We arrange road freight from Clermont-Ferrand to the Czech Republic, usually in 2–3 days from loading, whether it is a full trailer of tyres, a few pallets of rubber parts or Auvergne cheese in a reefer. Prague is about 1,200 km away and Brno about 1,400 km, and we deliver anywhere in the Czech Republic or Slovakia. We collect in Clermont itself as well as in Riom, Vichy, Issoire and Thiers.
Why do tyres travel by volume rather than by weight?
Clermont-Ferrand is the heart of the French tyre and rubber industry, so tyres make up a large share of loads from the Auvergne. Car tyres are light and bulky: the trailer is full long before it reaches its weight limit. The price therefore follows the space the load needs, and that depends on how the tyres are stowed. Loose-stacked in columns or laced in a herringbone pattern, they fill the trailer almost completely, but loading and unloading are done by hand and take time – the consignee needs staff on hand. On pallets or in steel racks everything moves quickly by forklift, at the cost of some unused space. Truck and agricultural tyres are the opposite case: heavy, and they must be secured against rolling. To work out the space correctly we need:
- the number of pieces and the size (e.g. 205/55 R16), or outer diameter and width for large tyres,
- the stowage method – loose, on pallets or in racks – and whether the racks stack,
- the weight per piece for truck and farm tyres,
- whether the consignee can unload by hand or only by forklift.
Which other trades and towns in the Auvergne do we serve?
| Town or area | Typical goods | Vehicle and loading |
|---|---|---|
| Clermont-Ferrand | tyres, hoses, seals and other rubber parts, engineering products | curtainsider; loose tyres hand-loaded from the rear |
| Issoire | aluminium and titanium forgings for aerospace | on pallets or in crates, exact dimensions and weights in advance |
| Thiers | knives, flatware, kitchen tools | firmly packed cartons, single pallets as groupage |
| Vichy | mineral water, cosmetics | water is heavy – weight usually runs out before the 33 pallet spaces do |
| Riom and the Limagne plain | seed, maize, food products | sacks and big bags on pallets, curtainsider or box body |
| Auvergne uplands | Saint-Nectaire, Cantal, Bleu d'Auvergne | reefer; the cheese must already be chilled when loaded |
Riom and Vichy lie just north of Clermont on the route out, so a second pick-up barely lengthens the trip. Goods from different trades can share a truck too – rubber parts with knives from Thiers, for instance – as long as they tolerate the same conditions.
Which way does the truck go, and when should you load?
From Clermont-Ferrand the route runs north on the A71 to Montmarault, east on the A79 towards Mâcon, then via Bourg-en-Bresse and Dole on the A36 past Besançon to Mulhouse. Across the Rhine it joins the German A5 and continues via Stuttgart and Nuremberg to the Waidhaus/Rozvadov crossing and the D5 to Prague. Tolls on French motorways, including the barrier-free A79, plus German and Czech tolls are part of the price. France bans vehicles over 7.5 t from Saturday 22:00 to Sunday 22:00 and from 22:00 on the eve of a public holiday; Germany on Sundays and holidays from 0:00 to 22:00. Loading Monday to Wednesday is therefore best; if the goods must reach you on Friday, a Thursday loading is already tight. Plants around Clermont usually load at the dock on weekday mornings and early afternoons, and the loading time has to be booked in advance.
Can it be combined with Lyon, Burgundy or Bordeaux?
Yes. If you have a second supplier in Lyon, the truck takes the A89 through Lyon instead of the A79 and loads there on the way. On the run via Mâcon and Dole it can also pick up goods from Dijon and Burgundy. Freight from south-west France normally reaches the Czech Republic by a different road – see the Bordeaux page for details. For an overview of all regions, go to transport from France; links to further towns in the region are below this text.
Single pallets, a part load or a full trailer?
A full truck takes 33 euro pallets, 13.6 loading metres and about 24 t; one euro pallet equals 0.4 loading metres. A carton of knives or a few pallets of seals travel as groupage from one pallet, and you pay only for the space used. Once the goods take up a sizeable part of the trailer, a part load usually works out better. Tyres and bottled water mostly go as full loads – the first because of volume, the second because of weight. For regular imports a return load pays off: the vehicle can bring parts for the rubber or automotive industry into the Auvergne and take tyres back.
Incoterms, paperwork and what we need for a quote
If you buy EXW or FCA, you book the transport and we agree the loading time with the French supplier. Under DAP the seller arranges it. EU goods travel without customs on a CMR consignment note with an invoice or delivery note. For a quote, send us the loading address, the site's loading hours and reference, the type of goods, pallet count or loading metres, weight and delivery address. You get a price within 30 minutes during office hours, and after confirmation the vehicle is usually arranged within 24 hours. We work with more than 500 vetted contracted carriers and have been organising freight since 2011.
Buying tyres from the Auvergne on a regular basis? We agree fixed loading days and a rate for a longer period – regular transport, or send us a message.
Related guides: Tyre transport · Automotive freight · Preparing pallets