Trailer Shipping.

A semi-trailer is one of the most economical things you can ship by sea, because it is essentially a large empty volume that is towed aboard in a few minutes and occupies a predictable footprint. NLX Logistics ships curtainsiders, box trailers, flatbeds and skeletals, tipping trailers, bulk tankers, fuel and chemical tankers, refrigerated trailers, low-loaders, beavertails, livestock trailers and agricultural bale trailers out of UK RoRo ports every week.

For a trailer to travel as a towable unit it needs a sound chassis, working suspension, serviceable tyres, functioning brakes and a coupling that matches the port tug. Where any of those are missing the trailer travels on a mafi — a heavy-duty port trailer that is itself towed aboard — which adds cost but still gets the unit shipped. We check all of this at enquiry stage so the price we give you is the price you pay.

Trailers can often be shipped loaded, which turns dead space into paid freight, but a loaded unit is treated as cargo in its own right: the contents must be declared on the export entry, valued on the invoice, insured properly and secured to withstand a sea voyage rather than a motorway run. Tankers must be gas-freed or accompanied by a cleaning certificate, and hazardous residues require full IMDG declarations.

Every trailer shipping 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.