The contact between Bosman Transport in Nisse and Kraker Trailers goes way back. Jan de Kraker has been at the helm of the Axel plant for even longer. Back in the day, Bosman was purchasing tippers from the ‘old’ Kraker.
Bosman’s specialisation lies in transporting mostly bulk agricultural products and products on pallets. The operational area is Western Europe. Bosman uses both K-Forces and tippers.
Moving floor trailers proved a real turning point
Bosman Transport was founded by Gilles Bosman in 1924. Wiebe Bosman is now the fourth generation of the Bosman family to manage the company, which is characterised by its familial atmosphere and ‘flat’ organisational structure. All parts of the company, from scheduling to management, workshop and administration are located on the same site in Nisse.
‘We were already purchasing vehicles from Carrosseriefabriek de Kraker (under the previous owner, ed.) when Jan was not yet involved. Those vehicles were aluminium tippers. That must have been in the early 1990s. The tippers were fitted with special cooling equipment and were used to transport mussels. When Jan de Kraker, together with Jan Scheele, took over the company, things remained as they were - at least at first. Kraker even developed another tipper with a side door for us. A major turning point was the arrival of the moving-floor trailer,’ recounts Giljo Bosman. ‘That meant real change as we could combine journeys. It was better for the drivers and the trailers weighed much less. Every transporter knows “the fewer empty miles and the lower the weight, the better”. The Kraker trailer is flexible enough to do just that. As an example, a trip to Germany is more efficient if we take pallets out with us and return with bulk cargo.’
All moving-floor trailers at Bosman are Krakers
Virtually all vehicles in the Bosman fleet are Krakers, with the exception of the tippers. Wiebe, son of Giljo and the current directors, explains that increasing numbers of K-Force trailers are also used during the beetroot season. ‘We used to deploy around 80 per cent tipper, but now it’s more like 50/50.’
During the beetroot season, Bosman uses mostly K-Force Agri moving-floor trailers. The perfect ‘Bosman configuration’ emerged during the course of the partnership. For Bosman, the high quality combined with the low net weight and maximum load capacity of the K-Force are crucial.
The decision to opt for the K-Force Agri, alongside the standard K-Forces, makes perfect sense - this type of trailer is shorter, which makes it easier to manoeuvre in often tight farmyard spaces. These trailers are also ideal for products with a high specific weight.
Takeover by AB Texel Group
Bosman Transport has been part of the AB Texel Group since 2018 - the latter acquired a number of Zeeland transport companies in 2018 (Bosman Transport, Minnaard Transport and Inter. Transportbedrijf Van de Swaluw) and brought them together into a newly formed business unit.
This merger has allowed AB Texel Group to serve customers more broadly when it comes to the transport of bulk agricultural products, such as vegetables, grass, sugar beet and cereals, pallets and conditioned transport.
Moving-floor trailers with a hopper
All of those years working together provide scope for some great memories. ‘We trialled a lot together, me and Kraker,’ explains Giljo with a laugh. ‘Like when we transported apples for Coroos. To make unloading as smooth as possible, we started to experiment a little with hoppers. A fixed hopper, a loose one, one integrated into the trailer... You name it, we tried it. But when we started getting more apple sauce from the trailer than apples, we realised we might not be getting it quite right.’
‘We have also tried other makes in the past,’ explains Giljo honestly, ‘kind of like sampling - you want to know if another trailer works just as well. But no matter what, we have always come back to Kraker.’ Wiebe adds, ‘Bosman currently has 100 per cent Kraker moving-floor trailers.’
Kraker ambassadors
Wiebe takes over from his father and continues, ‘You could see us as Kraker ambassadors really. When people ask us why we have so many Krakers, we always give the same answer - the quality of the trailers. The K-Forces that we have now, they’re just the best, and that’s all there is to it.’
At Bosman, all maintenance is carried out by service partner KTTC. ‘It took quite a while for us to fully master the K-Force, straight after its introduction. But that period is behind us,’ says Wiebe. ‘By having our own workshop business (KTTC), we get to know where the areas of concern are quickly.’
‘Even then, you still have to keep your faith in such a new concept. We are also committed to our workshop team - to act immediately and not to let things drag on. We recently had issues with a series of new trucks, there were too many problems. We acted quickly. Everything will turn out okay, of course, but sometimes you have no choice but to intervene.’
‘Ultimately, Jan is still the only one in the market making the bolted chassis,’ says Wiebe. ‘We even had a demonstration model to use for a while too. Kraker has done a great job, really, other developers won’t even try. You need to turn an entire plant upside down, need a new production line and ultimately, have to overcome certain challenges. You have to be prepared to do all of that if you’re launching something new. Kraker was, and they succeeded.’
You don’t ruin a good relationship
Giljo and Wiebe agree wholeheartedly that having a strong relationship is essential.
Director Wiebe Bosman and sales manager Thomas de Kraker of Smart Trailer Solutions have that strong relationship. ‘Yes, we get in touch with one another every week, even if only briefly. We are now hiring twelve additional K-Forces through STS until the end of the year; contacts for that go through Thomas. We have a strong relationship and don’t intend to change it. You’re building something together - literally and figuratively. We needed shorter trailers, 50 cm shorter than usual and they're happy to build those for you in Axel. Eventually, that size became a standard.’ explains Wiebe.
Everything’s quite interwoven, Giljo explains. ‘It's more complex than just Kraker/Bosman,’ adds Wiebe, ‘more complex than transporter and supplier. You’re often changing the hat that you wear.’
‘Since 2024, the number of K-Force Agri trailers has grown significantly, from eight to twelve. Those trailers have some special options - a different roof perhaps, a 6 mm floor and options that make the trailers as lightweight as possible. We will still keep hold of some tippers - you might need to dose cargo onto a belt when you’re unloading, for example,’ explains Wiebe, highlighting the vehicles’ interchangeable use.
Bosman also has some older Krakers still on the road, from before the K-Force was introduced. Wiebe continues, ‘That you don’t now know immediately which is which type says something. It means that they are all equally good.’
A large and flexible range for our customers
‘Since 2021, we haven’t bought anything other than Kraker. That personal contact, the response to queries, that’s typical Jan. We can say anything to one another.’
Giljo Bosman concludes, ‘Everything we do, we do with continuity in mind. Joining forces creates a network that allows us to increase both the range and flexibility for our customers.’ Wiebe is in full agreement.