Community of interests

The BGV

The BGV is not only an association, but a community of interest for transport and traffic

The downsides and the stepmom-like actions of the mixed industry associations in the Corona pandemic towards drivers and freight carriers unfortunately showed how strongly the established associations are tied to their hands and the urgent need for a lobby for the transport and transport industries.

But even in normal times, the needs and interests of the transport and traffic industries are far behind.

Benefit from the many years of experience (over 15 years), the networks and the know-how of our FahrGut initiative. Because in addition to the many years of recognition towards the DACH drivers, which we have actively expressed and therefore enjoy great trust, our strengths lie in new and innovative concepts for attracting and maintaining new drivers on a national level, such as using our exclusive seizure protection and resettlement programs.

Community of Interests Transport & Transport

incl. ERFA groups

The modern transport and traffic world is facing ever-increasing challenges, especially in today's world. From everyday and almost normal problems, such as personnel recruitment and maintenance via classic route and time management, it is above all the ever-increasing demands on the topics of digitization and sustainability that bring those responsible to their limits or even beyond.

Especially the current crisis situations as well as the dramatic situations vis-à-vis the driving personnel in the corona pandemic, whose supply was simply forgotten in the original supply plan of the Federal Government and the industry associations and only by the unauthorized appropriation of the crisis plan of FahrGut, which was abused only for a short media self-presentation as well as the then unreasonable freight price reductions of dominant logisticians compared to carriers only show the stepmom rank German transport companies have in Germany.

This makes it all the more important to share experiences and experiences professionally and to collectively take up ideas and/or solutions with like-minded people in order to use them in a competitive advantage in the long term. * For this purpose, it is not only necessary to conduct an open and honest dialogue within the groups but to maintain confidentiality about these competitors who are not involved.

Additional workshops, conferences and information events with top-class experts as well as the continuous support with professional supporters not only round off the overall offer of the interest group or the individual ERFA groups, but also enable far-reaching and above all competitive advantage opportunities, which clearly stand out from the average.

In order to actually develop expandable ideas and/or solutions in a way that is more competitive, it is urgently necessary not only to log the individual ERFA meetings but also to conceptualize them professionally in order to get them on the right track. In addition to professional campaign and marketing management, important points in these paths are above all political and economic enforceability as well as the associated contact management and professional lobbying. At the same time, collective measures such as campaigns, trade fair appearances, advertising and targeted public relations can be used to minimize the financial expenses of the individual members in order to secure further competitive advantages.

Legitimation also in the transport industries

Tradition in retail - urgently needed in transport

Community activities are nothing new in retail. In order to be able to compete in the long term, small and medium-sized retail companies joined forces for the first time more than a hundred years ago and jointly organised their procurement of goods. Even today, this is a central service of purchasing cooperations.

However, further services of the cooperations have long since developed, indeed had to form. Developments in the market due to new forms of competition and operation as well as changes in consumer behaviour were taken into account by new service offerings in the areas of sales, management and controlling.

Today, it is a matter of course for the association groups to offer their member companies mature product range concepts, to develop market-strong operating type concepts and to advance the commodity management information networking. All with the aim of promoting the economic development and creditworthiness of trading partners and ensuring their long-term livelihood.

Among the instruments that contribute to a stronger networking within the cooperation and should actively promote it are also exchange of experience groups. When for the first time entrepreneurs (in the early phase it was actually only men) met in a group for the purpose of exchanging information and experiences and described this form of cooperation as an exchange of experience group is not exactly documented. Some sources speak of the 30s of the 20 century, some date the first activities about 20 years later. It is very likely that only a few years later a resourceful head "invented" the term experience exchange group, from which the short version "ERFA Group" has then formed over the years.

This makes innovative rethinking and a certain independence from dominant logistics companies all the more important, especially in the transport industries. However, since the requirements in the transport and transport industries go far beyond the already successful and proven points in retail, particularly innovative ideas and solutions must be processed and applied.

Currently, the ERFA groups enjoy a high reputation again and concepts for the formation of new or optimization of existing ERFA groups are being promoted. The reasons why you want to get involved in an ERFA group are almost the same as those mentioned by the founding fathers: Joy and fun in the open exchange of experience, mutual incentive through common goals and ideas, formation of networks and friendships, mutual support in case of problems and last but not least increasing the earnings of your own company as well as forming a strong alliance without the influence of the mentioned logisticians to no longer have to have the thumb screws put on.

