Hertleer Transport of Bassevelde/Assenede has a long history when it comes to transport. In the 1950s, grandfather Hertleer started the company, using just a horse and cart to fill silos on farms. When the third generation took over running the company, they took a number of decisions, including use of the first moving-floor trailer. Those decisions are what made the company what it is today - a flexible and reliable transport company with 9 Kraker moving-floor trailers in its fleet.
Why Hertleer Transport opts for moving-floor trailers
‘In 1995, I completed a business management course and joined Hertleer Transport immediately. It’s an industry that has always appealed to me. It’s vibrant, with lots of variety and challenges. You make so many great memories that stay with you forever. It’s perhaps also the job in which you can most be yourself - everyone takes you just as you are,’ explains Joeri Hertleer, who is in charge of everyday management of the company.
‘Back in 2006, I already knew we needed to organise transport at Hertleer differently. Me and my brother, we drove over to Kraker in Axel and had an in-depth consultation. We then purchased our first Kraker, a CF-200. It was immediately clear that this was the future for us and so we purchased a second.’
At the same time, Hertleer decided to stop transporting cattle feed. ‘On the Assenede side, you find mostly small farms. I thought that was something that probably wouldn't last, and that kind of transport always had problems associated with it. The smaller farms were particularly busy on Fridays and we just couldn’t schedule driving and rest periods properly,’ explains Joeri.
The company decided to change course and switch to transporting pallets, bulk products, rolls of paper, etc. ‘We transport everything in the moving-floor trailers actually, except metal and scrap.’
‘We also have some Tautliners, for transporting beverages. If we’re not transporting beverages back with us, they go in the moving-floor trailers as well. The moving-floor trailers give me more flexibility in what I can bring back,’ says Joeri.
Hertleer Transport operates in the Benelux and France, especially around Paris.
How Hertleer Transport keeps its drivers healthy and motivated
The future seemed to be smiling on the Hertleer brothers until one terrible day in 2012 when Joeri’s brother suddenly passed away. It was a big shock, Joeri explains. ‘Only 46 years of age. It was totally unexpected. Suddenly the world seemed to be standing still.’ ‘But in our line of work, standing still isn’t an option. It was a harsh reminder that I needed to look after my own health too.’
He decided to take a different route and began playing sports. He now completes several marathons a year AND is very passionate about helping his drivers lead a healthy lifestyle. ‘We keep a close eye on our drivers - are they taking enough rest, do they seem fit, are they drinking enough water? If a driver isn’t feeling well or is sleepy, we insist that he park up immediately. Better an angry e-mail from a customer than a road traffic accident.’ This is characteristic of how Hertleer is run - top-notch customer service and consideration for driver well-being.
Why K-Force is the ideal moving-floor trailer for Hertleer Transport
‘And then came K-Force. I’ll be honest about it, I was initially quite reticent. K-Force trailers seemed very lightweight to me. And at Hertleer, we ran into some specific problems that our kind of transport brings with it.
‘But then, when you get the next trailer, you see that the trailer has been modified and the problem has been fixed. Kraker is always working to perfect its trailers. Jan de Kraker was very involved in modifying the Hertleer trailers himself. That’s important, that solution mindset, it inspires confidence.’
K-Force has been a very good moving-floor trailer for many years and at Hertleer, we are very satisfied with them.’ ‘If you need to replace a part, K-Force makes it easy, you just fit it. You order the part and a few days later, you have it. Sometimes I drive over to Axel myself to pick something up and very quickly, the trailer is like new again. We do most of the maintenance ourselves, but if it’s something really specialised, sometimes we go to KTTC in Nisse. They know exactly what to do, they are very precise and know everything there is to know about Kraker trailers.’
‘If you want to be at the top of your game, it has to be Kraker. The doors line up nicely, the finish is perfect. As a Belgian, I probably shouldn't say it, but it really is a Dutch finish!’ jokes Joeri.
The strong partnership between Kraker and Hertleer Transport
‘Jan de Kraker is a good entrepreneur, a smart guy. But as a person, he is also very “ordinary” and someone you can really connect with. I rode with him on his boat once and that’s when I really got to know him. I never told Jan, but after that day on the boat, I enrolled in sailing school, got my licence and became a water fanatic as well.’