What TRANSPORTS CAPELLE does

Transports Capelle is a French family-owned road transport group, founded in 1951 by René Capelle and headquartered in Vézénobres in the Gard region, now led by Jean-Daniel Capelle. Operating under the legal entity Groupe Capelle SASU, the company generated approximately €280 million in annual revenue with a workforce of 2,000 employees, a fleet covering 75 million kilometers per year, and a stated base of 10,000 customers served. Its core business is dual-pronged: conventional road transport within regulated weight and dimension limits, and exceptional (abnormal load) transport for oversized, overweight, sensitive, or high-value cargo requiring custom engineering, prefectural permits, and escort coordination.

The service portfolio spans two primary transport categories (Transport Exceptionnel and Transport Conventionnel) complemented by five service modules: multimodal logistics and storage on 110,000 m2 of platform capacity at Montereau and Le Havre, mobile crane and handling services with lifting capacity from 12 to 180 ton/metres, truck rental with professional drivers, and the PIIC industrial hub combining engineering, boilermaking fabrication, and equipment reconstruction. Technology infrastructure includes a centralized operating system, onboard computing, and real-time order tracking. Specialized wholly-owned subsidiaries include Dangexpress for nuclear and radioactive materials transport (operating under security clearance since 2010), Europilotcar for convoy escort, Euroteam Capelle for driver and operations training, KM-H for transport services, and digital subsidiaries DVI Prod and ESI.

The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with dedicated account management across seven verticals: energy (nuclear, petrochemical, gas, renewable, energy networks), aerospace and defense (including long-standing Airbus contracts for A380 components), BTP and construction, railway, nautism, agriculture, and general industrial. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, factoring in dimensions, weight, permits, route modifications, and escorts, with multi-year contracts on larger engagements. The company operates 47 agencies throughout France and wholly-owned subsidiaries in 7 European countries, with revenue derived from transaction fees on transport services, managed services for logistics and storage, and professional services for rentals and industrial handling.

Name

TRANSPORTS CAPELLE

Legal name

TRANSPORTS CAPELLE

Website

https://transports-capelle.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Haul and Logistics Services

NAICS

Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (48423), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Van (General Freight) TL Carriers (TLADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cross-Border Trucking & Border Transfer (Linehaul, Transloading) (TLACACAC)

Keywords

• Heavy haul transport
• Abnormal load transport
• Logistics warehousing
• Industrial vehicle rental
• Crane handling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vézénobres

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transport Services: Revenue from both conventional and exceptional road transport services, operating at local, regional, national and international levels
2. Logistics and Storage: Storage services (indoor and outdoor), warehouse management, and distribution services through logistics platforms including multimodal facilities
3. Equipment Rental with Driver: Rental of road-ready setups (tractors and trailers) with professional drivers, including test load equipment and signaling materials
4. Handling and Crane Services: Mobile crane operations, lifting services, and handling equipment rental for loading and unloading operations
5. Industrial Services: Pôle Industriel et Innovation providing engineering studies, boilermaking workshop, and mobile equipment reconstruction services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

TRANSPORTS CAPELLE is a French road transport and logistics group providing conventional road haulage, exceptional (abnormal/heavy load) transport, warehousing and logistics, mobile crane and handling services, and industrial vehicle rental with drivers. Through its PIIC unit the group also offers engineering studies and metalwork, including the design and production of bespoke heavy test weights (Charges d'Essai). It serves roughly 10,000 B2B customers across aerospace & defense, nuclear energy, BTP/construction, and heavy industry via 47 French agencies and subsidiaries in seven European countries.

Product overview

TRANSPORTS CAPELLE operates as a comprehensive transport services provider offering both conventional and exceptional (abnormal load) road transport as its core business. The portfolio comprises two primary transport categories (Transport Exceptionnel and Transport Conventionnel) complemented by five service modules: Logistics/Storage, Mobile Crane and Handling, Truck Rental with Drivers, and the Industrial and Innovation Hub (PIIC). The company also maintains several specialized subsidiaries including Dangexpress for hazardous materials, DVI for production services, ESI, EPC for pilot car services, Euroteam for training, and KM-H. The PIIC hub integrates engineering design, boilermaking fabrication, and equipment reconstruction capabilities to deliver turnkey solutions from transport to installation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transport Conventionnel

Quantifiable outcome

• 110,000 m2 multimodal logistics platform capacity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AirbuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Transports Capelle has been a supplier to Airbus since the 2000s, providing abnormal load transport services for aircraft components including Airbus A380 parts. The partnership involves complex transport logistics requiring specialized equipment and engineering support.
• Nuclear Program (French)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Since the 1970s, Transports Capelle has been involved in the French Nuclear Program, providing exceptional transport services for nuclear materials. The company received nuclear transport approval in 2010.
• Euroteam CapellecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal training center of the Capelle Group that recruits and trains drivers and operations staff. Provides both mandatory training and specialized industry-specific training for all group agencies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• STEF: Major French road logistics and transport provider operating across France and Europe. Comparable scale and road-transport orientation but focused on temperature-controlled cold chain rather than heavy/abnormal loads.

Broad incumbents

• DSV: Global freight forwarder and road transport provider with a strong European road-freight presence built through M&A. Comparable in general long-distance trucking but far larger and more global than Capelle's industrial specialization.
• GEODIS: One of France's largest logistics and transport providers, offering road, contract logistics, and freight forwarding. Overlaps with Capelle in French road haul and industrial logistics but with a much broader service portfolio and customer base.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Global logistics leader with European road, air, and ocean freight services. Competes in long-haul European road freight but at much larger scale and with a broader, more diversified portfolio.
• DB Schenker: European freight and contract logistics incumbent with significant road, rail, air, and ocean services. Overlaps with Capelle in industrial road freight but at much larger scale and with a far broader portfolio.
• Dachser: German-headquartered logistics provider with strong European road-freight and contract logistics operations. Comparable general long-haul trucking capabilities but broader in scope and not focused on abnormal-load specialization.

Others

• Norbert Dentressangle: Historically a direct French heavy-haul and abnormal-load competitor to Capelle, now fully integrated into XPO Logistics following its 2015 acquisition. Relevant as a historical peer and benchmark for French heavy-haul economics.

Direct peers

• XPO Logistics: Major European heavy-haul and abnormal-load specialist with significant French presence following the Norbert Dentressangle acquisition. Operates similar specialized industrial transport services targeting aerospace, energy, and industrial customers.
• DAHER: French industrial logistics specialist serving aerospace, nuclear, and defense with abnormal load and complex transport services. Highly comparable to Transports Capelle's vertical specialization, customer base, and France-based industrial footprint.
• Charles André Transports: Long-standing French abnormal-load and heavy-transport specialist with comparable specializations in oversized industrial equipment, energy, and defense logistics. Closest historical direct competitor to Capelle in French exceptional transport.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 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 TRANSPORTS CAPELLE