Commercial vehicle shipping covers everything between passenger cars and heavy trucks: panel vans, dropsides, tippers, refrigerated bodies, recovery trucks, ambulance conversions, food trucks, mobile workshops and bespoke trade vehicles. TheShipCars Worldwide is the UK's specialist commercial-vehicle exporter, handling weekly shipments of Sprinters and Transits to Africa, Iveco Dailys to the Middle East, and converted ambulances and fire engines to the Caribbean and West Africa.
Commercial vehicles add complexity because of body height, fitted equipment (cranes, refrigeration units, hydraulic lifts), and country-specific import rules for second-hand commercials.
RoRo, container and Flat Rack
Standard vans (Transit, Sprinter, Crafter) under 2.6m high ship on RoRo or in 40ft High Cube container. Box trucks, dropsides, refrigerated bodies and Luton vans typically exceed RoRo deck height and ship either on dedicated high-clearance RoRo decks or by Flat Rack/Open Top container for tall, oversized loads.
Refrigerated and specialist conversions
Reefer vans and trucks must have their refrigeration units serviced and the unit refrigerant gas declared. Mobile workshops, tool vans and ambulance conversions need full content declaration for customs. We provide the paperwork templates.
Documents and export rules
Standard commercial vehicle export needs V5C, ID, EORI for traders, commercial invoice and packing list. Many African countries (Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana) apply age restrictions on commercial vehicle imports — Kenya limits commercials to 8 years from manufacture, Nigeria limits to 15 years for HGVs.
Indicative pricing
Transit/Sprinter to Lagos RoRo £1,250, to Mombasa £1,450, to Dubai £1,650. Box truck to Lagos £2,250, refrigerated van to UAE £2,450. Recovery trucks priced individually.
Fleet exports
We offer volume pricing for fleet exports (5+ vehicles per booking) — typically 12–20% off single-vehicle rates. Bonded warehouse storage available for staged shipments.
Insurance
Marine cover for commercials priced 1.4%–2% of declared value. Fitted equipment, racking and fixed fittings included in cover at no extra cost.
Frequently asked questions
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