Pharmaceutical Logistics on the Last Mile – Direct Drives in NRW
Maxmove moves medicines, specimen material and pharmacy goods between pharmaceutical wholesalers, pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, labs and practices across North Rhine-Westphalia. No depot, no transhipment, documented handover to the consignee.
- Instant price before booking
- Live tracking on every drive
- Insured transports
Where a direct drive fits into the pharmaceutical supply chain
Pharmaceutical logistics covers storage, transport and distribution of medicines from the manufacturer via the wholesaler to the pharmacy, hospital and patient. Wholesalers carry most of it on their own rounds, usually several times a day at fixed times. The last mile still has gaps: the out-of-stock item that cannot wait for the next round, the hospital pharmacy restocking a partner hospital, or specimens that have to reach a specialist lab today.
Pharmaceutical goods leave little margin for error. The storage conditions on the pack apply in transit too, refrigerated products need 2–8 °C without interruption, and every transhipment or interim storage point is a risk for temperature, breakage and mix-ups. The EU guidelines on good distribution practice (GDP) therefore require delivery to the address on the delivery note and into the care of the consignee, with interim storage kept as short as possible.
Maxmove drives as a direct drive: one vehicle carries only your consignment from pickup to consignee, with no hub and no transhipment, plus live tracking and a digital proof of delivery. What we carry and what we do not is set out below – we do not provide a GDP-validated cold chain, and we do not carry narcotics or labelled dangerous goods.
What pharmaceutical logistics moves on the last mile
Consignments between wholesaler, pharmacy, hospital, practice and lab – packed ready for dispatch by the sender.
- Medicines at room temperature (15–25 °C)
- Refrigerated goods (2–8 °C) in cool boxes
- Urgent orders for pharmacies
- Top-up orders from the hospital pharmacy
- Specimen material under UN 3373
- Medical devices and dressings
- Compounding ingredients and primary packaging
- Delivery notes and accompanying documents
- Pallets of pharmacy and hospital supplies
Pharma transports in Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Münster
Three sections of the pharmaceutical last mile where direct drives close the gaps.
Düsseldorf: an urgent order from the wholesaler to the pharmacy
A pharmacy in Bilk needs a product for a patient who is being discharged from hospital today, and the wholesaler's last round of the day has passed. After agreeing it with the branch, a car collects the order with its delivery note and drives it straight to the pharmacy without stopovers. The pharmacy signs, and the proof of delivery records handover and time. More on these runs on our pharmacy courier page.
Dortmund: a hospital pharmacy supplies a partner hospital
A hospital pharmacy in Dortmund city centre also supplies a hospital in the north of the city. Besides the regular delivery, wards place top-up orders, such as infusion solutions or an antibiotic for intensive care. The pharmacy packs into sealed transport boxes, with refrigerated goods separately in insulated boxes. A compact van or van drives straight to the partner hospital's goods receiving. Recurring runs are set up as fixed orders; top-ups are booked individually.
Münster: drug level testing at a specialist lab
A hospital in Münster sends serum samples for therapeutic drug level testing to an external specialist lab, because the result determines the next day's dose. The hospital lab packs the tubes under P650 and marks the box with UN 3373. A car collects it and drives without detours to the specimen reception, where the handover is signed for. Details on sample runs are on our lab courier page.
Local courier service:DüsseldorfDortmundMünster
Rules in pharmaceutical logistics
What the EU GDP guidelines and the German Pharmacy Operations Ordinance require for transport – and who is responsible.
GDP: responsibility lies with the supplying wholesaler
Under chapter 9 of the EU guidelines on good distribution practice of medicinal products for human use (2013/C 343/01), the supplying wholesale distributor is responsible for protecting medicines against breakage, adulteration and theft and for keeping temperatures within acceptable limits; transport should be planned on a risk basis. Where a third party carries out transport, the contract must cover the requirements of chapter 7: the contract giver remains responsible and assesses the contract acceptor. Wholesalers who want to give a drive to Maxmove clarify this with us beforehand – we do not provide a GDP-validated cold chain.
Delivery into the care of the consignee
The GDP guidelines require delivery to the address on the delivery note and into the care or premises of the consignee – not to alternative premises. Where the route involves unloading, transhipment or interim storage, temperature, cleanliness and security there need particular attention. A direct drive has no transhipment point: the consignment stays in the same vehicle from pickup to handover, and the proof of delivery records who accepted it and when.
Temperature ranges and packaging
What counts are the storage conditions set by the manufacturer or stated on the outer packaging. Common ranges are room temperature (15–25 °C), refrigerated (2–8 °C) and frozen (below −18 °C). If ice packs are used in insulated containers, the medicines must not touch them directly. Temperature excursions or damage in transit must be reported to the distributor and the recipient. The sender provides the packaging; Maxmove carries refrigerated goods passively cooled and arranges temperature-controlled transport as soon as a suitably equipped vehicle is available.
What we do not carry
For narcotics and psychotropic substances the GDP guidelines require additional control systems, and for highly active or radioactive medicines dedicated containers and vehicles. Maxmove does not carry these consignments, nor labelled dangerous goods. Category B specimen material travels in P650 packaging provided by the sender. State the contents of the consignment when booking.
Pharmacy to patient: separate rules
Delivery to patients is governed by section 17 ApBetrO. Without a mail-order licence, only the pharmacy's own messengers deliver, subject to the pharmacy manager's instructions. If a logistics company takes over patient delivery, that is mail order under section 11a ApoG with its own duties, such as confirmation of receipt for prescription medicines and shipment tracking. The details are on our pharmacy courier page.
Which vehicle suits the consignment
The car carries single cartons, cool boxes and specimen boxes. The compact van takes several totes or up to two Euro pallets, the van up to three. For roll cages and larger hospital deliveries with up to four Euro pallets, the Sprinter fits; more on pallet runs under [pallet transport](/palettentransport).
| 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 |
| VanПодходит, например Sofa, 1–2 room move, moving boxes | 900 kg | 2–3 | 270 × 160 × 130 cm | from €112.95Base fare €44.90 | 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 |
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 pharma transport with Maxmove works
- 01
State consignment and conditions
Number of packages, temperature range, delivery note number, contact person and receiving point. Suitability is settled before pickup, and you see the instant price straight away.
- 02
Pickup against delivery note
The driver takes over the dispatch-ready goods together with the delivery note at the agreed pickup point. Cool boxes and sealed transport boxes stay closed until handover.
- 03
Direct drive with no transhipment
No hub, no interim storage, no other customers' goods on board. Sender and consignee follow the drive via live tracking until arrival.
- 04
Handover into the care of the consignee
Handover to the named person or receiving point, signed for and recorded with timestamp and photos in the digital proof of delivery.
Why Maxmove for Pharmaceutical logistics
Direct drive, not transhipment
Pharmaceutical consignments do not tolerate detours. The vehicle runs exclusively for your consignment from pickup to consignee – no interim storage, no reloading. Every handover is recorded with a timestamp.
Clear about what we carry – and what we do not
Medicines, specimen material, pharmacy goods and consumables in your dispatch-ready packaging. Refrigerated goods travel passively cooled, or temperature-controlled as soon as a suitable vehicle is available. Narcotics and labelled dangerous goods are not included.
Fixed routes and urgent runs
Daily runs between a hospital pharmacy and a partner hospital, or between practice and lab, are set up as recurring orders. Urgent drives are booked individually, with the earliest pickup window shown straight away.