You will recognise a good carrier for the UK by the answers to specific questions: whether they run their own trucks and how often, who handles customs, what insurance they hold, what they have on the UK side and what happens when the ferry does not sail. Below are ten questions worth asking before the first order, with the reason behind each.
Questions about the transport itself
- 1. Do you run your own vehicles or subcontract? Both models exist in the market, but you have the right to know who physically takes your goods and who is responsible for them.
- 2. How often do you run to the UK and on which routes? Fixed, regular departures mean predictable dates for groupage too.
- 3. What exactly does the rate include? Crossing, fuel, clearances, waiting time: a quote without an ingredients list makes comparison impossible.
- 4. What does contact during carriage look like? A named contact person and status updates are the difference between calm and guessing.
Questions about formalities and risk
- 5. Who prepares the customs declarations and the GMR? A carrier with customs handling included takes the burden of coordinating two separate companies off you.
- 6. What carrier liability insurance do you hold and for what sum? A reliable company shows the policy without hesitation; for valuable goods also ask about additional CARGO cover.
- 7. What licences do you hold? The Community licence for international carriage is the basics, and it can be verified.
- 8. What happens in a storm or when a crossing is cancelled? The answer shows whether the company has a procedure or improvises.
Questions about the backup
- 9. What do you have on the UK side? A warehouse, transhipment capability and local deliveries save the day when the consignee cannot accept the goods.
- 10. Do you have experience with my type of goods? Food, alcohol, oversized items or exhibitions have their own procedures; a generic we carry everything is no substitute for specifics.
How to read the answers
The point is not for every company to answer all ten perfectly. The point is specifics: numbers, dates, document names, examples. Evasive answers to questions 5, 6 and 8 are a warning sign, because they concern the situations in which you genuinely need a partner. The differences between a carrier and a forwarder are covered in our article on choosing a forwarder for UK transport, and the British consignee's perspective in the piece on how an importer vets a Polish partner.
What to check beyond the conversation
- The company's entry in the business register: the name, tax identification number and address in the quote must match the register, not just the email footer.
- The policy: ask for the certificate, not for reassurance, and look at the expiry date and the territorial scope, because some policies need a separate extension for carriage outside the EU.
- References from your sector: food, alcohol and exhibition cargo follow different procedures than ordinary industrial pallets.
- The UK side: if the company claims a warehouse in Britain, ask for the address and for a description of what actually happens there.
How to compare two quotes so the comparison means something
The most common mistake in choosing a carrier is setting side by side two figures that describe different scopes. Before you compare prices, reduce both quotes to the same list of items: are the export and import declarations included, is the crossing included, how much free time is allowed for loading and unloading, who pays for low emission zone entries, what happens on a failed delivery and after how many days storage charges start. A quote a few percent cheaper but without customs and without a time allowance at the ramp can settle higher than the dearer one that includes everything. Only against such a levelled list does the rate itself say anything about value.
We are happy to answer all ten, documents on the table. See our range of services and ask through the contact form.
