Road Freight and Haulage

What our road freight network covers

Road freight covers everything from a single pallet moving on a groupage trailer to a full 44-tonne artic dedicated to one customer's load. Within the UK, this includes nationwide collections and deliveries, timed bookings for retail and construction sites, and specialist movements requiring an escort for abnormal loads.

Across mainland Europe, the same network extends to full truckload, part-load and pallet groupage services, with regular scheduled departures to the main economic centres in France, Germany, the Benelux countries, Spain, Italy and beyond. The same trailers and drivers also cover return loads back into the UK.

Who uses road freight and for what

Manufacturers and distributors shipping regular volumes between UK and European sites use full truckload services for their most cost-effective and time-sensitive movements. Smaller businesses and online sellers use pallet groupage for individual pallets or part loads that do not justify booking a whole trailer.

Construction and events companies rely on the UK network for timed site deliveries with offload equipment, while manufacturers of oversized equipment use our abnormal load service, which includes route planning and, where required, a police or private escort.

Equipment types and how loading works

Curtainside trailers are the most flexible option, allowing side loading by forklift as well as rear loading, and suit palletised and boxed goods across most sectors. Box trailers protect cargo more fully from the weather and are used for higher-value or moisture-sensitive goods, while flatbed and low loader trailers carry machinery, construction materials and oversized items that will not fit under a curtain roof.

Loading is typically arranged at your own premises using your own forklift or loading dock, though we can also arrange loading assistance where that is not available. Abnormal loads are surveyed in advance to confirm the trailer, route and any bridge or width restrictions along the way.

• Curtainside trailers for flexible side or rear loading
• Box trailers for weather-protected and higher-value cargo
• Flatbed and low loader trailers for oversized items
• Route surveys and escorts for abnormal loads

Customs and border formalities post-Brexit

Every trailer crossing between the UK and the EU now needs export and import customs declarations, and many benefit from T1 or T2 transit documentation to move through border points without a full customs check at the frontier itself. We raise the transit documents and export entry as part of the same booking, so the trailer is not left waiting at the port while paperwork catches up separately.

Because the team booking the transport is the same team raising the documents, we can flag anything that will hold a load up, such as a missing commodity code or an incomplete commercial invoice, before the trailer even leaves the depot rather than discovering it at the border.

How road freight is priced

Full truckload rates are quoted per trailer based on the route, with adjustments for fuel surcharges and any waiting time beyond the agreed loading and unloading window. Pallet groupage is priced per pallet space, based on standard pallet dimensions, with oversized or non-stackable pallets charged at a higher rate reflecting the extra trailer space they occupy.

Abnormal and heavy haulage is quoted individually once a route survey has been completed, since escort requirements, permit costs and any road closures needed vary significantly from one movement to the next.

Transit times across the UK and Europe

UK mainland deliveries are typically next-day or two-day depending on distance and postcode, with timed bookings available for an additional charge where a specific delivery slot is required. European groupage generally takes three to five days to the main economic centres, with more remote regions taking a day or two longer.

Full truckload movements to Europe can sometimes be faster than groupage, since the trailer travels directly to a single destination rather than waiting to be built up with other consignments or being broken down at a regional hub first.

Preparing cargo for road transport

Palletised goods should be properly stacked, shrink-wrapped and within standard pallet height and weight limits wherever possible, since oversized or unstable pallets both cost more to move and are more likely to be damaged. Loose cartons should be consolidated onto pallets before collection rather than left as individual boxes, which are harder to handle safely on a curtainside trailer.

For abnormal loads, accurate dimensions and weights are essential at the quoting stage, since these determine the trailer type, the route and whether an escort or special permit is required. Getting this wrong after a route survey has been completed usually means starting the planning again from scratch.

Common mistakes and what happens at delivery

The most frequent issue on European road freight is incomplete export documentation causing a trailer to be held at the border rather than moving straight through on its transit document. This is largely avoidable by getting commercial invoices and commodity codes finalised well before the planned collection date.

On delivery, drivers will normally wait for a reasonable, agreed unloading time before demurrage applies, and proof of delivery is captured at the point of drop-off. Timed and site deliveries are confirmed in advance so the right offload equipment, such as a tail lift or pallet truck, is available when the trailer arrives.