Privacy Policy.

1.Who we are and how to contact us

NLX Logistics Ltd is a freight forwarding company based in the United Kingdom, arranging car shipping, RoRo, container shipping, air freight, road freight, customs clearance, warehousing and marine cargo insurance from UK ports and airports to destinations worldwide. For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, NLX Logistics Ltd is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

This policy applies to personal information we collect through this website, through quotation and booking forms, by email and telephone, and in the course of handling shipments. It applies to private customers, business customers and their staff, consignees and notify parties named on shipping documents, suppliers, subcontractors and people who apply to work with us. If you have any question about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact our data protection lead using the details on our contact page and mark your message for the attention of the Data Protection Lead.

2.The principles we follow

Freight forwarding relies on accurate information moving quickly between many parties: shippers, hauliers, warehouses, shipping lines, airlines, customs authorities and agents overseas. Much of that information identifies individuals. We take the responsibility seriously and apply the data protection principles set out in the UK GDPR to everything we do.

In practice that means we process personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently; we collect it only for specified and legitimate purposes; we limit it to what is adequate, relevant and necessary; we keep it accurate and up to date; we retain it no longer than necessary; and we protect it with appropriate security. We are accountable for these principles and can demonstrate how we comply with them.

3.Information you give us

When you request a quotation, we ask for your name, email address, telephone number and, where relevant, your company name. We also ask for details of the shipment: collection and delivery locations, the type of goods or vehicle, dimensions, weight, value and the date the cargo will be ready. Although shipment details are not usually personal data in themselves, they become linked to you once they are part of your enquiry.

When you go on to book, we collect the additional information required to carry out the move and meet legal obligations. Depending on the service this may include the following.

• Full names and addresses of the shipper, consignee and notify party
• Passport or national identity details where a carrier or customs authority requires them, for example for personal effects or vehicle imports
• Vehicle registration, VIN and V5C details for car, motorhome, truck and plant shipments
• EORI numbers, VAT numbers and tax identifiers for business shipments
• Payment details and billing addresses
• Signatures on collection notes, condition reports and delivery receipts
• Photographs of vehicles and cargo taken at collection and loading

4.Information we collect automatically

When you visit this website our systems automatically record certain technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, the pages you view, the time you spend on them and the page that referred you to us. We use this information to keep the website secure, to diagnose faults and to understand in aggregate which content is useful so that we can improve it.

Some of this information is collected through cookies and similar technologies. Our Cookies Policy explains which cookies we use, why we use them and how you can control them. Where the law requires your consent to a cookie, we ask for it before the cookie is placed.

5.Information from other sources

We sometimes receive personal information from other people. A seller may give us the name and address of an overseas buyer so that we can deliver goods; a relocation company may pass us a family's details for a household move; a shipping line or airline may provide contact details of a consignee; and a customs authority may contact us about a declaration that names you. We also receive information from credit reference agencies when we assess whether to offer credit terms to a business.

Where we receive information about you from a third party, we use it only for the purpose for which it was provided and in line with this policy. If you are named on a shipment arranged by someone else and want to know more about how we handle your data, you can contact us at any time.

6.How we use your information

We use personal information to respond to enquiries and prepare quotations; to book and manage shipments with carriers, hauliers and warehouses; to prepare and submit customs declarations and other regulatory filings; to arrange cargo insurance; to issue invoices and collect payment; to deal with claims, complaints and disputes; and to keep you informed about the progress of your shipment.

We also use limited information to keep our systems secure, to prevent fraud and cargo crime, to train our staff, to improve our services and to meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including anti-money-laundering checks, sanctions screening and record-keeping for HMRC. Where you have agreed, we may send you occasional updates about services, rates or changes to regulations that affect your shipments.

7.Our lawful bases for processing

The UK GDPR requires us to identify a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Most of our processing is necessary to perform a contract with you, or to take steps at your request before entering into one, such as preparing a quotation. Where we are required by law to process data, for example to file customs declarations, keep tax records or screen parties against sanctions lists, we rely on legal obligation.

Some processing is based on our legitimate interests, such as keeping our website secure, managing relationships with business customers, preventing fraud, improving our services and defending legal claims. We only rely on legitimate interests where we have considered your rights and concluded that they do not override our interests. Where we rely on consent, such as for marketing emails or non-essential cookies, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting processing already carried out.

8.Special category and criminal offence data

We do not normally need special category data, such as information about health, religion or ethnicity. Occasionally it arises incidentally: a household goods inventory may reveal religious items, or a customer may tell us about a medical condition that affects the timing of a move. We treat such information with extra care, use it only where necessary to provide the service you have asked for, and restrict access to the staff who need it.

We may process information about criminal convictions or alleged offences only where the law permits, for example when screening parties to a shipment against sanctions and denied-party lists, or when co-operating with law enforcement in the investigation of cargo theft or smuggling.

