Transport goods into or within the UK

The United Kingdom is not so far away from The Netherlands. However, transporting goods to the UK is a slightly different story. First of all, it is an island, which means that you may have to deal with different transport methods. And secondly, there is Brexit, which means that different rules now apply than before. Do you export agricultural products or foodstuffs? Then as of January 1, 2022, you even have to pre-register your cargo with the British government. As of July 1 in that same year, there will be a certification requirement and you will have to deal with new import requirements from British Customs.

In this article we tell you more about the rules that apply to transport to and within the UK since Brexit and read about the various transport methods that can be used.

Export regulations United Kingdom (since January 1, 2021)

Do you already do business with the United Kingdom? Or are you planning to start transporting products to the UK in the near future? Then a number of so-called export regulations apply. Below we briefly go through them with you:

• Different export rules apply than in EU countries. The UK is no longer part of the European Union. For that reason, EU regulations no longer apply in the UK. Rules for, for example, packaging requirements, export documents and transport. The British rules now apply. Your product must therefore meet all these British requirements and you must therefore arrange the correct formalities in both the Netherlands and the UK.
• Check the British product and packaging requirements. Before you have your products shipped to the UK, you need to make sure that your products meet all the requirements. These may include requirements for your product itself, as well as requirements for the packaging and labeling of your product. If your product does not meet these UK requirements, then it may not be marketed in the UK.
• Arrange the proper documents and formalities. Does your product just meet all the requirements? That’s great! In that case, you will still need to arrange a number of documents and formalities before exporting. These include the customs declaration or a certain certificate. Depending on your product, you will have to arrange things with Dutch or British authorities.

Managing your UK export obligations or contracting them out

We understand that customs regulations in foreign countries – and perhaps especially for a country outside the EU – can be complicated at times. You may even find dealing with government agencies to be laborious. If that is the case, it is more convenient to have a specialized party, such as your transport company, handle the customs and import formalities for you

Intermodal transport to the UK

As you can see, there are quite a few regulations involved in transporting products to the UK. But your transport company already takes a lot out of your hands. Besides the paperwork, they also make sure your product reaches its destination in the UK safely and sound. Also called intermodal transport. Intermodal (tank) transport is a form of transport in which several means of transport are used to get a load from A to B. You can think of a combination of different modes of transport. You can think of a combination of road transport, sea transport and rail transport. In intermodal transport the goods change modality in the transport chain, but the way they are transported (for example in a container or swap body) remains the same.

What does intermodal look like in practice?

To make it clearer how intermodal transport works, imagine the following situation. In this form of transport, various modes of transport are thus used to optimally organize the transport chain. For example, a load of goods can be taken by truck to a transshipment terminal, where the container with goods is then loaded onto an inland vessel. This ship then transports the goods to a container freighter. After this ship reaches the port of destination, the container is transported and unloaded by train to the final destination. In this way, there is road transport, sea transport and rail transport to get the cargo of goods from A to B in an efficient way.

Different forms of intermodal transport

Intermodal transport exists in many forms. The distinction usually lies in the various types of loading units. These include:

• Semi-trailers
• Containers / shipping containers
• Swap bodies
• Distribution of liquids

Transport or semi-trailers

There are two options for the transport of semi-trailers: accompanied and unaccompanied transport. In accompanied transport, a truck is transported in its entirety. You can think of a truck that is transported across the water, including the driver himself. Unaccompanied transport refers only to the transport of the trailer itself.

Shipping containers

With shipping containers, it is true that it must meet various standards and they have standardized dimensions. This makes these types of containers used worldwide and makes them very suitable for transport by sea.

Swap bodies

Sometimes it happens that the dimensions of a standard container do not suffice. If so, you can look at containers that use different dimensions. We call these containers swap bodies.

Distribution of liquid food

Finally, the distribution of liquids, such as olive oil, wine, and dairy products like milk. Especially to transport such products to England, for example, there are tank containers. These tank containers are equipped with a separate loading and unloading system and liter counters. In this way, different liquid products can be loaded in the same tanker without any risk of contamination.

Safety and guaranteed quality of transport to and within the UK

When transporting food and drink, safety is of the utmost importance. Especially when it is underway for a long time. Matters such as temperature regulation are then the order of the day. That is why transport companies have various certificates to guarantee the quality of your products en route and at their destination. The three certificates are the ISO22000, the GMP+FSA and Kosher. The quality can also be seen in the way the transport companies communicate. If anything, you do want to know where you stand. Every step of the way. This in all makes it a good company to transport your goods into and within the UK.