Road freight is the connective tissue of every international shipment. ShipCars UK runs collections from any UK postcode into our East Tilbury facility and out to the loading berth, and books full and part loads across Europe through a vetted carrier network.
We handle live loads, drop trailers, tail-lift deliveries to sites without a dock, and container haulage on skeletal trailers to and from Felixstowe, London Gateway, Southampton and Tilbury. Time-sensitive consignments can travel on a dedicated vehicle rather than waiting for a groupage schedule.
Most of what we move by road never appears on our website as a standalone service, because it is the invisible first and last mile either side of a sea or air booking. That does not make it any less important: a container missing its gate-in slot by twenty minutes costs a week, and a delivery vehicle that cannot get a tail lift to a domestic driveway turns a simple job into a wasted trip.
Whether you need a single pallet moved across the country or a rolling programme of European trailers, the booking desk that answers your call for road freight is the same desk coordinating the sea or air leg either side of it, so nothing gets lost in a handover between departments.
Road services we provide
- Nationwide UK collection and delivery
- European full loads and groupage
- Container haulage to and from all UK ports
- Tail-lift and moffett-assisted deliveries
- Vehicle transporter and recovery movements
- Abnormal and out-of-gauge loads
- Bonded and customs-controlled movements
- Dedicated same-day vehicles
Equipment on the fleet
We match the vehicle to the load rather than sending a curtainsider by default, which keeps costs down and reduces the risk of damage in transit.
- Curtainsiders for palletised and general cargo
- Flatbeds and low-loaders for machinery and plant
- Tail-lift vehicles for deliveries without a loading dock
- Skeletal trailers for container haulage
- Enclosed vehicle transporters for cars and light commercials
- Extendable trailers for abnormal-length loads
How Your Shipment Moves
Quote & booking
Rates, sailing or flight options confirmed in writing.
UK collection
Nationwide collection or delivery into our Tilbury depot.
Loading & packing
Lashing, crating, palletising and photographic record.
Customs & export
Export entry, NES clearance and documentation released.
Transit & delivery
Tracking updates until the cargo lands with your consignee.
UK ports and terminals we serve
Container and RoRo haulage runs to every major UK gateway, timed against each terminal's own cut-off and yard congestion pattern.
- Felixstowe and London Gateway — deep-sea container terminals
- Southampton and Tilbury — container and RoRo berths
- Immingham — RoRo services to Scandinavia and the Baltic
- Liverpool — North Atlantic and West African container trades
- Sheerness and Bristol (Portbury) — shortsea and African rotations
Transit times
UK collections are typically completed within one to three working days of booking, faster where a dedicated vehicle is used. European full loads run from one day to the near continent up to four or five days for Southern and Eastern Europe; groupage adds a day or two either end for consolidation at the depot. Container haulage between a UK port and our East Tilbury yard is normally same-day or next-day, planned around the terminal's own gate hours.
Feeding the ports on time
Every port has a gate-in cut-off, and missing it costs a week. Our transport desk plans collections backwards from the cut-off with a buffer for traffic and yard queues, and confirms the pick-up window with you in writing so nothing sits waiting on a loading bay.
Documentation and customs for European loads
Since the UK left the customs union, every European movement needs an export declaration and, for many commodities, additional documentation. We build that into the transit plan rather than treating it as an afterthought, which is why our trailers clear the border rather than parking at it.
Documents we typically prepare
The paperwork needed depends on the commodity and destination, but most European road movements require the following.
- UK export declaration and Movement Reference Number
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- CMR consignment note
- EORI numbers for both exporter and importer
- T1 or T2 transit documentation where the load remains under customs control
Packing and loading
Palletised and boxed cargo is checked, weighed and photographed at our East Tilbury depot before it is loaded, with weight distributed correctly across the trailer axles. Non-palletised or awkward items are strapped, blocked and braced to prevent movement, and abnormal loads are surveyed and secured to the relevant load-securing code before the vehicle leaves the yard.
Insurance
Domestic and international road hauliers carry limited liability under CMR convention terms, which rarely covers the full replacement value of high-value cargo. We offer all-risk goods-in-transit insurance at 1.5% of the declared value for consignments where the CMR limit would leave you short in the event of loss or damage.
What drives your price
Road freight rates are built from a small number of variable factors, and every quotation sets these out individually.
- Distance and number of collection or delivery points
- Vehicle type required — curtainsider, flatbed, tail-lift or low-loader
- Full load versus shared groupage space
- Access restrictions at collection or delivery — narrow roads, weight limits, timed deliveries
- Whether customs formalities are required for a cross-border movement
- Fuel surcharge and seasonal demand on the route
Trade and contract clients
Manufacturers, distributors and retailers running regular UK or European lanes can move onto a scheduled service with a fixed weekly slot, consolidated groupage to reduce cost per pallet, and a single point of contact managing the whole programme rather than booking each load individually.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we hear most often about UK and European road freight.
Can you collect from a residential address without a loading dock?
Yes — our tail-lift and moffett-equipped vehicles are used routinely for domestic and small commercial collections that have no dock or forklift on site.
How quickly can a dedicated vehicle be arranged?
For UK movements we can usually confirm a dedicated vehicle same day or next day. European dedicated trailers typically need 24 to 48 hours' notice to secure the right equipment and driver.
Do you handle customs clearance for European loads yourselves?
Yes, our documentation team prepares and files the export and transit paperwork in-house, so the load is cleared before it reaches the border rather than queuing there.
Why choose ShipCars UK for road freight
Because our road fleet and subcontracted network feed directly into our own East Tilbury sea and air operations, a road booking is never treated as a standalone job. The same coordinator who arranges your collection also tracks the onward sailing or flight, so a delay on the road is caught and managed before it becomes a missed departure.