DB Schenker Tracking

DB Schenker tracking lets you follow a land, air, or ocean shipment from pickup to final delivery using the reference printed on your booking confirmation or transport document. DB Schenker is one of the world's largest freight forwarders and contract logistics providers, handling more than 100 million land shipments a year across a network that spans roughly 130 countries. To track a shipment, paste your DB Schenker tracking number (the STT number, air waybill, bill of lading, or container number) into the tracker at the top of this page and you will see the latest scan, location, and status in one place, without logging in to a carrier portal.

Because DB Schenker moves business-to-business freight as well as e-commerce parcels, your reference number can take several forms depending on whether the goods travel by road, by air, or by sea. The sections below explain each number format, decode every tracking status, and set out realistic delivery times by service and region. DB Schenker became part of DSV on 30 April 2025, so some shipments now appear in DSV systems while the Schenker brand and tracking numbers remain in use during the integration.

DB Schenker Tracking Number Format

A DB Schenker land-transport tracking number, called the STT (Schenker Track and Trace) number, is typically 12 to 15 alphanumeric characters long and usually begins with three letters that encode the origin branch or country. The most common pattern is three letters, followed by two letters or two digits, and ending in a block of nine digits, for example FRMPL123456789 or ESBCN223344567. The leading letters often map to a place: "FR" and "ES" point to France and Spain, while a national prefix such as "EDE" or "DE" points to a German origin branch.

The STT is the reference you use for road and groupage freight inside DB Schenker's European land network. It is generated when the shipment is booked and printed on the transport label and the booking confirmation email. If you bought goods from an online retailer, the number is usually in your order confirmation or dispatch email rather than from DB Schenker directly, because the merchant books the carriage on your behalf.

Air and ocean shipments use different documents. An air shipment is tracked with an 11-digit IATA air waybill (AWB) number written as a three-digit airline prefix, a hyphen, and an eight-digit serial with a check digit, for example 020-12345678. An ocean shipment is tracked with a Bill of Lading (B/L) number or a House Bill of Lading (HBL), and you can also follow the equipment with an ISO 6346 container number that reads as four letters plus seven digits, for example MSCU1234567. As DB Schenker's help portal explains:

"On the eSchenker home page you can enter the STT (Schenker track and trace) number, container number, AirWay Bill number, or House Bill of Lading number into the search field." (DB Schenker, eSchenker Online Help, 2024.)

If you are unsure which number you hold, match the shape to the table below. A 12 to 15 character alphanumeric string is a land STT, an 11-digit number split by a hyphen is an air waybill, and a four-letter plus seven-digit code is a container.

DB Schenker Tracking Number Example

DB Schenker issues several reference types, and the right one to enter depends on the transport mode. The table lists each known format, its typical length, and where you will see it. Only the origin-letter pattern is documented by DB Schenker; the specific branch a prefix maps to is best confirmed on your paperwork, because the prefix alone does not reliably indicate the service level.

Enter any one of these into the tracker on this page. For door-to-door e-commerce parcels, the STT behaves like a standard parcel tracking number and updates at each handling point; for air and ocean freight, expect fewer but larger milestone events such as departure, arrival, and customs clearance.

DB Schenker Tracking Status Guide

DB Schenker tracking moves a shipment through a defined sequence of milestones, from booking and pickup to customs clearance and final proof of delivery. The carrier confirms that the shipper and recipient can see "the complete history of shipment statuses: pickup, transit, customs clearance, out for delivery and delivery confirmation." Land shipment history stays available for about six months, while air and ocean records are kept for 12 to 24 months. The table below explains the statuses you are most likely to see and what each one means for your delivery.

What to Do If a DB Schenker Shipment Is Delayed or Not Updating

A DB Schenker tracking page that has not changed for two or three business days is usually still moving, because freight scans at fewer points than a domestic parcel. Long-haul air and ocean shipments can show the same status for several days while the consignment is on a flight, on a vessel, or held in a customs queue, so a static status is not the same as a lost shipment.

If the status has been frozen for several days, first confirm you are using the correct reference for the mode: an STT for land, an air waybill for air, and a B/L or container number for sea. A common reason for "no information found" is entering an order number from the retailer rather than the carrier's STT. Allow up to 24 hours after pickup for the first scan to appear, since the number can be active before goods physically enter the network.

For shipments stuck at "customs clearance in progress," the delay typically sits with the destination customs authority and not with DB Schenker. Check whether import duty or tax is owed, since unpaid charges hold the shipment. If a shipment shows "delivery attempted," arrange a redelivery or pickup promptly, as terminals hold freight for a limited window. When tracking is genuinely stalled, the booking party (the shipper or merchant) can open a trace through the eSchenker or DSV portal, where detailed milestones and proof-of-delivery documents are available to the account holder.

DB Schenker Services and Delivery Times Compared

DB Schenker organizes its transport around four core divisions: Land Transport, Air Freight, Ocean Freight, and Contract Logistics, plus lead-logistics management. Land transport alone runs through roughly 430 branches and moves more than 100 million shipments a year, which is why European road groupage is the service most consumers encounter. The table compares the main services and realistic transit ranges; treat all times as estimates that depend on lane, customs, and capacity.

For comparison, two other large European road-freight networks on this site, Dachser and the global forwarding arm tracked as DHL Global Forwarding, run similar groupage and air-and-ocean services, so transit times are broadly comparable on overlapping lanes.

