ERKA

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.

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

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

• Freight forwarding services
• Scheduled line haul
• European land transport
• Logistics services
• Cargo transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Core 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.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Noerpel FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023After 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 BriglminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal 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

Direct 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/179320665418780
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erka-internationale-spedition-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 ERKA