RFS Express, a young company from Bierset specialized in air freight transport, has purchased ten DAF XF FT 480 tractors from Aerts Trucks. The DAF dealer won the order mainly thanks to solutions that were specially developed specifically for this new customer.
Road Feeder Service Express was founded in October 2025 by Jonathan Bouchat. Shortly afterwards, Donald Schaap (the former general manager of Wallenborn Belgium) also joined the company. RFS Express is part of a complementary group with Fresh Express and Live Express. Where Fresh Express focuses on fresh goods and Live Express specializes in the transport of live animals – such as race horses – RFS Express focuses entirely on air freight.
Today, the Belgian fleet of RFS Express consists of 12 of its own trucks, supplemented by four subcontractors. At the same time, an international expansion from Poznan is already being built. “Our first two vehicles for the international fleet are already operational. The aim is to systematically expand that branch, currently with a focus on flower transport,” says Donald Schaap. Scheduled services have been running to Frankfurt since March, while further expansion to Amsterdam, among others, is also being investigated. By next year, RFS Express is targeting a fleet of 32 to 35 vehicles.
As far as the fleet is concerned, Donald Schaap consciously chooses Talson semi-trailers and DAF tractors. “The collaboration with Bert Aerts goes back many years. His professionalism and his way of thinking along have once again been decisive,” says Schaap. Since November 2025, Aerts Trucks has already supplied ten DAF XF FT 480 tractors to RFS Express, four of which are new vehicles and six First Choice second-hand vehicles. “This mix makes it financially manageable without sacrificing quality,” says Schaap. In addition, trucks of different ages were chosen to avoid future peak investments. “You want to avoid suddenly having to replace half a fleet at the same time within a few years. Spread provides breathing space,” says Schaap. .
Aerts Trucks also made a difference by thinking with RFS Express. A concrete example of this is a solution that Aerts Trucks provided for the air suspension of the DAF XF FT 480. By making smart use of the adjustable air suspension, drivers can easily bridge height differences and use different semi-trailers. “With a simple operation we can adjust the ride height at the front by 50 mm and at the rear by 100 mm. That idea came from Bert and shows how important practical knowledge is. It gives us flexibility that is essential in our sector,” Schaap concludes.
