Document Transport in NRW – Sealed, Direct and On Record
Case files during an office move, old records on their way to the archive, or an original for the other party: Maxmove drives your documents as a direct drive from hand to hand – no depot, no transloading, with live tracking and digital proof of delivery.
- Instant price before booking
- Live tracking on every drive
- Insured transports
Who moves files – and what matters when they do
In practice, document transport means two things. On the one hand, single items under time pressure: the signed original for the other party, the case file for a meeting at another office, HR records for head office. On the other hand, volume: dozens of archive boxes in a law firm move, closed accounting years on their way to an archive provider, entire registries. Either way, the documents contain personal data or client secrets, and either way everything has to arrive complete.
The typical mistakes are mundane: boxes without lids, a van that still has space but is already too heavy, a contents list taped to the outside of the box, and at the end nobody who can say who accepted the shipment. Law firms, tax advisors and medical practices also face the question of how much a service provider may see at all.
Maxmove runs every shipment as a direct drive: one vehicle carries only your documents from pickup to destination, with no depot, no transloading and no other customers' goods in the load space. You see the instant price before booking, follow the drive live and receive a proof of delivery with timestamp, signature and photos. To move entire offices with furniture and IT, use a business relocation; this page is about the files.
What we carry as document transport
From a single envelope to an entire registry – typical shipments from law firms, administrations and companies.
- Case files and client files
- Archive boxes with binders
- HR and payroll records
- Original contracts for signature
- Accounting records and receipt binders
- Original annual financial statements
- Patient records from practice closures
- Building and land records
- Sealed security containers
Typical document runs in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bonn
Three jobs as law firms and companies book them.
Düsseldorf: law firm moving from the Kö to the Medienhafen
A law firm is moving from the Königsallee to the Medienhafen. The secretariat packs the current case files into numbered, sealed archive boxes; the list of which file is in which box stays at the firm. The move runs in the 3.5-tonne box van in several direct drives on a Friday afternoon, because paper reaches the payload limit long before it fills the load space. At the destination a member of staff counts the boxes and signs; the photos show the seals intact.
Cologne: old records to an external archive
A company in Cologne-Ossendorf moves closed accounting years and HR files to an archive provider in Niehl. It has a data processing agreement with the archive; the transport there runs as a direct drive in the Sprinter L2. The boxes are sealed, the seal numbers are on the delivery note, and the driver photographs them at pickup and at delivery. That shows the seals stayed intact on the way.
Bonn: case file for a meeting at the other office
A law firm with offices in central Bonn and Bad Godesberg needs the complete case file at the other office for a client meeting in the afternoon. The secretariat puts the binders into a closed courier bag marked only with the internal file reference. The driver hands it over exclusively to the named paralegal. For a few binders the cargo bike or a car is enough; after the meeting the file goes back the same way.
Local courier service:DüsseldorfKölnBonn
What counts legally and practically when files travel
The sender remains responsible for the documents. These points decide whether a document transport is GDPR-sound and fully documented.
GDPR: security measures and processing agreements
Article 32 GDPR requires you as controller to take technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk – for transport, that means closed containers, named recipients and a documented handover. Whether you also need a data processing agreement under Article 28 GDPR depends on the service: in its Short Paper No. 13, the German Data Protection Conference lists letter transport by postal services as an example of no processing on behalf, but outsourced archiving as a typical case. So you need the agreement with the archive; how to classify the transport is something to agree with your data protection officer.
Professional secrecy: Section 203 of the Criminal Code and professional law
Lawyers, notaries, tax advisors, doctors and the other professions named in Section 203 of the German Criminal Code may disclose secrets to contributing service providers only as far as necessary for their work (Section 203(3)). If a service provider gains access to protected facts, Section 43e of the Federal Lawyers' Act (for lawyers) and Section 62a of the Tax Advisory Act (for tax advisors) require a contract in text form with a confidentiality obligation. Anyone who fails to arrange that obligation is criminally liable under Section 203(4) if the provider discloses something. The simplest route is a driver who sees nothing: closed containers, neutral labels.