Anyone who already works in an ERFA group knows that every individual can have enormous individual abilities and potentials, but no one is so good and clever that they cannot benefit from the experiences of their colleagues. The goal of the joint work in an ERFA group is to bring together the abilities of each individual member in an ERFA group and to develop them for everyone and thus increase the business and personal success of each ERFA member.

Let us shape the future together.

What can the members expect from this interest group or the individual ERFA groups and why?

Knowledge means competitive advantage. The community of interests forms an entrepreneurial network with various ERFA groups that offer first-hand knowledge.

But knowledge alone is no longer enough today, nor is a small competitive advantage. Driven by requirements for digitization and sustainability, it is also urgently necessary to bring along the willingness to a collective rethink.

In the ERFA groups, managing directors and owners of transport companies of different sizes and specializations meet once a month to exchange experiences and to tour the company.

Specialist lectures and workshops involving top speakers who provide information on current topics. Specialist discussion forums also ensure the social and professional exchange of the entrepreneurial community in the transport and traffic world.

Active ERFA members are the decisive step ahead of the competition. You benefit from regular condition comparisons, detailed market analyses, industry key figures and benchmarks as well as cooperation opportunities and innovations. Here, questions such as where the personnel of tomorrow will come from will not only be discussed, but ideas will be taken up, solutions will be developed and conceptual measures will be taken.

The FahrGut association or initiative no longer only represents the interests of driving personnel, but also creates industry solutions, picks up on problems and processes them. With over 15 years of experience on the economic and political side, FahrGut certainly not only provides special added value for clear competitive advantages in ERFA groups, but now intends with the BGV, the Federal Association of Goods Transport & Transport from the pure community of interests to create a pure association of the transport and transport industries in order to represent exactly their needs and interests economically, medially, publicly and politically.

As a participant, what can you expect from your BGV membership?

Guidance and decision-making aids by colleagues' advisory board
Sector-specific information and knowledge advantage over competition
Clear competitive advantage through professional implementation of ideas and solutions
Access to the latest added value and innovations even before market launch
Cost reduction and even additional income through value-added partners of the interest group, such as through innovative solutions in warehouse space management, sharing of bus and truck parking spaces and much more.
Collective PR and public relations work as well as marketing and advertising measures
Exchange of ideas among like-minded people
Pleasant working atmosphere and specially coordinated program
External speakers/experts on request
In-depth industry expertise
Up-to-date information
Discussion forums and workshops for professional and personal development
Professional crisis management by experts with experience abroad, e.g. in crisis and disaster areas, especially in disease areas
Professional financial crisis management by experts, e.g. from banking consulting and tax law

In four steps to membership

Step: Submit an informal application for membership by e-mail or use our online form
Step: The BVG examines the application and proposes an admission to the board.
Step: The board decides on the admission.
Step: Official recording

The discussions at the meetings ranged from questions of pensions to the recruitment and maintenance of driving personnel and vehicle maintenance to the handling of tenders in regular services. There would be enough topics for the agenda of the next meetings.

Principles/Code of Conduct

The success of an ERFA work depends on the observance of a few principles:

The basis of the cooperation is absolute trust among each other. All information received within the framework of the ERFA work must be treated with absolute confidentiality by the participants and, of course, also by the ERFA supervisor. For this purpose, each participant signs a confidentiality declaration before each ERFA meeting. This can also be on an attendance list as an additional declaration.
What is important for fruitful cooperation is absolute openness to one another, provided that problems and difficulties are also reported. Sales and cost developments must not be secrets, but must be disclosed to the members of the ERFA Group at the meetings
Trust is created between people, not between companies. Therefore, membership presupposes that as many members as possible are present at the respective meetings of the ERFA groups or are represented by suitable employees.
Active cooperation is mandatory for all participants during the conferences, but also between the conferences, so that each company receives as many impulses as possible for its own corporate policy.
An ERFA group should comprise 10 to 15 member companies that are not in direct competition with each other. Although similarities in assortment structures and sales figures are conducive to the success of an ERFA Group, the same attitudes and the willingness of the participating managers to learn are more important.

Membership fees, fees and separate costs

The membership fees do not depend on the size of the company as is customary in the industry.

Special fees as well as separate costs, e.g. by external partners, planned campaigns, trade fair appearances, etc. are coordinated with the members.

Events and conferences with highly endowed lecturers are subject to a fee, but are significantly reduced for members.

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