How Do I Ship Pallets to Spain?

If you are responsible for organising deliveries at your company and an order has come in from a customer based in Spain, then shipping it on a pallet will usually make the most sense. All sorts of goods, from clothing to machinery, can be palletised quite easily nowadays and pallets will offer your customer convenience when the shipment arrives at their warehouse or goods-in area. That said, any international pallet shipments do require some extra thought. What should you be keeping at the forefront of your mind when sending a pallet or two of goods to Spain?

Cross-Channel or Direct Services?

Firstly, it is a good idea to rule out air freight services to Spain from the UK for nearly all types of palletised freight. Although passenger air services to Spain are quite cheap, this is hardly ever the case with air freight. According to Barrington Freight, a freight forwarding firm that organises many pallet shipments all over Spain, the main choice boils down to whether to route goods via France or directly to Spain. Bilbao and Santander, both in northern Spain, can be accessed directly from Plymouth and Portsmouth. The sailings are long but they offer a chance for the driver to take a mandatory break from being behind the wheel. Alternatively, sending a van or truck to Spain from Calais, Cherbourg or Le Havre also makes sense. This will involve a less costly ferry booking but more in terms of fuel to reach the Spanish border.

Prepare Customs Documents Beforehand

Any commercial exporter will need an EORI registration to be able to get goods out of the country. In addition, you will need to know the right commodity codes for the class of goods you are sending. Therefore, it is worth asking a customs clearance agent to do this work for you if you are not already well-versed in this sort of technical work. Note that all goods being sent to Gibraltar via Spain will need to undergo EU customs checks en route.

Keep an Eye on the Chosen Route

Goods from the northern Spanish ports typically head south via the E80 and E5. If they're being sent to eastern Spain from France, then the E15 and E9 trunk roads are more common. However, there are plenty of alternatives. Therefore, use logistical firms that keep their eyes on the road ahead and can contact their drivers to re-route were necessary to avoid unwanted hold-ups. Ideally, you'll also be able to track consignment progress and be able to update your Spanish clients accordingly.

Consider Palletised Groupage Shipments

One of the cheapest ways to get a pallet to Spain these days is with a groupage service. Under an arrangement of this kind, your firm's pallets will be sent on lorries with other ones that are bound for Spain, Portugal, and, in some cases, Gibraltar. Because the fuel and driving costs are shared, the price per pallet is significantly lower than it would be for a more personalised service.

(Disclaimer: Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)