Haulage and distribution services are a key part of the supply chain and are responsible for the movement of goods across the country, as well as into the EU and globally.
According to the Department of Transport, 1.2 billion tonnes of goods were moved across 16.2 billion vehicle kilometres by HGVs operating in the UK in 2020.
However, for those who are unfamiliar with haulage services and what they can offer to businesses, we have answered some common questions surrounding the haulage industry.
What does a haulage company do?
A haulage company transports heavy, abnormal, or large quantities of commercial freight. Such goods are distributed using pallets or containers and are transported in specialist heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), operated by qualified HGV drivers.
The haulage of goods in HGVs offers an efficient way for businesses with large shipment requirements to transport their goods. Clients’ materials will be collected from the point of origin to the required delivery address, whether it be across the UK or to the EU and globally.
How do haulage companies work?
Executing a logistics operation, especially time-critical transport, requires experience and expert planning skills.
When a client places a request for delivery or collection, the operations team will need to prepare the whole logistics plan. This will include considerations such as:
- Which truck is appropriate for transporting the specific weight and size of the goods?
- How will the truck be loaded/unloaded?
- What time will the driver need to begin the transportation to ensure it arrives at the time required by the client?
- Does the delivery have any customs requirements (e.g. specific documentation for the type of goods)?
When transporting abnormal loads, a haulage company may also need to notify the authorities and get the transportation authorised by the highway authorities, bridge and structure owners (e.g. Network Rail) or the police.
Some haulage companies, including Cargo Express, even offer warehouse storage for your goods. Storing materials in such warehouses can help increase the overall speed and efficiency of your business’s operation.
How much do haulage companies charge?
When charging for deliveries or collections, haulage companies work from a rate sheet to ensure that the rate charged is always fair for the client.
However, the amount charged depends upon a job’s specific requirements, including additional charges for considerations, such as:
- Fuel costs and fluctuations
- The complexity of the routes (e.g. whether they require drivers’ mates, driver or vehicle swap overs, or further requirements when crossing international borders)
- Dimensions and weight of the pallets or containers
- Location of the delivery or collection
- Type of goods and their loading requirements (e.g. tail lift deliveries, sliding roof trailers for crane loading or truck mounted forklifts which allow the driver to load/unload for the client)
If your business needs heavy goods transport, please contact us for an accurate quote!
Cargo Express
We are experts in transport, customs and warehousing solutions, and pride ourselves on our overall logistics and supply chain management.
We’re strategically based in the West Midlands and Shropshire, with offices in Birmingham and Telford. From these locations, we have quick access to the M6 and M42 and can reasonably cover 90% of England and Wales within 4.5 hours, helping us to offer reliable and time-critical haulage to each of our customers.
Want to find out how we can support your business with transporting their goods? Get in touch with our logistics team on 0121 384 1323!