From the UK, shipping a pallet to Latvia without breaking the bank might seem as though it is a true business challenge. However, this should not be the case so long as you know what you are doing. Ideally, you will use a reputable freight forwarding firm to handle the logistical side of sending pallets to Eastern Europe for you. Look for a company that is a member of the British International Freight Association as a sign of their professionalism and trustworthiness in the industry. They will make the necessary arrangements with the driver and ferry bookings, where appropriate, for you. This way, you can enjoy an affordable service without getting into the finer logistical details.
Most UK exporters with customers in Latvia want to ship their goods directly to their clients. Therefore, expensive air freight is a no-go in most circumstances. Air cargo services are costly both in terms of finance and carbon emissions, of course. Even worse, you still have to arrange for the onward transportation of the pallet once it has touched down at Riga Airport. Therefore, sending your pallet to Latvia by road usually makes much more sense.
Courier services from the UK to Latvia mean that one or two pallets can make their way to the Baltic state from northern France or the Netherlands via Germany, Poland, and Lithuania. If you’re based in the north of the country, then shipping goods from the Humber Estuary to Rotterdam is often a smart move while businesses based in the south tend to be better off using Calais or Dunkirk as entry ports into the EU. Either way, your palletized goods will need to be fully declared before they reach the border.
According to Barrington Freight, a firm that combines logistics with customs clearance work, declaring your shipment isn’t always straightforward, especially when items might fall into more than one commodity coding category. Therefore, get professional help from a customs agent or you may end up spending more sorting out impounded goods that end up going nowhere.
With a courier service, a van can make its way to Latvia from Western Europe within about 24 hours depending on traffic. However, such speeds are only possible with a non-stop journey that would require two drivers, something that obviously costs more. Yes, more affordable, one-driver services can also be booked but take a bit longer to get to Latvia, of course. However, there is another option that offers even better value for money, one that is ideal for non-urgent consignments of pallets to Latvia.
With a groupage delivery, your pallet to Latvia will be driven across the continent in a lorry with other shipments. These might all be in Latvia but they could also include addresses in Polish and Lithuanian cities en route, such as Poznan or Kaunas, for example. Of course, groupage shipments are slower than courier services to Latvia. However, they are much, much less costly per pallet because of the economies of scale that necessarily occur when the driving and fuel costs are shared.