ERKA
ERKA Internationale Spedition is a Stuttgart-based freight forwarder operating approximately 60 scheduled direct truck routes across 14+ European countries, with deepest density on Italy. The firm serves B2B shippers with ~170 employees, revenue exceeding €50M, and proprietary Lobster digital tracking.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersStuttgart, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ERKA does
ERKA Internationale Spedition GmbH is a Stuttgart-based freight forwarder founded in 1977, specializing in scheduled direct-route trucking (Linienverkehre) across Western Europe. The company operates approximately 60 fixed outbound lines serving 14 or more European countries plus 8 island services (Inselverkehre), with its deepest density on the Italy corridor where it runs 19 direct lines — a legacy of its founding specialization in Italian import/export traffic. Operations are anchored by an 8,500 sqm terminal in Stuttgart-Weilimdorf, a mix of own fleet and vetted partner capacity, and ISO 9001:2015 certified processes since November 2016.
The product portfolio pairs physical line-haul services with proprietary digital tools: the Lobster customer portal for direct shipment data submission, online shipment tracking with up to 150 days of post-delivery history, and a partner-facing POD documentation system. These tools function as workflow utilities for recurring B2B shippers rather than standalone software products. ERKA employs approximately 170 people and reports annual revenue exceeding €50 million.
Revenue is generated transactionally through freight charges based on shipment weight, volume, and destination, with quote-based pricing and separate surcharges for special handling (exhibition deliveries, dangerous goods, waiting times, freight losses). The go-to-market is B2B sales-led with dedicated account managers, supplemented by a self-service online layer for shipment entry and tracking. Following the May 2023 sale to the Noerpel Family (effective January 1, 2023), ERKA operates as part of a larger family-owned logistics group while retaining its Western European route identity and brand.
ERKA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ERKA
- Legal name
- ERKA Internationale Spedition GmbH
- Website
- https://spedition-erka.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- ERKA Internationale Spedition is a Stuttgart-based freight forwarder operating approximately 60 scheduled direct truck routes across 14+ European countries, with deepest density on Italy. The firm serves B2B shippers with ~170 employees, revenue exceeding €50M, and proprietary Lobster digital tracking.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ERKA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Support Activities for Transportation (488)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Expedited Cross-Border Ground (USMCA/EU Time-Critical) (TLADANAH)
Keywords
Where ERKA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stuttgart
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
ERKA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Freight Transportation Services: Core business providing scheduled route transport (Linienverkehre) for goods across Western Europe. Revenue generated through transportation fees based on shipment weight, volume, and destination. Operates approximately 60 direct routes serving Italy, Spain, Portugal, UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Poland, and Baltic states.
- Additional Services and Surcharges: Additional costs such as exhibition deliveries/pickups, waiting times, freight losses, dangerous goods surcharges are billed separately
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
ERKA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ERKA is a freight forwarding company that operates scheduled direct transport routes (Linienverkehre) for cargo across Western Europe, running approximately 60 lines serving 14+ countries with strong focus on Italy as its core market. The service is supported by an 8,500 sqm transshipment warehouse in Stuttgart, an owned fleet combined with vetted partners, and digital tools (Lobster shipment submission, online tracking, POD) for shipment transparency. Specialized island transport (Inselverkehre) to Mediterranean and Atlantic islands is offered as a complementary service.
Product overview
ERKA Internationale Spedition is a freight forwarding and logistics company offering a unified transport platform centered on scheduled line traffic services (Linienverkehre) with direct routes across Western Europe. The product portfolio consists of the core Linienverkehre direct transport service (approximately 60 lines to 14+ countries) supplemented by specialized island transport services (Inselverkehre), and supported by digital modules including the Lobster shipment data entry portal, online shipment tracking, partner POD system, and online order capture. The company operates its own fleet and 8,500 sqm transshipment warehouse, positioning its digital services as enablers of its physical logistics network rather than standalone products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Linienverkehre (Scheduled Line Traffic/Direct Routes) Scheduled direct transport routes serving major European countries with regular departure frequencies. ERKA operates approximately 60 direct lines covering Italy (strongest market with 19 lines), Spain (8 lines), France (13 lines), UK, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Poland, and Baltic states. Designed for B2B customers requiring reliable, regular international freight transport with predictable transit times.
