International Freight Forwarding in Newcastle

Newcastle Road Haulage can help with Freight Forwarding to and from Newcastle, the north east and around the surrounding areas.

• Versatile
• Precise
• Dependable

International Freight Forwarding in Newcastle

The North East has always traded by sea. The Tyne and the Tees still handle cargo every day, and businesses from Newcastle to Teesside import and export through ports up and down the country. If you need goods moved overseas, or brought in from abroad, we arrange it: the international shipping through our freight forwarding partner, and the road journey in the UK with our own drivers.

That split matters more than it sounds. Most delays on international shipments happen at the joins: goods ready but no truck booked, a container released at the port but nobody to collect it, paperwork in one inbox and the driver waiting at another site. When one contact runs both the shipping and the haulage, those joins are planned rather than left to chance.

Importing into the North East

A large share of the enquiries we see from Newcastle and Gateshead are imports: stock from overseas suppliers, machinery for a new production line, materials for a construction project. For an import, the sequence usually runs like this.

• Your supplier hands the goods to the carrier at their end, under the terms you agreed
• The goods travel by sea to a UK port, or by road from mainland Europe
• Customs entries are lodged and any duty and import VAT are accounted for
• The shipping line releases the goods
• We collect from the port and deliver to your premises

If you are buying on ex works or FOB terms, you are responsible for the freight from your supplier's end. That is where a forwarder earns its fee: booking the shipment, keeping track of it and making sure the customs side is ready before the goods land.

Exporting from Newcastle

For exports, we collect from your premises once the goods are packed and the paperwork is ready, and take them to the port named on the booking. You will need an EORI number in place, a commercial invoice and a packing list, plus the commodity codes for your products. Our partner checks what else your destination asks for.

Our partner ships by sea, in full or shared containers, and runs road freight to and from mainland Europe.

Containers and the road side

Full container loads are delivered to you empty, loaded at your site, and taken to the port. Inbound containers are collected from the port and delivered to your yard or warehouse. Our container transport in Newcastle page covers the road movement of boxes in more detail. For anything going by sea, the sea freight service in Newcastle page explains full and shared containers and the cost factors.

Some goods cannot sit in a standard box: oversize machinery, steel, vehicles. These often travel on flat racks or open-top containers and may need extra planning for the road leg. Let us know at the enquiry stage so the right equipment is booked at both ends.

Getting the timing right

The North East is a long way from the big southern container ports, so the road leg can be a full day's work on its own. If a shipment is going through Felixstowe or Southampton, the collection usually needs to happen the day before the port's receiving window, and the driver's hours have to be planned around it. For imports landing in the south, the same applies in reverse. Telling us early gives us room to plan the run properly rather than squeezing it into the last day before a deadline. Where a northern port suits the shipping line and the route, the road leg is much shorter, and our partner will say when that option is available.

Businesses we work with

• Manufacturers and engineering firms on Tyneside and Wearside
• Offshore and energy supply businesses moving equipment and spares
• Wholesalers and retailers importing stock by the container
• Construction firms bringing in materials and equipment
• Smaller importers bringing in a few pallets at a time

Areas covered

We arrange international freight for businesses across Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, Washington, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, and throughout Northumberland and the North East.

Why use us

• One contact for the shipping and the UK haulage
• Port collections booked as soon as goods are released
• North East drivers of our own on every UK collection and delivery
• Export collections timed against the sailing
• Paperwork list agreed before anything moves

Frequently asked questions

Do you clear goods through customs?

Customs declarations are made by our forwarding partner, or by a customs agent you appoint. We handle the road collection and delivery. Make sure your EORI number and commodity codes are ready, because missing details are the most common reason goods are held.

How much does it cost to import a container to Newcastle?

The main costs are the shipping rate for the container, port and handling charges, customs work, any duty and import VAT, and the road delivery from the UK port to you. The shipping rate changes with the route and the season, so quotes are based on current rates.

What happens if my container arrives before I am ready?

Shipping lines allow a set number of free days before storage and container charges start. Tell us your delivery window as early as you can, so the collection can be booked inside the free period.

How long does shipping take?

That depends on the origin, the route and the method of transport. Our partner confirms the expected timing when they quote for your shipment.

Ask for an international freight quote in Newcastle

Send us details of the goods, where they are coming from or going to, and when.

Expect a reply setting out how the shipment would run. Call the office or send it through the contact form.