9.Who we share your information with

Freight cannot move without sharing information. We share personal data only to the extent needed for the purpose in question, and we require recipients to protect it. The main categories of recipient are listed below.

We never sell personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing.

• Shipping lines, airlines, RoRo operators and their agents, who need shipper and consignee details on bills of lading and air waybills
• Hauliers, couriers and warehouse operators who collect, store and deliver your goods
• HM Revenue & Customs, the DVLA, Border Force and customs and port authorities in destination countries
• Our overseas partner agents and customs brokers who handle clearance and delivery abroad
• Cargo insurers, loss adjusters and surveyors when cover is arranged or a claim is made
• Banks, payment processors and credit reference agencies
• IT, email, hosting and software providers who process data on our behalf
• Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, lawyers and our trade association

10.International transfers

Because we ship worldwide, personal information necessarily travels outside the United Kingdom. Shipping documents naming the shipper and consignee go to the destination country, and our partner agents, carriers and customs authorities abroad process that information to deliver the shipment.

Where we transfer personal data to a country without UK adequacy regulations, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or on the derogation that the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or in your interest. You can ask us for more information about the safeguards that apply to a particular transfer.

11.How long we keep your information

We keep personal data only for as long as we need it. Quotations that do not proceed to a booking are normally deleted within twenty-four months. Shipment files, including customs declarations and supporting documents, are kept for at least six years after the end of the financial year in which the shipment took place, because HMRC and the Companies Act require us to retain these records and because claims can arise several years after a shipment.

Marketing preferences are kept until you unsubscribe, after which we keep a suppression record so that we do not contact you again. Website analytics data is kept in aggregated form. When information is no longer needed, we delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.

12.How we protect your information

We use technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk. These include encrypted connections for our website and email, access controls that limit data to the staff who need it, multi-factor authentication on our business systems, regular software updates and backups, and confidentiality obligations in staff contracts. Paper documents such as V5C certificates and condition reports are kept secure and returned or destroyed when no longer needed.

No system is completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights, we will notify the Information Commissioner's Office within seventy-two hours where required, and we will tell you without undue delay if the breach is likely to result in a high risk to you.

13.Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have a number of rights over your personal information. You can exercise any of them by contacting us. We will respond within one month, which may be extended by two further months for complex requests, and we will not normally charge a fee. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

• Right of access: to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected
• Right to erasure: to have data deleted where there is no longer a lawful reason to keep it
• Right to restriction: to limit how we use your data while a concern is resolved
• Right to object: to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing at any time
• Right to data portability: to receive data you provided in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent

14.Limits on your rights

Some rights are not absolute. We cannot delete shipment records that the law requires us to keep, such as customs declarations and accounting records, until the retention period has expired. We may also refuse a request that is manifestly unfounded or excessive, or where complying would reveal information about another person or prejudice the prevention or detection of crime. If we cannot comply with a request, we will explain why.

15.Marketing communications

We send marketing emails only to people who have agreed to receive them or, for business customers, where we have an existing relationship and the message concerns similar services. Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link, and you can also opt out by contacting us. Opting out of marketing does not affect operational messages about shipments you have booked.

16.Automated decision-making

We do not make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you based solely on automated processing. Our website may use automated tools to calculate indicative prices from the information you enter, but every quotation and booking is reviewed by a member of our team.

17.Children's information

Our services are intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children, other than where a child is named on a household goods inventory or travel documents as part of a family relocation arranged by a parent or guardian.

18.Links to other websites

This website contains links to carriers, government departments and other organisations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing personal information to them.

19.Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to put things right. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK supervisory authority for data protection, through its website at ico.org.uk or by telephone on 0303 123 1113.

20.Changes to this policy

We review this policy regularly and will update it when our services, systems or the law change. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last revised. Where changes are significant, we will draw them to the attention of customers with active shipments.

21.Privacy at each stage of a shipment

To make this policy practical, it helps to follow a typical shipment. At enquiry stage, we hold your contact details and the outline of the move so that we can quote. Only our sales and operations staff can see enquiries, and enquiries that do not proceed are removed on a rolling basis. If you come back to us later, we may ask you to send the details again.

At booking stage, we create a shipment file. That file contains the parties' names and addresses, the goods description, any vehicle identification details and copies of documents such as invoices, packing lists and registration certificates. The file is shared with the carrier, the haulier who collects, the UK terminal and, once the goods sail or fly, the agent who handles arrival. Each receives only what it needs; a haulier sees the collection address and contact, not your payment details.

During transit, the carrier's systems hold the transport document data and tracking events. Customs authorities in the UK and abroad hold the declarations. After delivery, we keep the file for the statutory retention period and then securely delete it. At no point do we use shipment files to build marketing profiles.