DB Schenker Delivery and Transit Times by Region

DB Schenker's densest delivery network is in Europe, where its land-transport branches give next-day or two-day road delivery across major economies including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries. The company is headquartered in Essen, Germany, and German domestic groupage often delivers within 24 to 48 hours of pickup.

Beyond Europe, DB Schenker relies on air and ocean freight, so transit time depends on the lane rather than a fixed delivery promise. Transatlantic air freight to the United States commonly clears in a few days, while ocean freight from Asia to Europe or North America runs in weeks. Contract-logistics fulfillment from in-country warehouses, by contrast, can deliver to local customers within one to three days because the goods are already in the destination market when the order is placed.

DB Schenker Returns, Claims for Lost or Damaged Freight

DB Schenker handles returns mainly through its contract-logistics operations, where reverse logistics, inspection, and restocking are built into the e-commerce fulfillment contract for the retailer. For a consumer, a return is normally arranged through the online store you bought from, which then routes the goods back into the DB Schenker or DSV network.

For freight that arrives short, late, or damaged, claims are filed by the contracting party against the transport contract. Note any visible damage on the proof-of-delivery document at the moment of handover, because a clean signature can limit a later claim. Keep the STT or waybill, photographs of the damage, and the commercial invoice, since these are the documents a forwarder requires to assess and settle a freight claim.

Which Countries Does DB Schenker Deliver To?

DB Schenker operates in roughly 130 countries through more than 1,850 locations, making it one of the most widely networked logistics companies in the world. Its own land fleet and branch network cover most of Europe directly, while air and ocean freight connect Europe with the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa through partner airlines, shipping lines, and local agents.

Within Europe, DB Schenker delivers domestically and cross-border across the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, and the wider Nordic and Baltic regions, with named branch hubs in cities such as Essen, Frankfurt, Barcelona, and Stockholm. Intercontinentally, the network reaches major trade markets on every inhabited continent, handing off to local delivery providers for the final mile where DB Schenker does not run its own fleet.

• Domestic and Europe: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Baltic states.
• North America: the United States, Canada, and Mexico, served mainly by air and ocean freight plus domestic distribution.
• Asia Pacific: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Taiwan, anchored by major air and sea gateways.
• Middle East and Africa: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Egypt, with regional hubs feeding local delivery.

Other German and European operators on this site complement DB Schenker's reach. National letter and parcel volumes often move with Deutsche Post, while Dachser covers comparable European road groupage.

DB Schenker Cross-Border Customs and International Handoff

Every DB Schenker international shipment passes through customs clearance in the destination country, and this stage is the most common source of delay outside the carrier's control. DB Schenker provides customs brokerage as part of its freight services, preparing import declarations, commodity codes, and the commercial documents that customs authorities require before releasing goods.

For air and ocean freight, the shipment is declared on arrival at the destination gateway, and the consignee or importer of record is responsible for any duties and import taxes due. Unpaid charges are the usual reason a shipment sits at "customs clearance in progress." Where DB Schenker does not perform the final local delivery, it hands the cleared shipment to a domestic carrier or postal operator, after which the last-mile scans appear under that provider rather than DB Schenker.

What Is DB Schenker?

DB Schenker is the freight forwarding and logistics business founded as Schenker and Co. by Gottfried Schenker in Vienna in 1872, more than 150 years ago. Over the twentieth century it grew into one of Europe's leading land, air, and sea forwarders, and after a series of ownership changes it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the German national railway, Deutsche Bahn, in 2003. The brand was operated by Schenker AG and headquartered in Essen, Germany.

In its modern form, DB Schenker employs around 72,000 people and runs more than 1,850 locations across roughly 130 countries, handling over 100 million shipments a year. Its scale placed it among the top global freight forwarders alongside DSV, Kuehne and Nagel, and DHL.

The biggest recent change is ownership. In September 2024 the Danish transport group DSV agreed to buy DB Schenker from Deutsche Bahn, and the deal closed the following spring. As DSV announced:

"DSV has completed the acquisition of Schenker." (DSV, company announcement, 30 April 2025.)

The transaction was valued at about 14.3 billion euros and created one of the largest transport and logistics companies in the world, with a combined workforce approaching 160,000 people. During the integration the Schenker brand, STT numbers, and eSchenker tools remain in use, while shipments gradually migrate onto DSV's systems, so you may see either name when you track.

DB Schenker Marketplace and Retailer Collaborations

DB Schenker is a business-to-business logistics provider rather than a consumer marketplace, but its contract-logistics arm runs e-commerce fulfillment for online retailers, operating more than 50 e-commerce sites across about 20 countries. When you buy from a store that outsources its warehousing and shipping to DB Schenker, your order is picked, packed, and dispatched from a Schenker fulfillment center, even though the storefront carries the retailer's brand.

In Europe, DB Schenker has handled fulfillment and store distribution for major retailers such as MediaMarkt Sweden and the fashion retailer MQ, managing online-order logistics from regional logistics centers. Fashion and omnichannel retail is a core vertical, which puts DB Schenker in the same delivery chain as large European marketplaces. If you are tracking a clothing order, it may have shipped through a fulfillment partner before reaching a final carrier, so it is worth checking your Zalando order tracking reference alongside the carrier number.

For shipments that originate with the world's largest marketplaces, DB Schenker more often appears in the upstream freight leg, moving bulk inventory into a country before a local courier handles the doorstep delivery. If your parcel began on a global marketplace, follow it with both the marketplace reference and the final carrier number, for example by using your Amazon order tracking details and then the DB Schenker or DSV number once the freight handoff is complete.