Pack, seal, number
Under Section 411 of the German Commercial Code, the sender packs goods so they are protected against loss and damage. For files, what works is archive boxes with lids instead of open moving crates, security containers or boxes with numbered seals, and only the box number and destination room on the outside. The contents list – which file is in which box – stays with you and does not travel. Enter the number of boxes and the seal numbers in the order; the photos at pickup and delivery then show that the seals arrived intact.
Paper is heavy: payload first, volume second
Tightly packed binders weigh a lot, so with files it is almost always the payload that sets the limit, not the load space. The Sprinter L2 can be booked for up to 1,000 kg, the 3.5-tonne box van for up to 1,200 kg – weigh a few typical boxes and check with the payload calculator. Section 22 of the German Road Traffic Regulations requires the load not to shift even under emergency braking: stack boxes tightly with the heaviest at the bottom and empty suspension files. Add carrying help for stairs without a lift.
Retention periods keep running
Under Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code and Section 257 of the Commercial Code, books and annual financial statements must be kept in an orderly way for ten years, accounting vouchers for eight years and business letters for six years; annual financial statements and opening balance sheets may not be kept as scans only. A move or outsourcing does not change these obligations – the documents must remain just as orderly and retrievable afterwards. That is why box numbers, contents list and proof of delivery belong together in your archive records.
Which vehicle for which document run
The cargo bike carries envelopes and single files through central Düsseldorf, Cologne or Bonn. The car takes case files and a few binders, including between cities. The compact van holds a number of archive boxes. For registries and law firm moves, take the Sprinter L2 or the 3.5-tonne box van – and plan by weight, not by cubic metres.
| Vehicle | Макс. вес | Европоддоны | Макс. размер груза | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarПодходит, например Moving boxes, small furniture, classifieds pickups | 100 kg | – | 100 × 70 × 50 cm | from €79.86Base fare €18.90 | Book |
| Small VanПодходит, например Washing machine, armchair, moving boxes | 400 kg | 1–2 | 160 × 120 × 120 cm | from €94.05Base fare €29.90 | Book |
| Large VanПодходит, например Wardrobe, 2–3 room move, bulky furniture | 1000 kg | 3–4 | 330 × 180 × 170 cm | from €130.05Base fare €54.90 | Book |
| 3.5t Box LorryПодходит, например Retail goods, tail lift, large furniture | 1200 kg | 6–8 | 430 × 210 × 210 cm | from €211.24Base fare €129 | Book |
Published examples for Köln → Düsseldorf, weekdays at 10:00 (Berlin time). The binding price for your addresses is shown before booking.
Bigger, open-bed or heavier than 3 t? On request as a special run
How a document transport works
- 01
Book
Choose pickup and destination, the named recipient and the vehicle, and see the instant price. Add the number of boxes and seal numbers as a note for the drive.
- 02
Collection
The driver takes over the sealed boxes or envelopes and photographs them with their seals. Nothing is opened and no other goods are loaded alongside.
- 03
Direct drive
Straight to the destination without a depot or transloading. You follow the drive live and know when the documents will arrive.
- 04
Handover with proof
Handover to the named person against signature, plus photos of boxes and seals. The timestamped proof of delivery goes into your file.
Why Maxmove for Document & archive transport
One vehicle, only your documents
Every shipment runs as a direct drive: no depot, no sorting, no other parcels in the load space. That means there is no transfer point along the way where boxes can be left behind or mixed up.
Proof that fits your file
Timestamp, recipient name and signature plus photos of the seals: the digital proof of delivery documents every handover and can go straight into your records – for the data protection officer as well as the client file.
From envelope to registry
Cargo bike for an envelope in the city centre, 3.5-tonne box van for an archive move: you choose the vehicle by volume and weight and see the price before booking. We set up recurring runs between sites as fixed routes.