It can be tempting to think that air freight services will be the best option to ship pallets to Finland, but this is rarely the case.
The best way to ship a pallet to Finland from the UK these days is by road. It can be tempting to think that air freight services will be the best option but this is rarely the case and certainly not if your Finnish customer is many miles away from an airport. Instead, many commercial shipments to Finland go by road these days including numerous classes of goods that can be palletized. If you are a British company that exports to Scandinavia, then what should you be doing to streamline your pallet shipments to Finland? Read on to find out.
Turn to a freight forwarding company
To begin with, freight forwarding companies tend to offer low-cost options for palletized freight that is being sent to Scandinavia. According to Barrington Freight, a member of the British International Freight Association, exporters who want to save money should seek out a groupage rate. This means the pallets from several exporters are grouped with one another by a freight forwarder. Then, they’re sent to the intended country — in this case, Finland — in an HGV.
Next, the driver drops the pallets off at the respective Finnish companies’ addresses in the most efficient manner possible. This method means being able to obtain a door-to-door service — your pallet will be collected from your premises and taken to your Finnish customer. The only real drawback is that it can take a bit longer than other shipping methods. Unless your order is urgent, it is a good option, however.
Use a customs clearance agent
When goods are shipped to the EU, they need to be cleared by both British and European customs officials. Typically, a pallet to Finland will make landfall in the EU either in northern France or the Netherlands. This will mean you’ll need an EORI registration for your company, and you’ll be required to make an online declaration for your pallet, too. If you don’t get the declaration quite right, for example by choosing the wrong commodity code, then your pallet could be held up at its UK port of departure or once it arrives in the EU.
Therefore, getting a customs clearance agent to complete the paperwork for you can be advantageous. This is particularly so among SMEs, which don’t usually have the in-house administrative prowess to handle this task. Once goods have entered the EU, no further checks should be needed for the pallet to enter Finland.
Consider an express courier service
When time is of the essence, send your pallet to Finland with an express service. Courier teams with two drivers can make the journey quickly. They often drive from western Europe to Tallinn in Estonia via Germany, Poland and the other Baltic states to access a ferry to Helsinki. Alternatively, they will make their way to Denmark and Sweden by road to access a ferry to the Finnish port city of Turku. Either way, the benefit of two drivers is that it means not needing to stop for long rest breaks en route.
