Transporting Cargo from Europe to the UK for a Small Busines

Franglais:
If your main business is about buying/selling chocolate are you sure that transporting it yourself is going to be cost effective?
Don`t assume that doing it yourself is cheaper. A haulier will be earning on export as well as import loads, they will be pulling goods both ways so their costs will be split two ways. They will have expertise in all the docs necessary.

A work permit is probably the only thing you won`t need!

Running commercially over 2.5T in EU needs an O-Licence now. Rented, or own vehicle, you will need one.
Currently a tachograph isn`t needed, but there is speculation that might be introduced in the next few years.

Are you planning on doing one collection in Europe or many little ones? The admin for one carton is pretty much the same as for one truck load.
Each consignment will need export documentation, and each consignment will need to be cleared into the UK. The EU exporter will need to prepare documents for you. They will want to cover that cost if it is a small amount they are selling to you. Or find an agent in each of the countries you are buying in, to negotiate will the seller and do that paperwork for you.

Many small scale importers and exporters have given up or opened warehouses in the EU in the past few years.
This autumn there are due to be more UK import health checks for foodstuffs.
.
gov.uk/being-a-goods-vehicle-operator
gov.uk/import-goods-into-uk

There are still some hauliers that will do small amounts in temp controlled vehicles, but some wont touch small consignments. Ten consignments on the vehicle, each with 4 different documents? One error and the whole lot is parked up. It aint easy.

Ed to add
Chocolate specific click through about what the vets might/might not need
food.gov.uk/business-guidan … fectionery

Thank you for your response. Some very good information here.

You are right. I was assuming it would cost me less to do it myself. Well that and I would like to do it myself to learn. Experience is the best teacher after all. If you would not mind telling me the best way to go about figuring out the cost? I have tried to get an answer from various logistics websites but it seems that me sending in a question only gets me on their mailing list and no real answers. So here is a hypothetical situation.

I want to bring in about 4 pallets of chocolate. Lets say snickers for example. There are 24 bars in a box (50g per snicker). There are 308 boxes per pallet. Lets assume 100g for the box housing the 24 bars. ((24 x 50) + 100) x 308 = 400kg. A rough estimate for the pallets weight. Now if I was to do as you suggested and get a hauler to help me out. Roughly what are we looking at as a cost. Assuming the load is coming from Belgium to a warehouse close to London. It would be amazing to get some solid numbers here. This is by far my biggest blind spot.

I will be looking into getting an O-licence. That is an amazing bit of information right there. Thank you for that.

I will be going through those links you sent just as soon as I get some real sleep. I am working on LA time right now so very little sleep over the last few weeks. That and my little one was throwing up all of last night. Any new information I try and absorb right now is just going in the one ear and out the other.

If you where me. Trying to do what I have outlined. What would you suggest being the best/cost effective way of going about this?

Thank you for your time. I owe you a beer!