TRANSPORTS BOCK: "TRUCKING WILL CONTINUE"

We sat down with longtime Klauner customer and friend, Romain Bock of Transports Bock Sarl, to discuss how the Luxembourg trucking industry has been affected by the ongoing health crisis. Along the way we learn about the challenges and highlights of working in an industry that is increasingly being given the credit it deserves.

Third generation heir to a family business that was started by his uncle in 1977, Transports Bock was taken over by his father NAME in 1981 and then passed on to Romain in 2010.

With a focus on supplying the Luxembourg and Benelux markets, the company regularly does tours of Italy, back up through France or Germany. Above all, Klauner wanted to know – how do you see the future of trucking throughout the crisis?

Klauner:   How are drivers doing now?

Bock:      “One of the hardest parts has been for our drivers to survive the new reality. For a long time there were no rest, food or sanitation services provided for them on the road. In many ways, truck drivers have been the unsung heroes of this crisis. Many of them lived on the road for days at a time to ensure that Luxembourg’s essentials can continue.”

Klauner:   But with the easing of restrictions, we have to ask ourselves, how do you see the economy now that the borders have opened up?

Bock:      Traditionally we work a circle. Trucking is by nature a sustainable business – so we very rarely deliver a load without picking one back up immediately. It’s always about coming and going with the items our customers need. In that sense, our traditional routine has been to descend from Luxembourg through France, empty our loads in Switzerland and then descend further into Italy, where we traditionally load up on Italian ceramic tiles for the construction industry in Luxembourg and Benelux markets.

Klauner:   What changes have you found in that routine?

Bock:      Because we can’t automatically make our loads as sustainable as they once were, in some cases we only go to Italy to pick up the tiles. Then we come back. This makes our costs higher for our customers. But that is ok – they understand. We are very transparent in our business – many of our customers have been with us for generations. They depend on us. They under- stand that these are unusual circumstances – but it is a great disturbance to business as usual.

Klauner:   Where can our readers find the positive in this story?

Bock:      Happily for Transports Bock, 90% of our business has always been in construction. This sector remains strong in Luxembourg for the moment. Buildings and infrastructure projects continue unabated and demand remains strong enough to keep us in business. We also have additional specialisations that make our core expertise in tiles unique and useful to our clientele. For example, we have special unloading devices that we include at the back of our trucks. When we deliver a load to a construction site, we make sure to unload on the exact site they wish to have their items delivered.

Klauner:   What is the most positive outcome that we can focus on?

Bock:      The price of diesel has gone down and trucking has never had such visibility in the market before. Finally people realise how vital our contribution to the economy truly is.