Today, former minister and Member of Parliament for The Liberals, Hans Christian Schmidt, inaugurated Danske Fragtmænd’s new freight terminal in Hammelev, Vojens

About 100 invited guests were present at the inauguration in Hammelev, and it was the local carrier Lars Elsborg Jensen from Godstransporten Kolding A/S who proudly welcomed the many guests in the new freight terminal:

- Welcome to all of you, how lovely it is to see so many guests at the inauguration of our new freight terminal in Hammelev. We were slightly surprised when we read in the newspaper that the freight terminal on Sverigesvej had been sold, and on short notice we had to find a suitable location for a new terminal. It turned out to be a positive relocation in Haderslev that was rather impacted by our presence. Our moving out has reduced traffic as we had 160 trucks driving to and from the terminal every day.

The lot on which the new terminal has been built is located near the entrance to the E45 and will, undoubtedly, improve the logistics for Danske Fragtmænd and, not least, reduce heavy traffic in Haderslev City. Danske Fragtmænd's decision to construct a new freight terminal in Haderslev's surrounding area instead of looking for new premises further north is based on a distinct desire to maintain the local workplace for the 87 employees and drivers who work in the terminal. In addition, the decision also strongly signals that the carrier group believes in a bright future for the area.

Improved dialogue with and trust in the carrier industry

In his inauguration speech, Hans Christian Schmidt emphasised, among other things, the importance of establishing more trust and dialogue between the politicians in Christiansborg and the carrier industry.

- In this area, the politicians have an important task. Instead of a distrustful approach to the industry, we should meet you with confidence. Believe that everyone is trying to comply with regulations, and if something goes wrong anyway, then provide guidance to bring everything back to normal again. Simply imposing large fines is too easy, although it may sound good in the press. There was no doubt that Hans Christian Schmidt's desire to improve dialogue is rooted in the new and increased sanctions against trucks and buses that do not meet safety requirements. The new rules which were introduced at the turn of the year have caused heavy debate in the industry which finds the requirements to be unreasonable and difficult to control. In this area as well, Hans Christian Schmidt did not beat abound the bush: - Naturally, everyone must comply with the rules and, of course, improper behaviour must be sanctioned. But to punish an entire industry because of a few who do not act properly - it's plain indecent.

Finally, Hans Christian Schmidt commended the local carrier, Lars Elsborg Jensen, for his commitment to Danske Fragtmænd and the company’s employees. The inauguration ended with an informal lunch and a tour of the terminal.

Facts on Danske Fragtmænd

There have been freight carriers in Denmark for more than 100 years. To begin with, the transport took place on human backs and by horse carriages. As of the First World War, motorised vehicles began to turn up, and carriers have transported the freight by trucks ever since. For many years, Danske Fragtmænd was organised as a limited liability company, but in 2007, all the carriers’ powers and competencies were combined into one joint-stock company named Danske Fragtmænd A/S.

• Danske Fragtmænd A/S was established on 1 September 2007.
• Net sales in 2018 2.9 billion DKK.
• Owned by 40 carriers across Denmark.
• 24 freight centres in the entire country with approximately 1,200 employees.
• Approximately 2,000 drivers, employed by the individual carriers.
• 1,800 vehicles.
• 5 million shipments annually - including home appliances, electronics, spare parts and groceries.
• 40,000 business clients
• Transport and distribution with next-day delivery anywhere in Denmark, Sweden and Schleswig Holsten.

Facts on Danske Fragtmænd Hammelev

In the beginning of November 2019, Danske Fragtmænd moved into a newly constructed terminal in Hammelev, approximately seven kilometres west of Haderslev City. Danske Fragtmænd’s former terminal on Sverigesvej had become too small and outdated.

• Official inauguration on 24 January 2020 by Member of Parliament Hans Christian Schmidt.
• Ground area: 36,225 square metres.
• Built area: A freight terminal of 7,039 square metres and an administration building of 555 square metres.
• The construction work required moving 56,000 cubic meters of soil, equivalent to 560,000 wheelbarrows or 5,600,000 buckets. In addition, 50,000 cubic metres of sand have been driven in, equalling 500,000 wheelbarrows or 5,000,000 buckets.
• Furthermore, the construction required approximately 4,500 tons of concrete, 1,500 screws, 20 kilometres of felt roofing sheets, 11,500 metres of electrical cables, 512 metres of plumbing pipes. The terminal’s steel structure weighs 181,000 kg.
• Suitably located near the E45 at Hammelev.
• 87 employees. Of these, 22 are employed by Danske Fragtmænd for terminal operation. The remaining 65 are drivers employed by the local carrier Godstransporten Kolding.
• Every day, 160 trucks goes to and from Danske Fragtmænd Hammelev to carry goods to and from Southern Jutland.
• 55 ports for loading and unloading the trucks.
• Around 652,000 shipments to and from Hammelev annually.