- Inselverkehre (Island Transport) Specialized transport services to European islands including Malta, Sardinia, Sicily, Iberian Islands, Canary Islands, Tenerife, Cyprus, Crete, Corsica, Madeira, and Porto Santo. ERKA operates 8 island transport routes, designed for B2B customers shipping goods to island destinations requiring intermodal coordination.
Companies that use ERKA
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ERKA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
ERKA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Noerpel FamilycoreAfter sale in May 2023, ERKA became part of the Noerpel Family, effective retroactively from January 1, 2023. ERKA continues to operate with its own European network while being part of the larger family-owned logistics group.
- Gruber and BriglminorLocal partners in Italy for Lombardei (Lombardy) and Südtirol (South Tyrol) regions since 2018. Provides last-mile delivery and local service in these specific Italian regions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ERKA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Raben Group: Family-owned European logistics group with road groupage and contract logistics across Germany, Benelux, and Central/Eastern Europe — comparable size, ownership profile, and route focus to ERKA.
- Geodis: French-headquartered global logistics provider with a substantial European road freight and distribution network overlapping ERKA's key France, Italy, and Iberia lanes.
- Dachser: German family-owned logistics company with a strong European road groupage and contract logistics network; competes head-to-head with ERKA for mid-market European shippers.
- Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German-headquartered global forwarder with significant European road freight and groupage operations; a comparable mid-sized privately held alternative to ERKA's positioning.
- DB Schenker: DB Schenker operates one of Europe's largest land transport networks with scheduled European groupage services, directly comparable to ERKA's Linienverkehre model.
- Noerpel Group: Parent organization of ERKA since 2023; operates its own European road freight and contract logistics network in southern Germany and the Alpine corridor, making it both an enabler and a direct competitor.
- DHL Freight: Deutsche Post DHL's road freight division operates pan-European groupage and line-haul services, directly overlapping with ERKA's scheduled cross-border road network across Western Europe.
Broad incumbents
- Kuehne+Nagel: Top-tier global forwarder with European road and overland operations; serves many of the same large shippers ERKA targets but at much broader scale and modal coverage.
- DSV A/S: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with deep European road and intermodal coverage; competes with ERKA on cross-border lanes but operates at vastly greater scale and global scope.
Emerging players
- Girteka Logistics: Lithuanian-headquartered asset-heavy European road haulage group rapidly expanding Western European presence; comparable in road-only model but more aggressive on scale and digital.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ERKA social profiles
Digital presenceERKA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ERKA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ERKA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ERKA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ERKA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ERKA
What does ERKA do?
ERKA is a freight forwarding company that operates scheduled direct transport routes (Linienverkehre) for cargo across Western Europe, running approximately 60 lines serving 14+ countries with strong focus on Italy as its core market. The service is supported by an 8,500 sqm transshipment warehouse in Stuttgart, an owned fleet combined with vetted partners, and digital tools (Lobster shipment submission, online tracking, POD) for shipment transparency. Specialized island transport (Inselverkehre) to Mediterranean and Atlantic islands is offered as a complementary service.
Is ERKA a public or private company?
ERKA is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was ERKA founded?
ERKA was founded in 1977. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is ERKA based?
ERKA is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does ERKA make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Freight Transportation Services are the primary driver. The others are additional Services and Surcharges.
Who are ERKA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Raben Group, Geodis, Dachser, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, DB Schenker, Noerpel Group and DHL Freight. Broad incumbents are Kuehne+Nagel and DSV A/S. Girteka Logistics is listed as an emerging player.
Does ERKA have an API?
No public API is recorded for ERKA.
What industry is ERKA in?
ERKA's product category is Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADANAH, Expedited Cross-Border Ground (USMCA/EU Time-Critical). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.