The truck is just the tool, it’s our people who make sure goods arrive safely and on time. That’s why this feature highlights the stories behind our charters. Meet Fred and Martijn Gons, brothers from a true transport family, raised with road freight in their blood. They’ve now been driving in NABEK Amsterdam’s green and yellow for around 25 years.

Every day is different

The Gons family from Nederhorst den Berg has been active in the transport world since the 1930s. Jacob Gons, a market gardener, began by delivering his own produce to the auction. With a transport permit in hand, he soon started hauling vegetables for other growers as well. His three sons took over the business and made a decisive move—stopping cultivation and focusing fully on road transport. That’s when the company Fa. Gebr. Gons was born. In 1970, they started driving for NABEK—initially with just one truck, eventually growing to three.

Specialists with a truck-mounted forklift

After completing his military service as an Air Force driver, Martijn Gons took over his father’s truck in January 1991 and started driving for NABEK. Fred Gons, after a 12-year career in the Navy, also decided to enter the transport world and joined NABEK in 1993.
Both brothers initially drove Volvo box trucks with tail lifts. But since they were often transporting long items like timber and sheet materials, a truck-mounted forklift quickly became essential. When NABEK started working for RET Utrecht in the mid-90s, the forklift became the new standard. Martijn then invested in a Volvo FL7 with a city trailer and truck-mounted forklift. Fred followed with a Scania 114 rigid truck, also fitted with a forklift.

A trusted partnership

These days, both Fred and Martijn drive Volvo FMs, and the work they do for NABEK has changed significantly over the years.
Fred: “Back then, we mostly dealt with larger shipments—mainly timber. Now, we’re increasingly delivering smaller orders directly to the customer. A fun development is that the forklift work is becoming more specialized. We deliver garden sheds to private homes or campsites, golf carts to courses, and wooden tabletops to inner-city shops.”

Even after 15 years, both parties still value the partnership deeply.
“Despite all the changes over the years, NABEK has always been a reliable client for us. When you run a one-man business, it’s crucial to have consistent work every day—and to get paid on time. With NABEK, that’s never been an issue.”