What is a GMR and do I need one for every UK shipment?

Yes. Every commercial vehicle crossing at a UK RoRo port needs a Goods Movement Reference, generated through GVMS, bundling the relevant customs declarations for that crossing, without it, the vehicle can't board.

Do I need to file an ENS for shipments from the EU to the UK?

Yes, since 31 January 2025 an Entry Summary Declaration is required for goods entering Great Britain from the EU, in addition to the standard import declaration.

Do I need a UK EORI number to import into the UK?

Yes, an EORI GB number is required for the importer of record; a separate EU EORI is only needed if the goods continue onward into an EU country afterwards.

Is Dover or the Eurotunnel faster for UK freight?

The Eurotunnel crossing itself is quicker (about 35 minutes versus 90 for the ferry), but the better choice depends on congestion on the day and where in the UK the freight is headed.

Are there alternatives to Dover for freight heading away from London?

Yes, routes like Hull-Rotterdam or Harwich-Hoek van Holland can be more efficient for freight destined for the Midlands or the North, since they avoid the drive down to Kent and back.

Road Freight

Road Freight to the United Kingdom: FTL, LTL and Customs-Cleared Transport

Cargo Logistic Solutions runs road freight into the UK out of our offices in Poland, Germany and Spain, and since the UK is also one of our own bases, the delivery end is handled locally, not managed from a distance. Every EU-to-UK shipment now runs through the UK's post-Brexit digital border: a truck without the right reference numbers simply doesn't board the ferry, so we clear that paperwork before the truck leaves, not after it arrives at Dover. You pay for the A→B leg only, and every load is insured.

What do we ship to the UK?

The UK is a major destination for retail and e-commerce goods - pallets of stock feeding warehouses and distribution centres across the Midlands and the South East, alongside industrial components and machinery parts for UK manufacturing. Most of it moves as FTL on a standard tarpaulin trailer, with smaller retail consignments running as groupage.

Get a quote in 15 minutes. Send loading and delivery points plus the pallet count. We reply with the format, transit and a rate.

How does the UK's digital border actually work?

Since Brexit, physical checks at Dover and the Eurotunnel have been replaced by a "digital border" - the paperwork has to be right before the truck ever reaches the port, or it won't be allowed to board.

GVMS and the GMR, every commercial vehicle crossing at a UK RoRo port (Dover, Eurotunnel, Holyhead) needs a Goods Movement Reference, a single code that bundles the export, import and transit declarations for that specific crossing. No valid GMR, no boarding.

ENS (Entry Summary Declaration) - since 31 January 2025, every shipment entering Great Britain from the EU needs a Safety and Security declaration filed in advance, on top of the standard import declaration.

EORI GB, the importer needs a UK EORI number; if the goods continue on to another EU country afterwards, a separate EU EORI is needed for that leg.

T1 transit, used when the load needs to move under customs control before it's formally cleared, which we handle alongside the import customs clearance and export customs clearance on the EU side, via T1 transit and certification.

How long does road freight to the UK take?

Route	Distance (approx.)	Typical transit
Berlin → London (Channel crossing)	~1,090 km	2 days
Warsaw → London (Channel crossing)	~1,635 km	2–3 days
Madrid → London (Channel crossing)	~1,720 km	2–3 days

Most freight crosses via Dover-Calais (around 90 minutes by ferry) or the Eurotunnel (about 35 minutes), which suit anything heading toward London or the South East. For destinations further north or west, the longer sea crossings - Hull-Rotterdam (~12 hours), Harwich-Hoek van Holland (~8 hours) - sometimes work out faster overall by skipping the drive down to Kent and back up the country.

FTL, LTL or container, which fits your shipment?

	FTL, full load	LTL / groupage	Container transport
Best for	Full tarpaulin trailer, up to 92 m³ / 24 t	Smaller consignments consolidated with other UK-bound freight	Sea container arriving at a UK port, needing onward road haulage
Transit	Direct, no consolidation delay	+2–4 days via a hub	Depends on vessel schedule, then direct by road
Customs load	One GMR/ENS filing per truck	Consolidated declaration at the groupage hub	Port import clearance, then domestic UK move, often no fresh GMR needed
Priced by	Route / km	Loading metre, m³ or kg	Container size + onward road distance

Pick FTL for a direct, sealed run, the standard for full retail or industrial loads, or LTL groupage to pay only for the space you use. Container transport covers the case where the shipment has already crossed by sea and only needs the UK road leg.

What affects the price of road freight to the UK?

Distance and origin, a Berlin-London run costs a fraction of a Warsaw-London one.
Customs documentation, the GMR, ENS filing and any T1 transit add processing time and cost that an EU-to-EU shipment doesn't carry.
Crossing choice - Dover/Eurotunnel versus a longer North Sea ferry route, depending on the UK destination.
Load size, full truckload (ldm/m³/t) versus a groupage rate per pallet.
Port congestion - Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal can back up around holidays and peak retail season; we build in a realistic buffer rather than promise an unrealistic date.

Regular shipments to the UK?

If you're shipping the same lane every week, retail stock into a UK distribution centre, components into a UK plant, a contract rate is worth setting up: a fixed price, a guaranteed truck, and a manager on our UK team who already has your GMR and ENS process running smoothly.

Request a route quote and we'll come back with pricing and the next available slot the same day.