Assessing your transport needs for international trade
Your choices for international transport and distribution include road, rail, air and sea.
Various factors will influence your decision on which type of transport to use - including your business’ requirements, the destination country, and the type of goods you are importing or exporting.
Ask yourself the following questions:
-What do you want to distribute? Size and weight will affect the cost.
-How quickly does the product need to reach its destination? This will affect which type of delivery service you use and the cost - sending goods by air is quicker but significantly more expensive than by sea.
-How would transport costs impact on your overheads?
-Where do the goods need to go? For example, Europe has a large rail and inland waterway network, but you may encounter problems if the destination is especially remote.
-How valuable are the goods? Get quotes from insurance brokers before deciding on the appropriate insurance level.
Do your customers have any special requirements?
Consider all the methods of transport available. You should aim to balance service quality, cost, organisation and time. You will often use more than one mode of transport.
This guide examines each mode of transport and provides an overview of the issues you must address. It covers how to deal with customs, identifies which regulations must be complied with and explains how to manage a freight forwarder.
This guide explains the basics of international trade and distribution. For more detailed information see the guide on moving your goods.