030 555 721 370
anfrage@guhr-steuerberatung.de
Auerstr. 14, 10249 Berlin
Industry · Logistics & Transport
Tax advisory for freight forwarders, transport and haulage firms.
We are the tax advisory for owners of freight forwarding, transport, haulage and warehousing businesses. We handle bookkeeping, annual accounts and payroll reliably – and beyond that, we give you solid numbers per vehicle and per run, managed liquidity and an advisor who truly understands fleets, tolls and cross-border VAT – nationwide, digital and personal.
Nationwide · 100% digital- Specialised in logistics & transport
- Personal point of contact
Sound familiar?
Problems that forwarders and hauliers know all too well.
We speak daily with owners of freight forwarders, courier services and transport companies. This is what we hear again and again:
Your margin is razor-thin – and nobody calculates it per run.
At an EBIT of 2 to 4%, every cent of the diesel price and every empty run counts. Yet your management report arrives lumped together and weeks late, with no contribution margin per vehicle or route.
Your fleet ties up capital – with no one steering it.
Depreciation, lease instalments, residual values and the next replacement truck run uncoordinated. Whether buying, leasing or renting is cheaper never gets checked before you sign.
Cross-border VAT is a minefield.
Place of supply, export exemptions, reverse charge with foreign subcontractors – one mistake and a tax audit claws back input and output VAT years later.
Tolls, diesel and energy tax eat your return.
Tolls have exploded since the CO2 differentiation. Many firms leave the energy tax relief under § 51 EnergieStG (German Energy Tax Act) on the table because no one files the claims properly.
Per diems and expenses for your drivers are a constant headache.
Meal allowances, foreign per diems, overnight flat rates – if reported wrongly, payroll tax reassessments loom, plus trouble with customs during minimum-wage audits.
Your tax advisor doesn't understand the freight business.
Carrier vs. forwarding services, cabotage, subcontractor chains, demurrage – you have to explain from scratch every time how your business actually works.
What changes for you
Predictable liquidity. Lower taxes. Numbers down to the run.
We are not a classic tax firm. We deliver what you, as the owner of a low-margin business, truly need – control, not just files.
Contribution margin per vehicle and route.
We build a cost-centre analysis per truck, driver and run. You see instantly which clients and routes carry their weight – and which ones you're subsidising.
Liquidity that holds even on thin margins.
Rolling cash-flow planning including diesel, tolls, lease instalments and payroll. You know weeks ahead whether the next replacement truck is financed.
Your fleet optimally structured for tax.
Depreciation, the investment deduction under § 7g EStG (German Income Tax Act), special depreciation and the buy-vs.-lease question – calculated before you sign, not lamented after.
Cross-border VAT made watertight.
Place of supply, § 4 No. 3 UStG (VAT exemption for cross-border freight), reverse charge with subcontractors – a clean standard setup that survives any tax audit.
Every cent of relief recovered.
Energy tax relief under § 51 EnergieStG, toll handling, foreign input VAT – we file the claims that others leave untouched.
Driver payroll clean and audit-proof.
Meal allowances, foreign per diems and overnight flat rates correct and tax-free – aligned with minimum-wage and customs audits.
Personally from Karsten Guhr
In logistics it isn't revenue that decides, but the contribution margin per run – and almost no one knows it. I see forwarders with double-digit millions in revenue running on 2% margins and still without any liquidity plan. This is exactly where we come in: we make every truck, every route and every tax relief visible. So you no longer navigate by sight, but steer your company with numbers.
We know your business
We speak the language of logistics.
Carrier vs. forwarding services, cabotage, demurrage, empty kilometres, pooling of residual values, § 4 No. 3 UStG, per diems – we know how a transport business ticks. You lose no time explaining your business model.
- 01
Fleet – Depreciation & residual-value pooling
Useful life, declining-balance options, residual-value calculation and pooling of multiple vehicles – we extract the maximum depreciation effect from your fleet.
- 02
Investment deduction & special depreciation (§ 7g)
Deduct up to 50% of a planned vehicle or trailer investment in advance to reduce profit, plus 20% special depreciation in the year of purchase.
- 03
Leasing vs. buying vs. renting
Full-service leasing, finance leasing or purchase – we weigh cash flow, balance-sheet impact and tax effect against each other before you sign the contract.
- 04
Cross-border freight (VAT)
Place of supply under § 3b UStG, exemption for export and transit freight under § 4 No. 3 UStG – correctly invoiced, cleanly evidenced.
- 05
Reverse charge & cabotage
Foreign subcontractors, § 13b UStG (reverse charge), cabotage runs and documentation duties – we set up the processes so your input VAT holds up.
- 06
Tolls & energy tax relief
Booking and input VAT of the truck toll plus the energy tax relief for diesel under § 51 EnergieStG – filed annually, nothing given away.
- 07
Per diems & foreign day allowances
Meal allowances, country-by-country per diems and overnight flat rates for driving staff – accounted for tax-free and audit-proof.
- 08
Warehousing & valuation
Inventory, contract-logistics accruals and valuation of stock on hand – correct provisions and a balance sheet that shows the true position.
Industry benchmarks
We know your industry's margins. And squeeze out more for you.
