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Road Freight

Asia – CIS – Europe

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Road Freight: a resurgence, in a Post-Pandemic World

In 2023, we witnessed the return of free movement of people and goods after several years of limited transportation due to the global pandemic. During this time, road transportation between China, CIS countries, and Europe experienced exponential growth and a surge in demand following China’s revocation of their zero Covid policies at the beginning of the year. The easing of transit restrictions via China, a return to pre-Covid processes at the China-Kazakhstan border crossing, and increasing competition in the EU-Asia road market created an opportunity for road transportation to thrive as a hyper-flexible, fast, and direct solution.

ITSCargo
Reliability, Experience, Security

With well over a thousand completed road shipments, ITSCargo has established itself as the fastest-growing European road transportation company between China and Europe. We prioritize safety, security, and speed in our door-to-door trucking services, ensuring that your shipments reach their destination efficiently and on time. Providing Full Truckload (FTL) and Less-than-Truckload (LTL) solutions to our customers at scale enables us to choose and use the quickest routes at the most competitive prices.

Flexible and Dynamic Solutions

Pioneering road transport from China to Europe at scale has given us the experience needed to develop flexible routing solutions and continually upgrade our services to match our customer’s needs and expectations. In a dynamic world where the transportation environment can change from day to day, we have learned the importance of being agile and adapting quickly.

Commitment to excellence

At ITSCargo, our customers are at the center of everything we do. We are committed to providing the highest standards of customer service in the industry and our team of experts work tirelessly to ensure that your shipments are handled with care and delivered on time, every time. We understand the importance of a reliable and efficient transportation partner. Trust ITSCargo to be that partner.

  • Dedicated customer service team, around the clock.
  • Online customer portal: all order information at the click of a button.
  • Daily email updates with current status and GPS location.

Road freight options

The key benefits of road transport are the speed and agility it provides. Our shipments are picked up within 2 days from order confirmation (we have a track record of collection in 24 hours or less), and transit route will be assigned on a per-shipment basis, depending on pick-up location and current border throughput.  Double-driving crews are used to expedite transit.

Trucks are not hampered by cut-offs, departure schedules, and capacity restrictions, meaning you have far greater control and flexibility over your supply chain.

Once goods are customs cleared, we can deliver anywhere in Europe within 2-3 days through ITSCargo’s’ domestic trucking network.

  • FTL Full Truck Load (a full, dedicated truck): Door to Door delivery through ITS’ network.
  • TCL Truck Container Load: A full shipping container, loaded (as-is) onto a truck for end-to-end transport.
  • LTL Less than (full Truck) Load: shipment loaded in consolidation with other customer’s cargo, saving costs on smaller consignments.
  • BCL Buyer’s consolidation Load: Shipments that require pick-up from several suppliers, and/or delivery to multiple locations. Book a dedicated truck and handle all shipments together at once.

Specialised ground services

In addition to both reduced transit time and increased flexibility, ground transportation offers numerous advantages when shipping hazardous and restricted cargo. Our specialized ground services enable the transport of goods often not permitted by standard air, ocean, or rail carriers. We comply with all necessary regulations and handle your cargo with precision and the utmost care, ensuring that your shipments are delivered safely and securely:

  • REF Reefer (Temperature Controlled) Truck, with active power supply and data logger
  • ADR Carriage of goods certified as “Dangerous/Hazardous” material
  • BAT Goods containing restricted batteries
  • OOG Out Of Gauge

Customs clearance and brokerage

Navigating customs procedures can be complex and time-consuming. Our team of experts simplifies this process and takes care of all formalities for you along the way.  All transport documentation is provided in our all-inclusive service to ensure your cargo reaches its destination without any delays or complications:

  • Export Declaration in China
  • CMR
  • Customs-clearance or T1
  • POD
  • Registration and licensing support where needed

Warehousing services

We have our own cross-docking and warehouse facilities less than an hour from the EU border. This enables us to provide quick turnaround of goods and seamless distribution, minimalizing transfer delays.

Change of plans on route? We can provide in-transit, bonded, and long-term storage solutions. Talk to our warehousing team for a same-day quote and any advice you need.

Intermodal options

As a global forwarder, at ITSCargo we are constantly expanding our network and capabilities to better serve our customers. Our intermodal transportation solutions offer a seamless integration of road freight with other modes of transportation, such as air, ocean, and rail. This enables us to provide comprehensive, efficient, and tailor-made solutions to manage your supply chain, according to your unique requirements and priorities.

The same containers are used for rail and ocean transport and can be transported on trucks, though each mode of containerized transport has its own advantages. By combining various processes we utilize these and build a tailor-made route for your cargo, balancing cost-efficiency, speed, and flexibility. This can avoid unnecessary re-loading of cargo and enables quick, seamless transitions.

