Czech Republic, and hauliers cross between the two every day. Legally, though, it is still an international journey: the CMR Convention applies, the consignment note must be completed properly and the invoice must follow the rules for intra-EU supplies. The upside is that you can talk to the supplier without a translator and border delays are practically unheard of.
The Slovak cities most of our loads come from
Per head of population, Slovakia builds more cars than almost any country in the world, so most collections fall within the car belt between Bratislava and Žilina. Its four car plants are surrounded by suppliers of pressings, wiring harnesses, seats and plastic components. Further east and in the centre of the country, steelmaking, paper mills and wood processing join the mix.
| City | Industry | What we typically carry from there |
|---|---|---|
| Bratislava | car plant, refining and chemicals | car parts, refinery and chemical products |
| Trnava | car plant and supplier firms | pressings, wiring harnesses, seats |
| Nitra | car plant, plastics suppliers | plastic components, spare parts for workshops |
| Žilina | car plant on the city’s outskirts, engineering | components for Czech assembly lines, machine parts |
| Košice | steelmaking | steel sheet, coils and sections |
| Ružomberok | paper and pulp | paper reels, cartonboard |
| Šaľa | chemicals, fertiliser production | mineral fertilisers, basic chemicals |
Automotive loads usually have a fixed unloading slot, so we build in a margin and stay in touch with the driver throughout – our automotive parts transport page shows how this works in practice. Steel from Košice is heavy and has to be spread so that no axle is overloaded; coils travel in a coil-well trailer or on chocked cradles. With fertilisers and chemicals from Šaľa and Bratislava we first check whether the cargo counts as dangerous goods under ADR. Central Slovakia also supplies sawn timber alongside its paper.
Bratislava and Trnava are 330–380 km from Prague via the D2 and the D1 through Brno, and a full load gets there the same day. From Nitra (about 400 km) and Žilina (about 500 km, across Moravia towards Olomouc), expect delivery the same or the next day. Košice is roughly 650 km away; the truck runs via Prešov and Žilina and normally unloads the following day. All figures are approximate and depend on the exact collection and delivery addresses.
Tolls and the Sunday ban: what the haulier has to watch
On Slovak motorways, expressways and selected first-class roads, vehicles over 3.5 t pay an electronic toll via an on-board unit. The haulier takes care of it and the cost is in the price. HGVs over 7.5 t and road trains may not drive on Sundays and public holidays from midnight to 22:00, and in July and August also on Saturdays from 07:00 to 19:00. Slovak public holidays only partly match Czech ones, and the list has changed in recent years, so we check every date against the current driving-ban calendar.
Van, rigid or artic?
Over short distances a different vehicle often pays off than on long-haul lanes. A few pallets or an urgent part can go in a van under 3.5 t, which is subject neither to the lorry ban nor to the HGV toll and may run on a Sunday. For 7–18 pallets we use a rigid lorry or a part load, and from about 18 pallets a full articulated trailer. If you send single pallets regularly, groupage saves money but takes a little longer.
Check the price in the freight calculator. Neighbouring countries: freight from Poland, freight from Hungary and freight from Austria; other states are on the EU countries overview.