Van der Vlist sees 10% growth

Van der Vlist International Transport and Services Romania, the domestic branch of Dutch carrier Van der Vlist, estimates it will make 5 million euros of turnover this year, an increase of 10% on results for the previous year. “The growth is in line with the overall trend of the market,” says Klaas Scholtens, the company”s general manager. Turnover in the first half of the year reached 2.3 million euros, a 15% increase on the same time last year. The growth in business led to investments in renewing the vehicle fleet, company officials say. Van der Vlist currently has 14 trucks in Romania. “We will double our fleet in five years” time,” Scholtens explained. Van der Vlist initially entered the Romanian market with two trucks in 1997. Scholtens says the problems they have had on this market, such as unclear and unstable legislation, could drive some foreign investors away. “The industry will move on, and Ukraine is the next target,” he said. The Van der Vlist official explained that some of the biggest problems faced by carriers are the bad roads and the very high taxes companies in this business have to pay. “If you charge high taxes to fix the roads then you might end up ruining the industry,” Scholtens says. ZF