Walter Lauk

Freight Transportation and Logistics Serviceswalterlauk.de

Walter Lauk is a family-owned Hamburg-based logistics company providing intermodal container transport, inland waterway shipping, and port services to industrial and import/export customers across North Germany via its own fleet of trucks and vessels.

Company typePrivate
Founded1982
HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Walter Lauk does

Walter Lauk is a privately-held German logistics company headquartered in Hamburg, operating through two family-owned limited liability entities: Walter Lauk Ewerfuhrei GmbH (founded 1982, inland shipping) and Walter Lauk Containerspedition GmbH (founded 1988, container trucking). The company provides intermodal transport services combining truck, ship, and rail, with an owned fleet of more than 30 semi-trailer trucks, over 100 container chassis, and multiple inland vessels including barges, tugs, and push boats. Its primary customers are B2B industrial and import/export companies requiring container transport to and from Hamburg and other North German seaports, bulk cargo shippers moving commodities via inland waterways such as the Elbe, Mittellandkanal, and Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, and manufacturers needing just-in-time works transport.

The technology stack centers on a customer-facing portal providing real-time vehicle and container tracking via map view, a mobile driver app that updates container numbers in real time, and EDI/TR02 data interfaces that integrate directly with customer logistics systems. Service offerings extend beyond transport to customs clearance (handled in-house), container storage at Hamburg port, VGM weighing, dangerous goods handling, Ro-Ro shipping, and project cargo coordination. Operations are coordinated from Hamburg, Bremen, and Haldensleben, with 24/7 port service coverage.

Walter Lauk generates revenue primarily through transaction-based per-transport fees for container trucking and inland waterway shipments, supplemented by professional services fees for logistics, customs, and port handling. The go-to-market is direct B2B sales with quote-based pricing; no intermediaries or brokers are involved. The company self-describes as a Hanseatic family business with no external funding events disclosed. Management is split across the two GmbH entities, with Melina Lauk serving as Managing Director of the container trucking subsidiary, indicating family continuity. The company holds no disclosed patents, no certifications, and no awards, and revenue figures are not publicly available.

Walter Lauk firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Walter Lauk
Legal name: Walter Lauk Ewerführerei GmbH / Walter Lauk Containerspedition GmbH
Website: https://walterlauk.de
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1982
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Walter Lauk is a family-owned Hamburg-based logistics company providing intermodal container transport, inland waterway shipping, and port services to industrial and import/export customers across North Germany via its own fleet of trucks and vessels.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Walter Lauk industry classification

Industry

Product category: Freight Transportation and Logistics Services
NAICS: General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412), Inland Water Freight Transportation (483211), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842)
SIC: Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Water Transportation (4400), Trucking (No Local) (4213), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
akta.pro primary industry: Intermodal Drayage & Cartage (First/Last Mile) (TLADAFAC)
akta.pro secondary industries: Bulk Commodity Intermodal Transport (Rail–Truck/Ocean–Rail) (TLADAKAM), Intermodal Terminal Value-Added Services (Cross-Dock, Transload, Stuffing/Stripping) (TLAJAFAL), Intermodal Terminal Operations (Rail Ramps/Port Intermodal Yards) (TLADAFAE)

Keywords

Container transport services
Inland waterway shipping
Intermodal logistics solutions
Port logistics services
Freight forwarding Germany

Where Walter Lauk is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Hamburg
HQ country: Germany
HQ region: Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

Walter Lauk business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Container Transport Services: Transport of ISO containers via truck (saddle trailers), including short-distance (up to 150km radius), long-distance within Germany and Europe, and works transport for industrial production supply chains. Revenue generated through per-transport fees.
Inland Waterway Transport: Transport via own inland vessels, tugs, and push boats on European waterways including Elbe, Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, Mittellandkanal. Revenue generated per transport contract.
Logistics and Port Services: Comprehensive logistics services including customs clearance, ship clearance, cargo handling, storage, dangerous goods handling, Ro-Ro shipping, cross trade. Revenue through service fees.
Intermodal Transport: Combination of truck, rail, and ship transport solutions coordinated through partners, offering customers flexible multi-modal transport options.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Quote-based transport pricing

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Walter Lauk product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Walter Lauk provides intermodal transport and logistics services centered on container transport (via own truck fleet and inland vessels), bulk and project cargo shipping on European waterways, and port-based logistics including customs clearance, cargo handling, storage and dangerous goods handling. Operations span short-distance container haulage around Hamburg port, long-distance container transport across Germany and Europe, scheduled inland shipping services on the Elbe and Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, and direct rail/ship/truck combined solutions through partners, all supported by a proprietary customer portal with real-time tracking.

