From Truck Driver to Logistics Mogul: Jos de Wael's 60-Year Journey

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-04-30

### The Unlikeliest Entrepreneur You don't meet many 74-year-olds who still talk about business with the fire of a 20-something founder. But Jos de Wael isn't most people. He's the oldest guest we've ever had on the podcast, and honestly, that's not what makes him impressive. It's the fact that at his age, he still gets genuinely excited talking about building, investing, and looking ahead. Jos dropped out of school at 16. He started as a driver in his family's business. Then he pulled off one of the boldest moves you'll ever hear: he bluffed his way into his first big order with Delhaize by claiming he had a warehouse full of pallets that didn't actually exist yet. He showed up to a meeting at the Boerentoren in his blue work overalls, surrounded by bankers in expensive suits, and asked for money. And somehow, he walked out with it. That kind of nerve doesn't fade with age. It's the same audacity that turned ODTH into a logistics company with four locations and 160 employees. ### What 60 Years of Entrepreneurship Actually Looks Like This conversation isn't a polished business lecture. It's raw, honest, and full of the kind of lessons you can only learn by making mistakes. Here's what stands out: - **Guts over credentials:** Jos never had a degree. He had something better: the willingness to look foolish and ask anyway. - **Responsibility as a foundation:** He talks about owning every decision, especially the bad ones. - **Resilience after disaster:** In 1989, a devastating fire destroyed part of his operation. He didn't just rebuild. He reinvested. - **The long game:** He maintained top-tier service for Procter & Gamble for 33 years. That's not luck. That's discipline.  ### The Five G's That Define a Life Jos lives by five principles he calls the "Five G's": Goesting (passion), Gezondheid (health), Geld (money), Geluk (happiness), and Geduld (patience). It sounds simple, but after 60 years in the trenches, he's earned the right to boil it down. He makes a clear distinction between making money and building value. One is transactional. The other is about character, relationships, and leaving something behind that matters. > "You can't fake authenticity. People feel it. And in logistics, trust is everything." ### What You Can Learn From Jos If you're an entrepreneur in the United States, you might think a Belgian trucking story doesn't apply to you. But here's the thing: the principles are universal. Whether you're running a startup in Silicon Valley or a warehouse in Ohio, the same truths hold: - **Your background doesn't matter.** Jos started with nothing but a truck and a lie about inventory. - **Your network matters less than your nerve.** He walked into a room full of people who looked down on him and asked for what he needed. - **Your biggest setback can be your best teacher.** The fire in '89 forced him to rethink everything. ### The Bottom Line This episode is a masterclass in old-school entrepreneurship. No buzzwords. No growth hacks. Just 60 years of real experience, compressed into one conversation. Jos de Wael proves that age is just a number when you still have the hunger to build, the humility to learn, and the guts to keep going. If you want more episodes like this, check out the full series at www.belgische-ondernemers.be. Special thanks to our partners: Teamleader (win a duo ticket to the Work Smarter Event on June 4, 2026) and Cloudpoint, the IT partner for every SME.