Consignments from Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony bound for the United Kingdom go to a Polish consolidation hub rather than to a terminal in western Germany. From the eastern states, Legnica is nearer, and the cargo continues on a vehicle already heading for the Channel, with customs handled inside the transport.
Why heading east makes sense
The classic German groupage pattern routes freight to a large hub in the west of the country. For a shipper in Dresden, Leipzig, Cottbus or Frankfurt an der Oder that means driving away from the port of exit to Britain and adding another terminal on the way. Our handling point in Legnica sits on the A4 motorway, which eastern German traffic passes anyway on the way to Calais or Dunkirk. Berlin is around three hundred motorway kilometres from Legnica, less than the run to the western terminals.
How a consignment travels
- Collection from the bay in Berlin, Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt or Thuringia.
- Consolidation in Legnica or Kielce with cargo from Poland, Czechia and Slovakia heading the same way.
- Export clearance and the UK import declaration prepared before the vehicle reaches the port.
- A GMR attached to the vehicle and a specific crossing.
- Delivery in the UK direct to the receiver or through our Milton Keynes warehouse.
Clearance for a German shipper
The export declaration can be lodged in Germany or in Poland, depending on who acts as exporter and where the goods are loaded. We need the commercial invoice, the packing list and the shipper's EORI; the UK import declaration and the GMR are handled by our team. Who needs an EORI and how to obtain one is explained in the EORI number, and the whole sequence in UK customs clearance after Brexit.
One consignment note or several
On multi-shipper consolidation each consignment has its own note, because each is covered by a separate contract of carriage. The vehicle and the border logistics are shared; the liability is not. The rule is explained in consolidation and CMR notes.
Who this arrangement suits
- Manufacturers and distributors in the eastern states sending one to a dozen or more pallets to Britain.
- Companies with suppliers in both Germany and Poland who want one carrier for everything.
- Shippers for whom western German hubs add an unnecessary transhipment to the chain.
- Companies that want to move up to full loads without changing carrier; when that pays is covered in FTL or LTL.
What we allow for when planning
We count the lead time from the collection day at the shipper, not from the line-haul departure, because drayage to the hub and transhipment take their own time. In exchange the shipper gets a steady rhythm: known collection days and known departures for Britain. On urgent consignments the alternative is a run without transhipment, and on larger volumes a dedicated vehicle straight from the bay. The same model seen from the operational side is in consolidation from eastern Germany to the UK, and all the flows are gathered on the consolidation via Poland page.
Sources
Shipping from Berlin or Saxony to the United Kingdom? Describe the cargo through the quote form and we will cost the movement through the Polish hub and give you the next collection date.
