BHS Forwarding & Logistics

What BHS Forwarding & Logistics does

BHS Spedition und Logistik GmbH is a Bremen-headquartered, privately held freight forwarding and contract logistics company founded in 2004 as a joint venture between three German logistics operators — Bursped, a.hartrodt, and Schmidt-Gevelsberg (the BHS consortium). The company employs approximately 70 staff at its Ludwig-Erhard-Straße headquarters and operates as a franchise partner of CargoLine, a nationwide German LTL cooperative founded in 1993 with 53+ German members and partners in 43+ countries.

The company's commercial surface spans four transport modes — national and European road (NightLine family), sea (SeaLine LCL/FCL via Hamburg, Bremen, Rotterdam), air (BHStandard, BHSwifter, BHSuperior, BHSpecial tiers), and rail along the China-Europe Silk Road corridor — alongside charter services and contract logistics covering warehousing, order picking, C-parts logistics, and supply chain management across nine industry verticals (automotive, chemicals, e-commerce, healthcare/pharma, food, aerospace, machinery, paper, and consumer goods). It operates a temperature-controlled ThermoLine service, an open customs warehouse (OZL) for duty deferment, and specialized B2C delivery (B2CLine) with consumer pre-notification across Germany and ten European countries. Compliance posture inherits ISO 9001, 14001, 14064 and DIN EN 16258 certifications at the network level, HACCP for food (Intertek-audited), and GxP/GDP capability for pharmaceutical transport.

BHS sells through a B2B channel model anchored on CargoLine brand and network infrastructure: customer acquisition combines network referrals, direct outreach, trade fair participation (notably transport logistic Munich), a twice-yearly CargoTime customer magazine, and the Cepra digital customer portal with DFÜ EDI integration and a 2025-launched mobile app featuring AI-assisted package dimension capture. Revenue derives primarily from per-shipment transaction fees across freight forwarding modes plus managed-service contract logistics fees, with a usage-based weekly diesel surcharge (Dieselfloater, 0-31%) passed through to customers alongside state-mandated toll and CO2 costs. Premium SKUs (NightLineFix, NightLineEurope NextDay, NightLineBalance CO2 offset, NightLineEco ~13% lower-emissions option) provide price-tier differentiation.

Name

BHS Forwarding & Logistics

Legal name

BHS Spedition und Logistik GmbH

Website

https://bhs-spedition.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BHS Spedition und Logistik GmbH is a Bremen-based freight forwarder and contract logistics provider founded in 2004, operating as a CargoLine franchise partner to deliver road, sea, air, and rail transport plus warehousing to B2B customers across nine European industry verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding & Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), General Freight Trucking (4841), Couriers and Express Delivery Services (492110)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Standard Parcel & Ground Parcel Networks (TLAAACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Cargo Air Freight Forwarding (Airport-to-Airport / Door-to-Door) (TLACAAAA), Premium B2B Express & Scheduled Time-Window Delivery (TLAAABAE), Export/Import Documentation Preparation (Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipper’s Letter of Instruction) (TLACAHAD)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Less-than-truckload transport
• Contract logistics
• Multimodal freight services
• Supply chain management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Revenue generated from arranging domestic and international road freight (partial and full loads), sea freight, air freight, and rail freight shipments. Services include LCL consolidation, charter, and project cargo.
2. Contract Logistics: Revenue from warehousing, storage, order picking, C-parts logistics, and supply chain management services across multiple industry verticals including automotive, pharma, food, and e-commerce.
3. Premium Transport Products: Revenue from value-added transport services including NightLine (next-day), NightLineFix (time-window delivery), NightLineEurope, B2CLine (B2C delivery), and NightLineEco/NightLineBalance (sustainable transport) products.
4. Fuel Surcharge (Dieselfloater): Dynamic diesel surcharge applied as a percentage that adjusts weekly based on average diesel prices, ranging from 0% at €1.20/liter to 31% at €3.44/liter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BHS Spedition und Logistik GmbH is a freight forwarder that arranges domestic and international road, sea, air, and rail transport of piece goods, partial loads, and full loads for business customers, supplemented by contract logistics (warehousing, picking, supply chain management), charter services, customs services including an open customs warehouse, and B2C last-mile delivery. The company operates as a CargoLine franchise partner, leveraging the network's digital Cepra platform for track-and-trace, CO2 reporting, and automated EDI order processing.

