Truck & HGV Shipping from the UK — RoRo, Container & Flat-Rack Worldwide

Roll-on/Roll-off is the most cost-effective method for any self-driving truck. Specialist car-carrier and heavy-vehicle vessels feature reinforced lower decks designed to take HGV axle loads. Your truck is driven onto the ship under its own power, chocked, lashed to deck rings and driven off at destination — no crating, no crane lifts, no container fees.

RoRo suits standard tractor units (Volvo FH, Scania R-series, DAF XF, Mercedes Actros, MAN TGX), rigid trucks up to ~4 m height, and most commercial vehicles still in working order. Weekly sailings from Southampton and Tilbury serve USA East Coast, the Mediterranean, UAE, West Africa and the Caribbean.

Smaller trucks — Iveco Daily 70-series, Mercedes Sprinter chassis cabs, light tippers, ambulances and converted recovery vehicles under 2.4 m tall — can ship inside a 40ft High Cube container. The truck is driven into the container at our warehouse, braced with timber blocks and ratchet straps, and the container is sealed and trucked to the loading port.

Container shipping is essential where RoRo doesn't sail (smaller destinations, niche routes), and for high-value vehicles where weather protection and tamper-evidence matter. It's also the default for non-runners that can still be winched or pushed in.

Trucks too tall for a standard or High Cube container ship on Open Top containers (loaded by crane through the soft tarpaulin roof) or Flat Rack containers (a flat steel base with collapsible end walls, used for over-width or over-height cargo). Both move on standard container vessels, so destination choice is virtually unlimited.

Flat-rack is the default for non-runner trucks, recovery vehicles with crane attachments, fire engines, agricultural tractors and specialist plant. The vehicle is lifted into position by crane at our warehouse, secured with chains and load-rated straps, and sails as standard container cargo.

We regularly ship tipper trucks (Volvo FMX, Scania P-series, DAF CF), concrete mixers, refuse vehicles, recovery and tow trucks, fire appliances, military-spec vehicles, ambulances and converted campers. Most travel on RoRo with bodies lowered, hydraulics secured and cabs locked.

Refuse vehicles and any truck that has carried biological or organic material need a thorough power-wash and disinfection before Australia, New Zealand and parts of South America will accept them. We arrange this at our warehouse with biosecurity-compliant certification.

UK export requires V5C, tachograph paperwork (where fitted), proof of ownership and the HMRC C88 export declaration (we lodge this). For vehicles still on finance we need a settlement letter from the lender. Tachographs are usually deactivated for non-EU destinations.

Destination age limits vary widely. Many African destinations cap imported truck age at 5–10 years. The EU requires Euro VI emissions for new registrations. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have specific GCC compliance requirements. We provide a destination-age and compliance summary with every quote so there are no surprises at the receiving port.

UK to USA East Coast 12–18 days; UK to West Africa 14–21 days; UK to East Africa 25–35 days; UK to UAE 18–24 days; UK to Australia 35–45 days; UK to South Africa 20–28 days. Container routings to landlocked destinations add inland trucking and rail time at destination.

Operators retiring fleet trucks or selling stock to overseas buyers benefit from significant per-vehicle discounts when shipping in volume. We arrange dedicated charter slots, fleet documentation, consolidated customs entries and destination handover for fleet exports of 5+ trucks. For repeat exporters we maintain standing forwarder accounts with priority loading at the UK port.

Carrier liability is capped well below any truck's value. We arrange all-risks marine cover under Institute Cargo Clauses (A) for the full declared value, including transit, handling, storage at both ends and general average. Premiums typically run 1%–2% of declared value for trucks in good condition.