Freight from Slovenia to the Czech Republic
From Slovenia we mainly bring household appliances, pharmaceuticals, car parts, aluminium and steel, paper and wood products to the Czech Republic, along with overseas goods stored at the port of Koper. A full load from Ljubljana to Prague (about 700 km) usually takes 1–2 days via Austria. The calculator gives you an indicative price, and we email a firm quote.
Where in Slovenia the goods we carry are made
With around two million inhabitants Slovenia is a small country, yet its industrial base is surprisingly varied. Much of what it exports is assembled, processed further or sold on in the Czech Republic, and collections are spread over a few medium-sized towns:
| City | Industry | What we typically carry from there |
|---|---|---|
| Ljubljana | pharmaceuticals, electrical engineering, food | medicines, electrical products, food |
| Novo mesto | car plant, pharmaceuticals | car parts, medicines |
| Velenje | household appliances | washing machines, refrigerators, ovens |
| Maribor | metalworking, automotive suppliers, aluminium from the Ptuj area | metal parts, car parts, aluminium products |
| Celje | metalworking, chemicals | metal goods, pigments and basic chemicals |
| Kranj | tyre manufacturing, electrical engineering | tyres, electrical components |
| Jesenice | steelmaking | steel plate, stainless steel |
Medicines travel under temperature control, automotive parts in a curtainsider booked against a fixed delivery slot, and steel coils in a coil-well trailer. Sawn timber, furniture, paper and board are collected in the forested north and south of the country, usually onto a curtainsider that opens at the side.
Washing machines, fridges and cookers take up a lot of room but weigh little, so the trailer fills up by space long before it reaches its weight limit – a mega trailer with roughly three metres of internal height pays off. Aluminium and steel work the other way round: the payload is used up while floor space is still free. That is why we always ask for both dimensions and weight.
Koper: overseas cargo we collect in Slovenia
Koper is Slovenia’s only cargo port and one of the main Adriatic gateways to central Europe. It handles containers from Asia, new cars and large volumes of tropical fruit, bananas above all. Many Czech importers keep stock in logistics warehouses inside the port or nearby and call it off by the pallet or the full load.
If overseas goods have not yet been released for free circulation in the EU, they travel to the Czech Republic under a transit procedure and are cleared there. A customs agent opens the transit declaration; we provide the truck and book the collection with the warehouse. Bananas and other fruit from Koper go in a reefer at the temperature set by the consignee.
Which way the truck goes
From Ljubljana and Maribor the usual route crosses into Austrian Styria at Šentilj/Spielfeld. Past Graz the driver either takes the Pyhrn motorway towards Linz and České Budějovice or heads via Vienna and Brno, depending on where the goods are delivered. From western Slovenia and Koper many trucks use the Karawanks tunnel to Villach instead.
Tolls and weekend restrictions
Since 2018 every vehicle over 3.5 t in Slovenia has paid the barrier-free electronic toll DarsGo. Trucks pass under the toll gantries without stopping and are charged via the carrier’s on-board unit; the vignette applies only to lighter vehicles.
Lorries over 7.5 t may not run on Sundays and public holidays between 8 am and 10 pm. In summer, roughly until early September, Saturday mornings are added, with longer hours on some coastal roads. Because Austria’s weekend ban already starts on Saturday afternoon, we time Friday collections so the truck crosses the border that same day or sets off on Sunday evening.
Smaller consignments and combined loads
Single pallets from Slovenia travel by groupage, which is slower than a full load but much better value for small volumes. If you also buy from suppliers in Austria or Croatia, we can combine the goods in one truck with several pick-ups along the way. See our pages on freight from Austria and freight from Croatia, or the overview of all EU countries. Work out a price for your consignment in the calculator.