Two Danish truckers built a local haulage firm into a global logistics giant

A pair of unlikely business partners from rural Zealand turned a struggling transport cooperative into DSV, now one of the world’s largest logistics companies, Danish broadcaster DR reports in a new documentary.

Leif Tullberg, 80, founded De Sammensluttede Vognmænd (DSV) in 1976 alongside 29 other local truckers after his first business collapsed during the 1970s oil crisis. “We had no money,” he recalls. “I just had some empty premises at one end of my house in Skuldelev, so we moved in there.” The company’s early years were marked by fierce competition—rivals dubbed them “the hungry hauliers” or “the devil’s hauliers”—as they aggressively poached customers to survive.

The turning point came in 1989 when DSV, by then publicly listed, acquired Borup Autotransport. The deal brought in Kurt Larsen, a logistics specialist who became Tullberg’s key partner despite their clashing personalities. “It wasn’t all smooth sailing between Kurt and me—he was very dominant,” Tullberg admits. “But when we negotiated together, we were world-class.”

DSV’s growth strategy relied on acquiring competitors, a model that transformed it into a global player alongside Danish giants like Lego and Vestas. Yet the expansion came at a cost, notes business journalist Sune Aagaard: “DSV has repeatedly laid off staff in large numbers after takeovers.”

Half a century after its founding, DSV now rivals Novo Nordisk and Vestas in market value. Tullberg, known for his frugality—driving a lightweight Volvo to save on taxes and buying cheaper coffee—reflects on the journey: “It’s incomprehensible how far we’ve come. There’s no use regretting the tough choices; you stand by what you’ve done.”