Overview
sennder is a digital road freight forwarder based in Berlin, Germany. It connects businesses that need to move goods with road transport capacity and uses software to support the management of shipments. Its activities are oriented toward European road freight, particularly full-truckload movements.
A full truckload generally uses a vehicle’s available capacity for one customer’s shipment, rather than combining multiple customers’ smaller consignments. A freight forwarder can arrange such transport without necessarily operating every vehicle used to carry it.
History
sennder was founded in 2015 in Berlin by David Nothacker, Julius Köhler and Nicolaus Schefenacker. Its development reflects a broader shift in road freight toward the use of digital systems to coordinate shippers, transport providers and shipment information.
In 2020, sennder accelerated its European expansion through major consolidations, merging with French digital freight brokerage Everoad and acquiring the European operations of Uber Freight. These transactions expanded its footprint across key continental corridors. In 2024, it agreed to acquire the European surface transportation business of C.H. Robinson; the cited announcement describes an agreed transaction rather than, by itself, confirming its completion date. The company describes its present business and services on its official website.
Products and Services
The company’s principal offering is the arrangement and management of road freight transportation. Shippers provide transport requirements, such as collection and delivery locations, timing and vehicle needs; sennder coordinates suitable capacity through its carrier network.
sennder presents a digital platform for coordinating quotations, dispatch, tracking and carrier matching. Interfaces such as application programming interfaces, web tools or carrier applications, and the extent of automation, should be confirmed from current product documentation or the contract rather than assumed to be uniform across customers.
As with other freight forwarding arrangements, the precise services, shipment visibility, equipment and contractual responsibilities available to a customer depend on the agreed service and route.
Role in Logistics and Supply Chains
sennder operates between shippers, which need goods moved, and carriers, which supply road transport capacity. For example, a manufacturer moving a truckload from a production site to a distribution centre could use a forwarder to arrange a carrier and coordinate the movement. The physical transport and the forwarding service are distinct functions, even when presented to the shipper as one service.
Warehouse and dock operations remain separate from freight booking. Facility systems may record load readiness and appointment status, but a connection to a particular forwarder is a customer-specific integration, not an inherent feature of sennder.
Road freight is subject to operational and legal constraints beyond the platform itself. In the European Union, these include rules on drivers’ driving time and rest periods, principally under Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, as well as applicable national and cross-border requirements.
Industries and Use Cases
Full-truckload road freight is relevant to businesses moving substantial quantities of goods between factories, suppliers, warehouses and retail distribution facilities. A shipper selecting a service must match the vehicle and transport arrangement to the cargo—for example, by confirming whether temperature control, special handling or other equipment is required.
sennder’s company website is a starting point for assessing its current service scope. Suitability for a particular commodity, lane or industry should be confirmed with the provider rather than assumed from its general freight offering.
Operational Considerations and Limitations
Digital coordination does not remove the physical constraints of trucking. Capacity availability, traffic, loading delays and driver-hours rules can affect delivery performance. Customers should establish how exceptions are communicated and which party is responsible for responding to them.
Before contracting, logistics teams should also confirm:
- Coverage and capacity: applicable countries, lanes, vehicle types and availability.
- Commercial terms: rates, fuel or other surcharges, waiting time and cancellation provisions.
- Visibility and data: the frequency and source of shipment updates, and any integration requirements.
- Liability and compliance: cargo coverage, claims procedures and responsibilities under the contract and applicable law.
For international road carriage, the CMR Convention provides an important legal framework for qualifying contracts for the international carriage of goods by road. Its application and any additional national requirements should be assessed for the particular movement.