Product overview

BHS Spedition und Logistik GmbH operates as a freight forwarding and logistics company offering a comprehensive suite of transport services through the CargoLine network. The portfolio centers on less-than-truckload (LTL) parcel services under the NightLine family brand (NightLine, NightLine NextDay, NightLinePlus, NightLineFix for national; NightLineEurope Priority, NightLineEurope NextDay, NightLineEurope Fix, NightLineEurope Receipt for international), supplemented by B2C delivery services, environmental products (NightLineBalance, NightLineEco), ocean freight (SeaLine), air freight (BHStandard, BHSwifter, BHSuperior, BHSpecial), rail freight, charter services, and contract logistics across industries including Automotive, Chemicals, E-Commerce, Healthcare/Pharma, Food, Aerospace, and Machinery. The Cepra platform serves as the digital customer portal for tracking, documentation, and communication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NightLine (National Road Freight) Standard overnight parcel and piece-good delivery service within Germany using the regular transit time framework through the CargoLine network, for B2B shippers needing reliable nationwide distribution.
• NightLine NextDay Next-day delivery service for national shipments within Germany offered as part of the NightLine product family.
• NightLinePlus Enhanced overnight delivery service with additional features for national shipments in Germany.
• NightLineFix Time-definite domestic delivery service with precise time-window options for national shipments in Germany, designed for time-critical B2B and B2C needs.
• NightLineEurope Priority Priority cross-border delivery service with preferred transit times across Europe via the NightLineEurope family.
• NightLineEurope NextDay 24-hour direct cross-border delivery service to recipients across Europe.
• NightLineEurope Fix Time-definite cross-border delivery service with precise time windows across Europe.
• NightLineEurope Receipt Delivery-note service for European shipments enabling proof-of-delivery documentation.
• B2CLine Business-to-consumer delivery service with shipment notification for private recipients in Germany, used by online retailers needing consumer-friendly delivery.
• B2CLine Europe Cross-border B2C notification service for private recipients in Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland.
• NightLineBalance Carbon offset compensation product financing certified environmental projects to offset transport-related CO2 emissions for national and international shipments.
• NightLineEco Eco-friendly delivery option reducing CO2 footprint through flexible delivery dates (3-4 day transit), achieving approximately 13% emissions reduction compared with conventional shipments.
• SeaLine (Sea Freight) Global ocean freight service offering LCL (less-than-container-load) and FCL (full container load) shipments worldwide through Hamburg, Bremen, and Rotterdam ports, with pre- and post-carriage, customs clearance, and insurance.
• BHStandard (Air Freight) Standard air freight service with approximately 5-7 day transit time between origin and destination airports, balancing cost and speed for non-urgent shipments.
• BHSwifter (Air Freight) Express air freight service with 3-4 day transit time using consolidated air freight with multiple weekly departures depending on route.
• BHSuperior (Air Freight) Premium air freight service with 1-2 day transit time using next available direct flight for time-critical shipments.
• BHSpecial (Air Freight) Custom air freight solutions for special handling requirements including charter, slot-charter, and onboard courier services.
• Bahnfracht (Rail Freight) Rail transport service along the modern Silk Route connecting Central Asia (Suzhou, Yiwu, Zhengzhou, Wuhan) with Europe (Duisburg/Hamburg) in 14-24 days, with weekly departures and door-to-door service as an alternative to sea and air freight.
• Charter Services Customized charter transport solutions for full or partial loads when standard services do not meet customer requirements.
• Contract Logistics Customized logistics services including warehousing, order picking, co-packing, supply chain management, time-critical outbound processes, and C-parts logistics across automotive, chemicals, e-commerce, healthcare/pharma, food, aerospace, machinery, paper, and consumer goods verticals.
• LCL Consolidation Service Less-than-container-load consolidation services for shipping to Dubai and Arab Gulf destinations via Hamburg/Bremen/Rotterdam ports.
• Offenes Zolllager (Open Customs Warehouse) Customs storage facility enabling duty-deferred storage of imported goods under customs supervision.
• Paketlogistik (Parcel Logistics) Parcel shipping and logistics services for smaller shipments via the CargoLine network.
• Cepra Mobile App Native mobile app for Android and iOS providing shipment tracking, AI camera-based package dimensioning, push notifications, delivery permission, order cancellation, pickup vehicle ordering, document scanning, and CO2 emission tracking for BHS customers and their consignees.

Quantifiable outcome

• CargoLine network processes approximately 12.48 million shipments annually (2023), with €1.55 billion in combined network revenue.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CargoLinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2004BHS is a franchise partner of CargoLine, a German less-than-truckload (LTL) freight network founded in 1993. The CargoLine network comprises 53+ mid-sized transport and logistics companies in Germany and partners in 43+ countries globally. BHS operates under the CargoLine brand and system for domestic and international freight forwarding, benefiting from shared IT systems (Cepra), standardized quality processes, and the network's collective marketing and operational infrastructure.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gebrüder Weiss: Austrian-German family-owned logistics group with land transport, air & sea freight, and contract logistics across Europe. Comparable to BHS as a privately-held, multi-generational European forwarder competing for the same mid-market B2B customer base.
• Emons Spedition: German family-owned freight forwarder focused on road transport, LTL/FTL, and intermodal services with its own network across Germany and Europe. Directly comparable to BHS on road-forwarding model and family/mid-sized ownership.
• Logwin AG: European B2B freight forwarding and contract logistics specialist with air, sea, and road services plus warehousing. Comparable to BHS in multi-modal scope, vertical mix (industrial/consumer), and European mid-market positioning.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Osnabrück-headquartered mid-sized German forwarder with road, air, sea, and contract logistics across automotive, healthcare, fashion, and consumer goods. Closely comparable to BHS in size, multi-modal scope, vertical depth, and German family/privately-held ownership profile.
• Streck Logistik: German family-owned freight forwarder specializing in national and European LTL/general cargo and part of the 24plus logistics network. Closely comparable to BHS on LTL model, family/mid-sized ownership, and German mid-market B2B customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Rhenus Logistics: German-headquartered forwarding and contract logistics group with road, rail, air, sea, and warehousing across Europe and globally. Comparable in multi-modal offering and German mid-market customer base, but with broader international reach and contract-logistics scale than BHS.
• DSV: Danish global mega-forwarder with road, air, and sea freight plus contract logistics after the DB Schenker acquisition. Competes with BHS for the same German mid-market B2B customers and the same European road lanes, but at vastly larger scale.
• DB Schenker: German rail-rooted global logistics provider with European road, air, sea, and contract logistics. Now under DSV ownership but historically a direct competitor of BHS for German industrial and automotive freight.
• Dachser: One of Europe's largest family-owned road freight and contract logistics providers, with deep German LTL/FTL network and global air & sea forwarding. Directly comparable to BHS on multi-modal road-based forwarding for B2B customers, but materially larger and operating its own (not franchise) network.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Swiss-headquartered global freight forwarder with air, sea, road, and contract logistics. Overlaps with BHS in road and air freight forwarding for B2B customers but operates at global mega-scale with proprietary digital platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bhs-spedition-und-logistik-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/bhs_bremen
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BHS Forwarding & Logistics