Transit time by rail from China to Europe is at an all-time low. Coupled with ITSCargo’s express trucking at each end we can achieve record-time, Door to Door deliveries, offering a viable alternative to Air.

Optional cargo insurance

Safeguard Your Shipments and Goods

Shipping cargo internationally can be unpredictable and unexpected events can affect your business in an instant.

Cargo insurance offers you the assurance that should any complications arise during transit, you will be compensated accordingly.

Road transportation from China to Europe has received an ICC “A” rating with Ergo and we are happy to provide it to our customers.

Contact Us Today

Contact us today about ground transport and trucking options. Let’s review your needs and find out how we can help you with a range of solutions to meet your specific requirements. Trust us to handle your road cargo and we’ll deliver your cargo to its destination safely and securely, every time.

Contact us

Road Freight Services FAQs

Road freight is the commercial transportation of goods by truck, sometimes referred to as ground freight. It is a quick and ultra-flexible method of shipping. ITSCargo’s Asia-Europe service supports expedited transit via truck, door to door, between China, Europe and the CISS countries.

One of the many advantages of shipping by truck is that almost all types of goods can be transported. Many of the carrier-imposed restrictions when shipping via other modes of transport do not apply to trucking (or approvals are easier to secure).  In most cases, dangerous goods, hazardous materials and batteries can be sent securely by road offering vital supply chain support. Refrigerated trucks for temperature-controlled and pharmaceutical goods are also available.

There are two main types of road freight services:  Full Truck Load (FTL) and Less than Truck Load (LTL). FTL is used when the shipper has enough goods to fill an entire truck, while LTL (or ‘groupage’)  is used when the shipper has a smaller quantity of goods that do not fill an entire truck. With FTL, the entire truck is booked by one shipper, while with LTL, the truck is shared by multiple shippers under consolidation and deliveries are made one after the other on a ‘milk run’, or distributed from a deconsolidation warehouse.

There are many different types and sizes of trucks available to cater for all requirements and the ITSCargo road team can source whichever equipment will be deemed necessary for your project. In general, we use 2 types of trucks: a standard Box Truck, which is a 53’ trailer with hard walls and doors, and tarp trucks, which have tarpaulin walls for easier loading and are a cheaper option. Per request, we can also arrange trucking by TCL, a Truck Container Load, where a standard shipping container is loaded onto a flatbed truck and transported without goods being unloaded.

FTL shipments are quoted per truck and rates will be calculated based on several factors, such as transit distance, total gross weight, size of truck, cargo commodity and current border control costs and conditions. For LTL shipments, road freight will generally consider the same cost elements and final rates are quoted per volume (CBM) of the goods. To get an accurate cost estimate, our rail freight team will be happy to review your details and assist with a comprehensive quote.

At ITSCargo we understand that shipping by truck needs flexibility and fast handling. In general, we request a 48-hour notice period to arrange pick-up. That being said, we have a track record of collecting most shipments within 24 hours of the original order, if goods are ready.

The final routing options are endless, which offers great flexibility and we adapt accordingly per local conditions and events at any given time. Exporting from China we use one of four major border crossings, depending on the current border throughput, volume of trucks (in our order, and in general), commodity and factors such as weather conditions. In most cases, to reach Europe trucks will cross Khazakstan and enter Poland via several different routing options, again depending on the current conditions of countries and borders on route.

Yes – at ITSCargo we offer a ‘BCL’ solution (a Buyer’s Consolidation). This means the shipper books one dedicated truck and we collect from several suppliers before transit. Depending on the type of goods and size of the packages, we will often move the freight via one of our specialised warehouses to optimise the packing and ensure safety in transit. Goods are then moved together in one truck and delivered to the location of your choice at the destination. We can also arrange for cargo to be de-consolidated on arrival and distributed to several sites if needed.

All goods need to be customs cleared on entry to Europe. At ITSCargo we have our own brokerage team on hand to support you and can handle all aspects of customs clearance on your behalf, such as tax payments, classification, documentation and special licensing, where needed.

Yes – the beauty of road freight is its high flexibility which enables you to customize routing and schedules according to your supply chain requirements. We can arrange to deliver on any given day once the truck has arrived in the region and will deliver the goods to the location of your choice, providing the site has access for the size of truck ordered. If there are changes on route, just let us know and we will update our delivery schedule accordingly. If you have a change of plan and need to delay arrival, ITSCargo has several warehouse facilities available and can arrange short and long-term storage, or storage-in-transit (bonded), depending on your requirements. Chat with our team for further information.