Product overview

Walter Lauk is a German logistics company operating two subsidiaries: Walter Lauk Containerspedition GmbH (founded 1988) and Walter Lauk Ewerführerei GmbH (founded 1982). The company provides intermodal transport solutions combining truck, ship, and rail transport. Core offerings include container transport via truck (with over 30 own semi-trailer trucks and 100+ container chassis), inland waterway shipping (using own barges, tug boats, and push boats), and comprehensive port/logistics services. The company operates a customer portal providing real-time transport tracking and offers EDI integration capabilities for enterprise customers. Additional services include container storage at Hamburg port facilities and VGM weighing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Containertransporte per LKW (Container Transport by Truck) Container transport via truck (saddle trailers) for local short-distance haulage within a 150km radius of Hamburg port and for long-distance transport across Germany and Europe, executed with more than 30 own semi-trailer trucks and over 100 container chassis.
Schifffahrt (Inland Waterway Shipping) Inland waterway transport of container, bulk and project cargo using own barges, tugs and push boats across European waterways including the Elbe, Mittelland Canal, Weser and Nord-Ostsee Canal, including flexible koppelverbände (tug/push boat + lighter) configurations for shallow-water operations.
Elbedienst Containertransporte (Elbe Liner Service) Scheduled and on-demand container transport on the Elbe River and Nord-Ostsee-Kanal using own ship fleet, including capability for oversized containers and combined truck-water intermodal transport.
Logistik- und Hafendienstleistungen (Logistics and Port Services) Comprehensive port logistics services including cargo handling, customs documentation, ship clearance, crew support, heavy and project cargo transport, Ro-Ro shipping, cross-trade operations, dangerous goods handling and VGM (Verified Gross Mass) weighing.
Intermodale Transporte (Intermodal Truck/Rail/Ship Transport) Multi-modal transport solutions combining truck, rail (via partners) and ship to provide flexible, eco-friendly routing for containers, bulk cargo and project loads across Germany and Europe.
Kundenportal (Customer Portal) Web-based customer portal providing real-time map view of active vehicles, order overview with detailed transport information and live container number updates fed by the mobile driver app, enabling enterprise customers to monitor ongoing shipments.
Zwischenlagerung (Container Storage and VGM Weighing) Container storage within Hamburg port facilities including container removal from chassis, temporary storage and official VGM (Verified Gross Mass) weighing according to SOLAS regulations.

Companies that use Walter Lauk

Customer profile

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Walter Lauk technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: Yes
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Walter Lauk partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

modal3coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with modal3 to extend coverage on the Mittellandkanal from Haldensleben and Fallersleben to Hannover. Enables combined truck-water transport solutions for container customers in central Germany.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Walter Lauk competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

DSV: Global transport and logistics group with significant German road, air, and sea freight operations, including container drayage. Competes with Walter Lauk for Hamburg-hinterland container transport contracts.
DHL Global Forwarding: Global freight forwarding and container logistics arm of Deutsche Post DHL, with substantial presence in Hamburg port hinterland container transport. Competes for the same enterprise import/export shippers as Walter Lauk.
Eurogate: Operates container terminals in Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and other German/European ports with adjacent hinterland logistics. Comparable as a Hamburg-port-anchored container logistics counterpart to Walter Lauk.
HHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik): Operates Hamburg port container terminals and intermodal rail hinterland connections. Directly comparable as Hamburg port-logistics counterpart whose terminal and intermodal offerings overlap with Walter Lauk's hinterland container and intermodal services.
Kühne + Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with extensive container logistics and overland capabilities. Competes for the same Hamburg-hinterland container customers as Walter Lauk, but at much greater scale and global reach.

Direct peers

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Osnabrück-based global logistics provider with strong German road freight and container transport operations. Directly comparable in container trucking and intermodal coordination for industrial customers.
Samskip: European multimodal logistics operator with container shipping, rail, barge, and road services across the Hamburg/North Sea corridor. Comparable intermodal business model and geographic overlap with Walter Lauk.
deugro: Frankfurt-headquartered project cargo and heavy-lift specialist with strong German presence. Overlaps with Walter Lauk's project cargo, heavy lift, and break-bulk service line for industrial customers.
NTG Nordic Transport Group: Danish-headquartered asset-based road and intermodal transport group with German operations. Comparable in intermodal container transport and route-based road freight serving North European ports.
Rhenus Logistics: German-headquartered logistics group with strong intermodal container transport, inland shipping on Rhine/Elbe, and contract logistics. Closest comparable in multi-modal container and inland waterway services to Walter Lauk.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Walter Lauk financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Walter Lauk leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Walter Lauk funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Walter Lauk M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Walter Lauk

What does Walter Lauk do?

Is Walter Lauk a public or private company?

Walter Lauk is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.

When was Walter Lauk founded?

Walter Lauk was founded in 1982. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Walter Lauk based?

Walter Lauk is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.

How does Walter Lauk make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Container Transport Services are the primary driver. The others are inland Waterway Transport, logistics and Port Services and intermodal Transport.

Who are Walter Lauk's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are DSV, DHL Global Forwarding, Eurogate, HHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik) and Kühne + Nagel. Direct peers are Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Samskip, deugro, NTG Nordic Transport Group and Rhenus Logistics.

Does Walter Lauk have an API?

Yes. Walter Lauk offers electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities, allowing customers to link their systems directly with Walter Lauk's system for accelerated data and information exchange. Additionally, the TR02 data interface enables truck transport pre-registration through a direct data interface.

What industry is Walter Lauk in?

Walter Lauk's product category is Freight Transportation and Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAFAC, Intermodal Drayage & Cartage (First/Last Mile), with a secondary code of TLADAKAM, Bulk Commodity Intermodal Transport (Rail–Truck/Ocean–Rail). Its NAICS code is 48412 and its SIC code is 4210.