Freight forwarding

Road transport

Almost every shipment begins and ends on a truck. The legs at either end decide whether the schedule in the middle survives.

What this covers

We arrange road transport in two situations. The first is pre-carriage and on-carriage: moving cargo from the supplier to the port, terminal or airport, and from the arrival point to the consignee. The second is direct road movement on regional lanes where a truck beats the combination of terminal handling and a main leg.

Full truck loads and part loads are both arranged. As with sea freight, the decision is arithmetic rather than preference, and it depends on volume, deadline and how many collection points are involved.

How the shipment runs

  1. BookingVehicle type matched to the cargo, loading window agreed with the supplier.
  2. CollectionLoading supervised where required, cargo condition and count recorded.
  3. TransitMovement under the road consignment note, with border formalities where the route crosses one.
  4. DeliveryUnloading at the agreed point, proof of delivery returned with the file.

Comparison

Where road transport carries the shipment
LegWhat happens
Pre-carriageSupplier or factory to the port, rail terminal or airport of departure
Inter-terminalMovement between facilities, including to a consolidation warehouse
On-carriageArrival terminal to the consignee, including multi-drop delivery
Direct road serviceOrigin to destination on a single road movement, without a main-leg terminal

Documents you receive

  • Road consignment note, signed at loading and at delivery
  • Commercial invoice and packing list
  • Customs transit documents where a border is crossed
  • Proof of delivery returned to the customer with the shipment file

Worth knowing