How long does silo trailer transport from Chorula to Berlin take?

Net driving time from Chorula to Berlin: 6-7 hours (520 km). Including mandatory driver breaks (working time: max 4.5h continuous driving + a 45 min break, 9h driving daily): typically 1 day if loading takes place in the morning. Driving bans: in DE on Sundays and public holidays from 00:00 to 22:00 (ban for vehicles >7.5 t). Route planning takes these restrictions into account.

Do PHS Magnum tractors have Euro 6 for entering Umweltzone?

Yes — all 26 DAF XF 480 tractors in the fleet have Euro 6 engines (EuroVI-E). Entry into all Umweltzone in Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Cologne) without restriction. A current emission conformity certificate for every vehicle, green Umweltplakette (4) stickers.

What documents are needed for transport to Germany?

Standard: CMR (international consignment note), commercial invoice, transport document (Frachtpapier). For ADR materials — additionally the vehicle's and driver's ADR certificates and ADR transport documents. For food and food-contact materials — a hygiene certificate and a chamber cleanliness certificate. All documents in electronic + paper form ready to show at an inspection.

The most frequent DACH routes from Chorula?

From the Chorula base (4 km from the A4) the most frequent directions are: (1) Berlin/Brandenburg — via A4 → A12 → 6-7h, (2) Leipzig/Saxony — A4 → A14 → 5-6h, (3) Dresden → 3-4h, (4) Prague (Czechia) → 4-5h, (5) Vienna (Austria) → 7-8h, (6) Munich/Bavaria → 9-10h, (7) Hamburg/northern Germany → 10-11h. All westbound directions go via the Görlitz/Zgorzelec crossing (A4).

What are the fixed costs of DACH transport?

The cost of silo transport from Poland to DACH depends on the distance, the material and the duration (loading window at the producer + transit + unloading + waiting). Standard elements: road tolls (DE Maut), AdBlue, border charges (post-Brexit with the UK), parking fees. For regular customers a monthly contract rate. Individual quote on request.

What about driver working time on DACH routes?

EU Regulation 561/2006: a maximum of 9h driving per day (up to 10h twice a week), a 45 min break after 4.5h of continuous driving, 11h daily rest (reduced to 9h max 3× a week). Weekly maximum 56h driving + 90h over 2 weeks. PHS Magnum keeps schedules within these limits — drivers never drive beyond them. Violations = an ITD fine + vehicle suspension.

Do you handle transport outside the EU?

We do not perform transports to countries outside Schengen requiring border customs clearance (the UK after Brexit, Norway, Switzerland). We operate exclusively in the EU: Poland + Germany + Austria + Czechia + Slovakia + the Netherlands + Belgium + France + Italy + Spain. For destinations outside the EU — we connect customers with industry partners (carriers specialising in customs clearance).

What about weekend driving restrictions in DE/AT?

Germany and Austria have a driving ban for vehicles >7.5 t on Sundays and public holidays from 00:00 to 22:00. For transports to Germany we plan loading Monday-Friday with arrival at the consignee no later than Saturday evening. Exceptions: drivers en route may stand at motorway parking areas but not move. Some materials (perishable FRC goods) have exemptions — those are other cargo groups, not ours.

17.03.2024

Silo Trailer Routes from Poland to Germany, Austria, Czechia

Transloading granulate from big-bags into a silo trailer

In brief

PHS Magnum’s silo trailer routes from the Chorula base cover Poland and the entire EU (mainly Germany, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia). A fleet of 26 DAF Euro 6 tractors + 31 silo trailers of 55–65 m³, all certified for Umweltzone entry.

Direction	Distance	Driving time	Typical delivery time
Berlin	520 km	6-7 h	1 day
Dresden	280 km	3-4 h	1 day
Prague	380 km	4-5 h	1 day
Leipzig	460 km	5-6 h	1 day
Vienna	600 km	7-8 h	1 day
Munich	780 km	9-10 h	2 days
Hamburg	820 km	10-11 h	2 days
Frankfurt	850 km	11-12 h	2 days
Stuttgart	920 km	12-13 h	2 days
Rotterdam (NL)	1,100 km	13-14 h	2 days

Chorula’s geographical position — a logistics asset

The PHS Magnum base is 4 km from the A4 motorway interchange (Gogolin) and 180 km from the Polish-German border. That allows us to serve all of western and southern Europe:

A4 → A12 (DE) → Berlin/Brandenburg
A4 → A14/A38 (DE) → Leipzig/Saxony/Thuringia
A4 → CZ-D1 → Prague/Brno/Ostrava
A4 → CZ-D5 → Vienna/Linz (Austria)
A4 → A9 (DE) → Munich/Bavaria
A4 → A2 (DE) → Hamburg/northern Germany

Chorula’s position saves on average 150-300 km compared with a base in, say, Warsaw or Łódź — on every westbound delivery.

Main routes from Chorula

Berlin and Brandenburg (Berlin Brandenburg, the BER airport region)

Route: Chorula → A4 → Görlitz/Zgorzelec crossing → A4 (DE) → A12 → Berlin Distance: 520 km Net driving time: 6-7 h Typical delivery time: 1 day (loading 06:00 → unload 18:00)

Main consignees in Brandenburg: chemical plants in Schwedt, Eisenhüttenstadt, industrial parks along the A12. Frequent materials: PE/PP granulates, regranulates from Polish recyclers.

