History

1950’s

The 1950’s were a time of rapid growth, both for the Finnish economy and the Kaukokiito system. Finland paid its final war reparations to the Soviet Union in 1952. The general strike halted the Finnish economy in the early spring of 1956 and the first term of President Urho Kekkonen commenced. The act on regulated economy was repealed, which resulted in the increase in trade and transport.

Kaukokiito Oy was established in April of 1953 and the company’s first office was located in the Hakaniementori market place in Helsinki. In the spring of 1956, Kaukokiito Oy changed its name to Helsingin Kaukokiito Oy and the office was moved from Hakaniemi to Paciuksenkatu Street in the summer.

The Finnish foreign trade was liberated in 1957 and licences were no longer needed for importing new trucks. Kaukokiito transport began to expand and local Kaukokiito companies were established in Tampere, Turku, Lahti and several other towns. The amount of cargo transported between the towns increased and new routes were opened to reach more locations.

Rapid increase in exports and imports created new challenges for the Kaukokiito system. Suomen Kaukokiito Oy was established in 1958 to be a national umbrella organisation that was also to develop the emerging international transport. Suomen Kaukokiito Oy was the Finnish pioneer in truck transport to Sweden. The trucks headed to Sweden first drove through Tornio. The first ferries transporting trucks began operating from Korppoo to Sweden in the summer of 1959. By the end of the decade, the Kaukokiito system had become one of the most important freight transport systems in Finland.

1960’s

In the 1960’s, Finland faced a major structural change from primary production to industry and services. The Finnish road network was paved with asphalt and oil gravel, and traffic problems on the main routes started to ease off. The size of trucks increased and full-trailer combination trucks became more common to improve the profitability of transport.

The Kaukokiito network covered the entire country, with the longest route reaching from Helsinki to Kemijärvi. At the beginning of the decade, the Kaukokiito system consisted of more than 100 transport companies and approximately 600 trucks. The most modern transport terminal in the Nordic countries was built in Tampere in 1961.

Terminals were also built in several smaller towns to improve service. Separate pick-up and distribution cars were introduced in urban areas and separate containers were also experimented. The number of routes leaving from Helsinki increased to 53.

International transport operated by Kaukokiito facilitated when Finland joined the international TIR convention in 1960. Car ferries Skandia and Nordia, which operated between Turku and Stockholm, began a new area in the truck transport between Finland and Sweden in 1961. In addition to the Nordic countries, the routes of trucks under the marks of Suomen Kaukokiito Oy reached Central and Southern Europe. The transport of food and meat products to the Soviet Union was also commenced.

1970’s

The economic growth in Finland ceased as a result of the oil crisis in 1973. Due to the decrease in the demand of transport and increase in the prices of petrol, the situation in the transport markets became difficult. In 1975, the operating environment changed due to the higher axle weights and the heatedly debated working hours act for the drivers of motor vehicles.

Customer service of the Kaukokiito system was to be developed and the fist warehouse hotel was built in Voutila, Vantaa, in 1973. The operations were computerised the following year.

The second warehouse hotel was built in Rahola, Tampere and wascompleted in 1978. The Kaukokiito motel that was inaugurated in Mäntsälä in 1979 presented a brand new commercial niche. The international transport of Suomen Kaukokiito Oy was at its most extensive and there were daily routes to Scandinavia. The blue and white Kaukokiito trucks travelled in almost every European country transporting, for example, frozen meat, eggs and other food products. There were regular routes to England, Spain and Italy, and busy food products traffic to Moscow and Leningrad. One of the most exotic destinations was Teheran, where Finnish eggs were transported in the mid 1970’s.

The 1970’s were the time for strong growth for the Kaukokiito system. A major improvement was the completion of the Metsälä terminal in Helsinki in 1970. Old terminal buildings around Finland were modernised and Kaukokiito service units were established in smaller municipalities, too. Kaukokiito’s transport network was established at the end of the decade and covered practically the entire country from Åland to Utsjoki.

1980’s

A period for a strong trend of centralisation started in the field of transport in the 1980’s and competition became significantly fiercer. Several mergers were completed during the decade and increasing transport areas were transferred to transport companies. The beginning of the following decade was characterised by economic downturn, which continued until 1994. Finland joined the European Union at the beginning of 1995.

The construction of the Myllypuro centre for terrestrial transport was launched in Tampere in 1989 and the work was completed in 1991. A modern terminal was also completed in the Port of Turku in 1989. As competition became fiercer, the Helsinki terminal started 24/7 service.

From 1988, Suomen Kaukokiito Oy focused only on the development of scheduled domestic freight transport.

1990’s

At the turn of the 1990’s, some of the pick-up and distribution operations and part of the scheduled transport were transferred to different co-operating companies. Kaukokiito was granted the ISO-9002 Quality Management System in 1992. The transport permit system changed and the use of the traditional freight transport permits were given up at the beginning of 1993.

When the ownership relations of the Kaukokiito companies were clarified, the system faced the new millennium and being more uniform than ever before. The strong Kaukokiito transport companies were in charge of transport in their own areas of responsibility and the position of Suomen Kaukokiito Oy as a national umbrella organisation was established.

21st century

The beginning of the new millennium was a period of strong growth for Kaukokiito. Uniform operational models were created within the system and competitiveness improved further.

Kaukokiito celebrated its 50th anniversary with over 700 invited guests to Finlandia Hall in September of 2003. The main speaker of the event was the Chairman of the Finnish Parliament, Mr. Paavo Lipponen. A 600-page historical chronic of the five decades of Kaukokiito “Kaukokiito Suomalainen – 50 vuotta” edited by the author Jari Kurkinen was published in the event.

Investments to vehicles and terminals were made in different parts of the country. A new terminal was completed in the Helsinki region in Voutila, Vantaa, by the Ring Road III in the spring of 2005. The 15,000-square metre centre for terrestrial transport completed during the first construction stage was the largest single investment of Kaukokiito. The acquisition made in 2006 extended the Voutila plot to over 10 hectares.

According to a survey made by Taloustutkimus Oy, the Kaukokiito brand became one of the most renowned brands in the field of transportation in the 21st century.

When the ownership relations of the Kaukokiito companies were clarified, the system was more uniform than ever before. The beginning of the new millennium was the time of intensive construction. The Finnish Kaukokiito celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003. In the same year, Kaukokiito was also listed in the Super brands book and a song ordered from musician Pate Mustajärvi, “Ajan päivin ajan öin” was released.