Questions and Answers

Because the international supply chain involves so many diverse procedures and participants, professional freight forwarders can be a great help in facilitating cargo movement around the world. Companies that specialize in freight forwarding have extensive knowledge of the complex procedures involved in international trade, including export documentation, international shipping costs, customs clearance procedures, import duties and taxes, port handling fees, domestic distribution, and cargo insurance. Despite the fact that you are dealing with top professionals, you will still need to be actively involved in the process. To begin with, you will need to provide certain details when requesting a quote for transport services:

• Deadline for delivery
• Pickup address
• Final delivery address
• Incoterms (Learn more about Incoterms here)
• Transport mode (if you have a preference)
• Frequency of transports
• Your possibilities as an importer or exporter
• Customs office (preferred place for customs clearance)
• Type of goods
• Shipment dimensions (length, width, height)
• Weight of shipment
• Type of packaging
• Special requirements of your goods (temperature-sensitive, oversized, fragile, valuable, dangerous, flammable etc.)
• Information about your company (tax number and contact person)
• Required insurance and value of goods

The list continues, but these points are essential when requesting a transport quote. Having critical information on hand can drastically speed up the process and reduce the time it takes to get an offer. If your shipment is time-sensitive, make sure to mention this as well. If a logistics company representative requests further information or documents, know that it is absolutely necessary. If you are unfamiliar with the items on the list, don’t worry!cargo-partner’s experts will be delighted to advise you and ensure transparency throughout the entire process. For more information, visit the cargo-partner website or contact us for a detailed consultation!

The best transport mode for you will depend on a variety of factors. Costs, transit time, type of goods and shipment size, destination, security… All of these factors will play a role in choosing the best solution.

The “rules” that were in place prior to COVID-19 are no longer relevant in light of the challenges that the logistics industry has faced over the last two years. Closures of cities, ports, and border crossings, lack of drivers, heavy traffic, and the imbalance of supply and demand have significantly influenced the available transport options and their costs.

Taking all this into consideration, we provide a comparison of sea and road transport below, examining the benefits and drawbacks of each transport mode.

Sea Cargo

Advantages of sea freight:

• Suitable for a wide range of goods
• Most environment-friendly
• Worldwide coverage
• Several carriers to choose from
• Shipment security – the container protects your goods from risks like theft, loss of quality, fire or extremely high and low temperatures

Pricing for sea freight shipments differs according to whether you are transporting a full container load (FCL) or less than a container load (LCL). Full containers usually come at a standard price. If you are shipping less than one container, the price will be charged per cubic meter. This makes shipping by sea freight one of the most cost-effective options – not only for large and heavy goods, but also for smaller shipments.

You’ve probably heard the expression “time is money”. Depending on your shipment, this may or may not be accurate. If the orders are received in a timely manner, sea freight can be a viable option due to its low price. A ship’s journey can take up to a month or more, but technology is developing rapidly and ships are becoming faster, so you may even achieve transit times as short as 8 days.
However, if your shipment is time-sensitive, road transport may be the better option.

Road Transport

Despite being the most popular transport mode, road transport has its drawbacks. Trucks can only transport cargo of a specific height and weight. Another disadvantage is their sensitivity to weather, road conditions, and traffic jams.

But transporting your goods by truck also has many benefits:

• Cost-effectiveness for short routes
• Fast and reliable delivery
• Flexibility
• Door-to-door service
• Ideal for short distances and domestic distribution

In addition to all of the above, the destination of the delivery is equally significant. For a long-distance journey, you will most likely choose a ship or a combination of ship and truck. For short distances within Europe, you will probably choose road transport – but there might be another possibility.
Short sea solutions can be an alternative for European destinations. Large shipments can be transported by ship to destinations like Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Scandinavia. In some cases, a ship may even be the only option due to the numerous regulations and paperwork required for road transportation.

In conclusion, there is no one perfect option and we recommend consulting experts when making the decision between sea and road transport. Our team at cargo-partner will gladly guide you in the selection process and identify the best option for your company.

Visit the cargo-partner website for additional information, or contact us for an in-depth consultation!
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