Dresden and Saxony

Route: Chorula → A4 → Görlitz → A4 (DE) → Dresden Distance: 280 km Driving time: 3-4 h Delivery time: typically 1 day (same-day possible with an early loading)

Dresden is the nearest large German hub to Chorula. Customers: chemical plants in Dresden-Heidenau, BASF sites, plastics plants in the area.

Leipzig and Halle

Route: Chorula → A4 → A14 → Leipzig Distance: 460 km Time: 5-6 h

Leipzig is the logistics centre of eastern Germany — a DHL hub, BMW Werk. Around Leipzig there is a large concentration of chemicals and packaging.

Prague and Czechia

Route: Chorula → A4 → CZ-D1 (via the Cieszyn/Krzyżowice → Bohumín crossing or Boboszów) Distance: 380 km Time: 4-5 h

Czechia is the second largest DACH market for PHS Magnum. A large base of polymer producers (Synthos Kralupy, Unipetrol). Brno (640 km, 7h) and Ostrava (220 km, 3h) — typical destinations.

Vienna and Austria

Route: Chorula → A4 → A1 (CZ) → A5 (AT) → Vienna Distance: 600 km Time: 7-8 h Delivery time: 1 day (planning loading Thursday-Friday with delivery to AT Monday morning)

Austria has its specifics: full motorway Maut, a night driving ban (22:00-05:00) on most motorways. Main consignees: Borealis Linz, OMV Schwechat, Wienerberger.

Munich and Bavaria

Route: Chorula → A4 → A17 → A9 → Munich Distance: 780 km Time: 9-10 h Delivery time: 2 days (arrival in the evening of day 1, unload on day 2)

Munich — a big automotive hub (BMW), chemicals (Wacker), packaging. Route via Dresden-Leipzig-Nuremberg.

Hamburg and northern Germany

Route: Chorula → A4 → A2/A24 → Hamburg Distance: 820 km Time: 10-11 h

Hamburg = the port + large chemical plants (Holborn, Mineralöl). The route typically requires 2 days — the driver takes the overnight rest somewhere between Berlin and Hamburg.

Restrictions on DACH routes

Weekend driving bans

Germany: Sundays and public holidays — a ban for vehicles >7.5 t GVW from 00:00 to 22:00. Drivers may stand at motorway parking areas but not move. Exceptions: vehicles with perishable goods (FRC), not ours.

Austria: Sundays and holidays — a ban 00:00-22:00 for >7.5 t. Additionally, on some sections (Brennerautobahn) a Saturday ban in the summer season.

Czechia: no weekend ban for vehicles >7.5 t — Sunday driving is allowed.

Italy: a ban on Sundays + statutory holidays, with hours changing seasonally (ministerial announcement).

Route planning must account for these bans. The PHS Magnum standard: delivery Friday evening or Monday morning, never “across” the weekend.

Driver working time (Regulation 561/2006)

A maximum of 9 h driving per day (up to 10h max 2× a week)
A 45 min break after 4.5h of continuous driving
11 h daily rest (reduced to 9h max 3× a week)
Weekly: max 56h driving
Over a 2-week period: max 90h

PHS Magnum runs digital tachographs, and the dispatcher verifies the records before every route. Violations = an ITD fine + vehicle detention for 24-72h.

Maut (road tolls)

Germany: Toll Collect, the rate depends on emissions + distance; a Euro 6 combination pays the lowest band.
Austria: GO-Box, per-kilometre electronic tolling, differentiated by emission class.
Czechia: MyTo electronic tolling on the motorway network.
Slovakia: Skytoll electronic tolling.
Italy, France, Spain: vignette-based + partly electronic.

Tolls are a significant transport cost — typically 20-30% of a DACH route’s costs. For regular customers they are included in the contract rate.

Transport documents

Basic (every transport)

CMR (Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road) — the international consignment note
Frachtbrief / Frachtpapier — the German domestic version
Commercial invoice — from the producer to the consignee
Certificate of origin (if required)

For chemical materials

MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) — safety data sheets, mandatory on board
REACH conformity certificate — chemicals registered in the EU
ADR Document (if a dangerous class) — the ADR transport document

For food-contact materials

Hygiene certificate — from the producer
Chamber cleanliness certificate (CEFIC Cleaning Document)
Food-grade certificate of the silo trailer (if required by the consignee)

For regranulates

Source certificate (information from the recycler — what the material comes from, which batch)
Analysis results (MFI, particle size distribution, optionally spectroscopy)
Certificate of conformity with EU 10/2011 (food-contact regulations)

Route planning — the PHS Magnum workflow

Order: the customer sends a notification with parameters: material (type, quantity), loading location, unloading location, deadline, additional requirements (washing, documents)
Silo trailer selection: the dispatcher picks a silo trailer matched to the material (Schmidt Polska, Spitzer SF/SK series, Feldbinder)
Driver selection: by availability + qualifications (ADR if required, foreign languages for DACH)
Positioning: the silo trailer arrives at the customer’s site within the notified window
Loading: 1-2h depending on the producer’s infrastructure
Route: according to plan, tachograph checks, reports from stops
Unloading: 1-1.5h at the consignee
CMR signed, invoice issued, documentation archived