A cargo vessel alongside a quay

Services

Five ways to move it

Speed, cost and volume pull against each other. Pick the one that matches the job, or send us the details and we will tell you which is cheapest for that route.

An aircraft at an airport cargo terminal

Air freight

The fastest way to cross an ocean, and the most expensive per kilo. Use it where the cost of waiting beats the cost of the freight: spare parts holding up a production line, seasonal stock, medical supplies, high-value electronics.

We book airport to airport, or door to door with the road legs on both ends. Tell us which you want, because the price difference is large.

What we need from you

  • Gross weight and the dimensions of each piece
  • What the goods are, and whether anything is restricted on aircraft
  • Origin and destination airports, or the two door addresses
  • The date the goods are ready to collect
Stacked shipping containers at a freight terminal

Sea freight

The cheapest way to move volume, and the slowest. Transit runs in weeks rather than days, so it suits stock you have planned for: raw materials, furniture, machinery, anything bought to a schedule.

A full container gives you the whole box and a faster port turnaround. Shared container space costs less because you only pay for the cubic metres you fill, but it waits for the rest of the container to sell.

What we need from you

  • Total volume in cubic metres, and total weight
  • Whether the load is palletised, crated or loose
  • Load port and discharge port, or the two door addresses
  • A commercial invoice and packing list for customs

Ask us about port charges at the destination before you commit. They are billed separately from the sea leg and they catch first-time importers out.

A freight truck on a mountain road at dusk

Road haulage

Trucks for palletised and bulk loads, including cross-border runs and the road legs either side of an airport or a port. If your goods move by air or sea with us, road haulage is usually part of the same quote.

You can book a full truck or pay for part of one. A full truck goes direct and arrives sooner. A part load shares the trailer and costs less, but it stops on the way.

What we need from you

  • Number of pallets, or the weight and dimensions of the load
  • Collection and delivery addresses, with postcodes
  • Whether a forklift or a tail lift is available at each end
  • Any access limits, such as a narrow approach or a timed delivery slot
An open road used for same-day courier runs

Courier

Same-day and next-day collection for items that cannot sit in a queue. Contracts and signed documents, lab samples, product samples for a meeting, a replacement part for a machine that is down.

Courier jobs are booked per run rather than per kilo, so the price depends on the distance, the vehicle and how fast you need it there.

What we need from you

  • Collection address and the earliest time we can collect
  • Delivery address and the deadline
  • Size and weight of the item, and whether it is fragile
  • A named contact at each end, with a phone number
A packed cardboard parcel ready for dispatch

Parcel

One box or a hundred, sent from a home address or a warehouse. This is the service most individuals want, and it is also what small online sellers use for daily dispatch.

Parcels are priced by weight band and destination zone. Pack to the weight band rather than just under the next one up, because a parcel that tips over the band is repriced at the counter.

Before you send

  • Weigh the parcel packed, not empty
  • Write the full destination address, including a phone number for the receiver
  • Declare the contents honestly, because customs opens what does not match the paperwork
  • Keep the consignment number we send you
Inside a freight warehouse

Not sure which one you need?

Send us the weight, the size, the two addresses and the date it has to arrive. We will tell you which service fits and what it costs.