Mixed & Consolidated Container Loads.

A mixed load is the practical answer for anyone moving both a vehicle and a quantity of goods. Emigrating families ship a car plus the contents of a house; traders ship a vehicle plus spare parts and consumer goods; returning residents ship a motorbike plus personal effects. Done properly it is far cheaper than shipping each element separately, and everything arrives together under one bill of lading.

Done badly it is a customs nightmare, which is why the declaration matters as much as the loading. Each element of the load needs its own description, value and, where relevant, commodity code, because the destination authority will treat a vehicle, commercial goods and used personal effects under three different regimes. We build the packing list to reflect that structure from the outset so the entry can be lodged cleanly.

A car inside a container must be immobilised so completely that it cannot move a centimetre in a heavy sea. We chock and block each wheel with timber screwed to the container floor, lash the chassis or suspension at four points with rated webbing, disconnect the battery, reduce fuel to a residue and record the process photographically. Suspension straps over tyres rather than bodywork, and nothing is ever lashed to a towing eye designed only for a flat recovery pull.

Every mixed & consolidated container loads booking with NLX Logistics follows the same simple sequence, and you keep the same reference number and the same contact from the first email to final delivery. You send us the details, we send you a written quotation, and once you are happy we confirm space and issue a booking pack with everything you need to prepare.

We never ask for paperwork you do not need, and we never spring charges on you at destination without warning. If a cost is likely to arise at the other end — terminal handling, customs examination, quarantine inspection, storage after free time expires — we tell you about it in the quotation so you can budget for it rather than discover it later.

Good paperwork is what keeps freight moving, so we front-load it. For commercial cargo we need a commercial invoice and packing list, your EORI number, the commodity codes and the incoterms you have agreed with your buyer. For vehicles we need the V5C or bill of sale, photographic identification for the owner and the keys. For personal effects we need a detailed inventory and, where relevant, evidence of residence.

If anything is missing we will tell you exactly what to obtain and where to get it. We would far rather spend ten minutes on the phone before the cargo moves than deal with a detention charge at destination because a certificate was never applied for.

Standard carrier liability is limited by international convention and is calculated on the weight of the cargo rather than its value, which means an expensive, lightweight shipment is barely protected at all. We therefore recommend all-risks marine cargo insurance on the declared commercial or replacement value of every consignment, which we can arrange at the point of booking for a small percentage of the insured value.

Cover runs warehouse to warehouse, includes general average contribution, and is underwritten on Institute Cargo Clauses A for most cargo types. Claims are handled with a single point of contact, and we will help you assemble the survey report, photographs and commercial evidence a claim requires.