GRUBER Logistics celebrates its 90th anniversary and Gruber AG rejoins the Group
Bolzano, 27 October 2026 – In 1936, Josef Gruber began by transporting timber from the mountains. Today, GRUBER Logistics is one of Italy’s leading logistics and transport groups, a leader in the transport of exceptional loads and one of Europe’s most innovative companies. In its 90th year, two stories that had gone their separate ways are coming together once more: Gruber AG is rejoining the Group, strengthening its expertise and team in intermodal transport on the routes between Italy, Austria and Germany.
There are companies that celebrate their ninetieth anniversary. And then there are companies which, after ninety years, still have a long way to go.
The history of GRUBER Logistics began in 1936, when Josef Gruber set up his own business transporting timber from the mountains of South Tyrol. A lorry, the Alpine roads and a business deeply rooted in the local area: this is where an entrepreneurial story took shape which, generation after generation, would go on to achieve much more.
Today, GRUBER Logistics is one of Italy’s leading logistics and transport groups, operating across various market segments on several continents. The company is also a leading operator in the transport of exceptional loads, namely oversized and overweight consignments.
But the most significant transformation is not merely about the scale the Group has reached. Above all, it concerns its ability to change and continually explore new avenues. Over time, GRUBER Logistics has expanded its activities from special transport to full and part loads, from road transport to various modes of transport, and on to logistics. This spirit of change continues to this day and is also reflected in the company’s commitment to innovation and its ongoing participation in European research and development programmes.
“Ninety years is a significant milestone, but we don’t want to simply celebrate what we’ve achieved. Above all, we want to celebrate our ability to keep evolving,” comments Martin Gruber, CEO of GRUBER Logistics and the third generation at the helm of the Group. “Josef Gruber started out transporting timber from the mountains. Today we operate in a European market and work every day on technologies and logistics models that, until a few years ago, seemed a distant prospect. Continuity lies precisely here: in being able to evolve without losing sight of who we are.”
In the 1990s, the sons of the founder, Josef, embarked on two distinct entrepreneurial paths, giving rise to two separate companies. Over time, Gruber AG passed into the hands of a group of managers. In 2026, the very year of the company’s 90th anniversary, the two Gruber companies are reuniting, re-establishing a link with their origins and adding a new chapter to the Group’s history.
“More than just a business deal, for us it marks the return of a part of our history,” continues Martin Gruber. “When two paths diverge but continue to cross for almost thirty years, coming together again takes on a special significance. It is a story of family, of people and of collaboration that we can now continue together.”
Gruber AG’s return also brings with it a key area of expertise for the future of European logistics: intermodal transport. The Hamburg-based company began operating in the intermodal transport sector as early as 2003, starting with ten trailers. Today, GRUBER Logistics handles over 20,000 shipments a year by rail along the corridor linking central and northern Italy to Hamburg via the Brenner Pass.
This integration strengthens the team and the expertise dedicated to intermodal transport, with the aim of improving the balance of freight flows and encouraging greater use of rail transport where it represents the most efficient and sustainable alternative.
From the mountains of South Tyrol to the major European logistics corridors, over the past ninety years, goods, vehicles, technologies and markets have changed. The way logistics is carried out has changed.
What remains is the ability to evolve without losing one’s identity. The ninetieth anniversary thus provides an opportunity to look back on the journey so far and, above all, to look ahead to the road still ahead.