We look after more than 50 transport and logistics businesses across Germany and see real numbers every month – not freight-exchange optimism. We know what's normal in your segment, where you should be and which levers lift your after-tax margin.
Typical EBIT range
- 2 – 5 %Forwarding & long-haulDiesel- and toll-driven · utilisation and empty kilometres are decisive
- 3 – 7 %Courier & last-mileVolume-driven · subcontractor management and delivery rate as levers
- 5 – 10 %Contract logistics & warehousingStabilised by contract terms · space and staff utilisation decisive
- 3 – 6 %Regional transport / haulageFixed-cost-driven · fleet financing and route planning as levers
How we lift your after-tax margin – legally and without balance-sheet acrobatics:
- Investment deduction & special depreciation (§ 7g)Deduct up to 50% of a planned truck, trailer or forklift investment in advance, plus 20% special depreciation – shifting profit into the right year.
- Energy tax relief (§ 51 EnergieStG)Refund of the energy tax on commercially consumed diesel – filed cleanly each year, this adds up to five-figure refunds for larger fleets.
- Holding structureInvestment income and property (depot, warehouse) bundled in a holding – profits effectively taxed at around 1.5% under § 8b KStG (German Corporate Tax Act) instead of over 26% at the private level.
- Optimised fleet financingBuy, lease or rent calculated per vehicle – for the best mix of balance-sheet appearance, cash flow and depreciation, instead of a gut decision.
- Business property & § 6b reserveHold your depot and warehouse tax-efficiently; on a sale, roll hidden reserves into new assets via a § 6b reserve instead of taxing them.
- Structuring driver pay tax-freePer diems, meal allowances, overnight pay and tax-free premiums cut wage costs and contributions – more attractive for drivers, cheaper for you.
Why GUHR
Tax advice that finally thinks along with you.
We don't want to be the next advisor writing "receipts by the 10th, please". We want to be the partner who makes your transport company more liquid, more profitable and more predictable.
Specialised in logistics
Over 50 mandates across forwarding, transport, courier and contract logistics – we know the typical mistakes, tax traps and levers of low-margin businesses.
Nationwide · digital
Set up entirely digitally. Whether the Ruhr region, Hamburg, Bavaria or Berlin – we're as reachable as your dispatch desk.
Proactive, not reactive
We reach out before liquidity gets tight or the tax office asks. Tax and liquidity strategy for the current year, not the last one.
Personal, not anonymous
A dedicated point of contact who knows your fleet, your routes and your numbers. Answers in hours, not weeks.
More than tax advice
A network of strong logistics firms. Included.
With GUHR you join a client circle you'd otherwise only find at industry gatherings. Owners who speak openly about freight rates, fleet financing, subcontractors and succession – because they trust the same advisor.
A selection from our logistics client base
We name specific clients only with their consent. In the first consultation we'll show you relevant cases from your niche.
What this means for you in concrete terms:
- 01
Owner round-tables
Small-group meetings on topics like freight rates, fleet financing, digitalisation and succession. By invitation, under NDA.
- 02
Peer benchmarks
We mirror your key figures – EBIT margin, utilisation, cost per kilometre – anonymously against comparable businesses of your segment and size.
- 03
Warm referrals
Looking for a subcontractor, a buyer for vehicles or a partner for a route? We connect you directly – without commission chasing.
Head office Berlin · clients from Sylt to Garmisch
Nationwide · 100 % digital
One firm. Available anywhere in Germany.
Whether Berlin, Munich or somewhere in between: we run every mandate fully digital – DATEV-connected, signed PDFs, video meetings. No commuting, no postal delays, no 90s-style bookkeeping.
- 01
DATEV Unternehmen online
Receipts, banking, payroll, reports – you work in the standard interface every German tax advisor speaks. No vendor lock-in.
- 02
Video meetings instead of on-site visits
Quarterly review, tax strategy, holding check – via video with screen sharing. You save half a day every time.
- 03
Signed PDFs & digital powers of attorney
Tax filings, annual accounts, contracts – signed via qualified e-signature. Accepted by the tax office, done in minutes.
How we work with logistics firms
From the first call to a fully steered forwarding business.
On average, 14 days from the decision to switch to a running digital operation.
First call & status check
30 minutes. We review your fleet, margin, VAT setup and the biggest levers – free.
01
Onboarding in 14 days
We handle the switch from your previous advisor, set up DATEV and connect banking, telematics, your transport software (e.g. cargo support, Timocom billing) and your bookkeeping.
02
Ongoing support
Monthly management reports with contribution margin per vehicle, rolling cash-flow planning, a dedicated contact – plus proactive alerts as soon as we see potential.
03
Annual review & strategy
Annual accounts, tax optimisation, fleet and succession planning – not a look back at numbers, but a plan for the next financial year.
04
030 555 721 370FAQ
Answers for forwarders and hauliers.
The questions you ask us most often before switching.
First consultation for logistics & transport
What your forwarding business gives away in tax – we'll show you in 30 minutes.
You describe your fleet and routes, we name the concrete levers (§ 7g investment deduction, energy tax relief, VAT on cross-border runs, holding) and send a written offer within 48 hours. Nationwide and free of charge.