Groupage LTL means moving a consignment smaller than a full truck: you pay for the space you take, not for the trailer. From Poland to the United Kingdom we run this model from a single pallet, combining the loads of several shippers into one movement. Export clearance, GB import documents and the GMR travel with the transport.
When groupage makes sense and when it does not
Groupage pays off when your load does not fill a trailer and the date can be planned a few days ahead. One pallet, four pallets, half a trailer: in each case you pay in proportion to the space taken. The break-even point sits roughly where the cargo takes a third of a trailer, about a dozen pallets. Beyond that the gap between groupage and a dedicated vehicle narrows, and the dedicated vehicle gives a shorter transit with no transhipment. We take that threshold apart in FTL or LTL.
Groupage is the wrong answer for cargo that cannot tolerate neighbours: strongly scented goods, extremely fragile items, or shipments that must travel without the trailer being opened en route. In those cases it is more honest to offer a dedicated vehicle than to force the goods into consolidation.
How we measure space: LDM, pallets, weight
Groupage is charged by loading metre (LDM), one running metre of trailer length across its full width. A standard EUR pallet placed lengthwise takes a fraction of a loading metre, an industrial pallet more. Weight matters too: very heavy cargo on a small footprint can exhaust the vehicle payload before it runs out of floor space, and then weight, not metres, sets the price. How to work it out yourself is shown in how many pallets fit and how to calculate LDM.
The third parameter is stackability. A pallet that can carry a second one on top effectively uses half the floor. A pallet marked non-stackable blocks the space above it and is charged accordingly. That is why we ask about it when quoting rather than at the ramp.
What happens to your pallet after collection
Once loaded at the shipper the pallet goes into consolidation: either straight onto a line trailer bound for the UK, or into our transhipment base to wait for the next scheduled line departure. Inside the United Kingdom the goods are distributed from our Milton Keynes warehouse, which acts as a cross-docking point for consignments heading to different parts of the country. Every handling step is recorded, so if damage appears it is clear on which leg it happened.
What exactly stands next to your pallet, and why that is not a neutral question, is covered in LTL groupage: what travels next to your pallet.
Customs with several shippers in one vehicle
The biggest difference between groupage before 2021 and groupage today lies in the paperwork. A truck with ten consignments carries ten separate customs paths: each shipper has its own export declaration, its own invoice and its own data set for the UK import entry. All those references are tied into one GMR, which the driver presents at the crossing. If one shipper is late with documents, the whole vehicle is late, which is why we insist on the complete set before loading rather than after. Whether such a vehicle carries one consignment note or several is settled in documents in consolidation.
How long it takes
Standard groupage from Poland to the United Kingdom usually takes 2-3 working days from loading, with the clock starting when the full document set is on our side. Add the time needed for distribution across the UK, which depends on the region and on whether the consignee requires a booking-in slot. Consignments that cannot wait for the next scheduled departure move on express transport with transit from 24 hours.
How to prepare cargo for groupage
- Goods strapped to the pallet and wrapped, with no overhang beyond the footprint.
- Heavier packages at the bottom, centre of gravity low, the pallet stable when tilted.
- A label with shipper, consignee, pallet count and a clear stackable or non-stackable marking.
- A packing list that matches what is actually on the pallet.
- A carrier in fit condition: a cracked bearer is a guaranteed problem at transhipment.
The full checklist is collected in how to prepare a pallet for the UK. The service itself is described on the groupage LTL page.
Sources
Have one pallet or more and want to know when it moves? Send the load details through the quote form: pallet count, dimensions, weights, postcodes and the date are enough for us to come back with something concrete. The whole route is described on the transport to the United Kingdom page.