22.Vehicle and identity documents

Vehicle shipments often require sensitive documents: the V5C registration certificate, passport copies for some destinations, proof of residence or import permits, and finance release letters. We ask for these only where a carrier, a customs authority or a destination regulator requires them. Copies are stored in our secure document system rather than circulated by email wherever possible, and physical originals are logged on receipt and returned or forwarded by tracked post.

If you are asked to provide identity documents and are unsure why, please ask. We will explain which authority requires the document and what it will be used for. Where an alternative document is acceptable, we will tell you.

23.Business contacts and staff of our customers

Many of our customers are businesses, and the people we deal with are their employees: logistics managers, buyers, accounts staff and directors. We hold their names, job titles and work contact details so that we can manage the account. We rely on our legitimate interest in running a business relationship for this processing. If someone leaves your organisation, please let us know so that we can update our records.

Where we send business customers updates about rate changes, new services or regulatory developments, we do so on the basis of legitimate interest and always include a simple way to opt out.

24.Telephone calls and messaging

We may record or keep notes of telephone calls for training, quality and dispute-resolution purposes. If a call is recorded, you will be told at the start. We may also use messaging services such as WhatsApp to share tracking updates or collection photographs where a customer prefers this. Messaging services are operated by third parties under their own terms, and you should avoid sending highly sensitive documents such as passports through them unless we have agreed a secure alternative.

25.Job applicants

If you apply to work with us, we use the information in your application, such as your CV, covering letter and interview notes, to assess your suitability for the role. We may carry out right-to-work checks and, for roles involving secure air cargo, background checks required under the Department for Transport's aviation security regime. Unsuccessful applications are kept for six months and then deleted unless you ask us to keep them for future vacancies.

26.Suppliers and subcontractors

We hold contact and payment details for the hauliers, warehouses, agents and other suppliers we work with, together with records of the services they have performed. We use this information to manage the relationship, make payments and meet our own legal obligations. Suppliers who process personal data on our behalf are bound by written data processing terms that require them to protect it and use it only on our instructions.

27.Security and cargo crime

Freight is a target for theft and fraud, including fictitious pick-ups, identity theft and payment diversion. To protect our customers, we verify new hauliers and agents, confirm changes to bank details by telephone using known numbers, and may share information with police, insurers and industry bodies where we suspect crime. We will never ask you by email alone to pay into a new bank account; if you receive such a request, call us before paying.

28.Sanctions and export control screening

UK law prohibits dealings with persons and entities on sanctions lists and restricts exports of certain goods to certain destinations. To comply, we screen the names of shippers, consignees and notify parties against the UK consolidated list and other relevant lists before shipments are released. Screening uses names, addresses and sometimes dates of birth or company numbers. Where a potential match is found, a member of our compliance staff reviews it manually, and we may ask you for further information before proceeding.

We keep a record of screening results for the retention period applying to the shipment. Our lawful basis is legal obligation and, where the screening goes beyond strict legal requirements, our legitimate interest in avoiding involvement in unlawful trade.

29.Photographs and condition reports

When we collect a vehicle, receive cargo at our depot or stuff a container, we take photographs to record condition, loading and securing. Photographs of vehicles may show registration plates, and photographs at collection addresses may incidentally show people or property. We use these images only to document the shipment, to support insurance claims and to resolve disputes. They are kept with the shipment file and deleted at the end of the retention period.

If you would prefer that people are not included in collection photographs, please tell the driver, who will take care to photograph only the goods.

30.Website forms and security

Quotation forms on this website are protected by encrypted connections. We use automated tools to detect and block spam and abusive submissions, which may involve assessing technical signals such as the speed at which a form is completed or the reputation of the sending IP address. These tools do not make decisions about you beyond whether a submission appears genuine; genuine enquiries are always reviewed by our team.

31.Your responsibilities when you give us others' data

If you give us personal information about another person, such as a consignee, family member or colleague, you confirm that you are entitled to do so and that you have told them how we will use it, for example by referring them to this policy. This is particularly important for household moves and vehicle shipments where the consignee is a relative or friend abroad.

32.Automated decisions and profiling

We do not make decisions about you that produce legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing. Quotations may be produced with the help of pricing tools that combine carrier tariffs, surcharges and exchange rates, but a member of our team reviews every quotation before a booking is confirmed, and you can always ask for a price to be explained or reconsidered.

We do not build marketing profiles from your shipment history, your browsing on this website or information obtained from data brokers. Where we segment our business mailing list, for example by the trade lanes a customer uses, we do so only to make sure updates are relevant, and you can opt out at any time.

33.Data protection contact

Our operations director is responsible for data protection within the business. Requests, questions and complaints about personal data should be sent to our general email address marked for the attention of the data protection lead, and will be logged and answered within one month, or sooner where the matter is urgent.