Est. 1996. One contact per shipment, every time.
Est. 1996. One contact per shipment, every time.
FREIGHT AND SHIPPING RESOURCES
Every guide on this page is written by the Plexus Freight team in Portishead. No jargon. No sales copy. Just practical import and export guides and UK shipping help for businesses that move commercial cargo internationally. From EORI number registration to Incoterms 2020 and trade compliance UK, you will find the answers here. B2B commercial freight only.
ALL RESOURCES
Browse our full library of practical freight forwarding resources, written for UK importers and exporters by the Plexus team.
Customs
Every UK business importing or exporting commercially needs a valid EORI number. This guide explains what an EORI number is, who needs one, how to apply and how long it takes. Free to read. No sign-up required.
Customs
Since January 2021, every UK to EU freight movement requires customs declarations in both directions. This guide explains what changed, what UK businesses need to do, and how post-Brexit customs works in practice for road, sea and air freight.
Trade Terms
Incoterms 2020 define who is responsible for freight costs, insurance and customs at each stage of an international shipment. This guide explains every term in plain English, with worked examples for UK importers buying from China, the USA and Europe.
Sea Freight
Choosing between a full container load and a less-than-container load is one of the most important decisions in sea freight. This guide explains the difference, the cost implications, transit time differences and when each option makes commercial sense.
MOST READ RESOURCE
An EORI number (Economic Operators Registration and Identification number) is a unique reference issued by HMRC that identifies your business in customs declarations. Any UK business importing or exporting commercially requires a valid EORI number before goods can cross the UK border. Without one, your goods will be held at the port or airport of arrival and cannot be cleared through UK customs.
EORI registration is free, managed by HMRC and typically takes 3 to 5 working days. Our Portishead team guides new importers through the process as part of every freight and customs enquiry.
CAN'T FIND YOUR ANSWER
If your question is not covered in our freight forwarding resources, our Portishead team is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, to answer specific import or export questions. We respond to all enquiries within 1 working hour. There is no obligation to book a shipment. If you have a freight or customs question, call us or send an email and we will give you a direct answer.
OUR FREIGHT SERVICES
Every guide on this page connects to a live freight forwarding UK service. Explore the relevant pages below.
Express international air cargo with transit times from 3 working days. Landside operations. Heathrow and Manchester departures.
FCL, LCL and out-of-gauge container shipping worldwide via Portbury, Felixstowe and Southampton.
FTL, LTL and groupage across 14 EU countries. Post-Brexit customs documentation coordinated as standard on every movement.
Intermodal door-to-door forwarding across Europe and Asia with customs documentation fully coordinated alongside your movement.
Common questions about our freight forwarding resources and guides.
Yes. Every guide on this page is free to read with no sign-up required. The guides are written by the Plexus Freight team in Portishead and updated when regulations or procedures change. No information is sold or shared with third parties.
Service procedures are updated or when trade policy changes affect UK importers and exporters. The post-Brexit customs guide and EORI number guide are reviewed most frequently as these areas change most often.
Yes. Our Portishead team answers specific import and export questions from UK businesses Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Call (+44) 01275 778 400 or send an email to [email protected]. We respond within 1 working hour and there is no obligation to book a shipment.
Yes. If you are importing goods into the UK or exporting goods from the UK commercially, you need a valid EORI number before your goods can cross the UK border. EORI registration is free and typically takes 3 to 5 working days.
FCL (Full Container Load) means your goods fill and have sole use of a container. LCL (Less Than Container Load) means your goods share a container with other shippers and you pay only for the space your cargo occupies. Our container shipping guide covers this in full, including cost and transit time comparisons.
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FROM THE PLEXUS JOURNAL
Customs updates and trade compliance, written by the Plexus team in Portishead. Practical. No jargon.
