The mode of transport you use to export will depend largely on your product – its size, weight, fragility and how quickly you need to get it your buyer.
The main methods to move goods are by air, sea, road or, for small items, by courier.
Planes, trains and automobiles
Air
Moving goods by air has the advantage of being quick, so is perfect for time sensitive logistics. Consignments can be sent via direct or in-direct flights, and consignments of various sizes can be transported using passenger, cargo and chartered flights.
Did you know, more trade is done between countries where there is a direct flight?
Sea
The most used mode of transport is sea freight. Large container vessels circumnavigate the globe transporting everything from wine to food, to trainers and televisions. More freight is moved in this way than any other mode and this is by far the greenest mode of transport.
Consignments are moved in shipping containers of various sizes as well as loose cargo. Sea freight options are a lengthier transit but offer value for money for those not so urgent consignments.
Road
Road freight is the most popular route for exports out of the UK into the EU. Using the extensive roll on roll off ferry services, goods can get to Ireland, mainland Europe and beyond relatively quickly and at a lower cost than air freight.
Road freight provides either time sensitive or indeed grouped or shared services.
Courier
Courier services offer transport options for documents and small cargo. This could be local, national or indeed Internationally. Quick collection together with quick transit and delivery times makes this an attractive option for urgent consignments.
There’s some more useful information on all these services including container sizes for shipments and pallet sizes road here.
Who you gonna call?
Once you’ve identified what you want to transport and how quickly it needs to arrive, you need to decide who is going to do the actual hauling and distribution of your goods.
If you want to take the stress out of the process, then we can help.
As a trusted freight forwarder, we can advise on the best way to transport your goods, make sure you have all the right paperwork in place to avoid any issues en route and arrange all the logistics for whichever route you choose to use.
Give our friendly team a call on 01952 270699 or email sales@global-freight.co.uk.
