FAQs

We can offer a palletisation service for adhoc consignments that may not be palletised for collection. To request a quotation regarding this service, please click here.

All consignments benefit from free goods-in-transit insurance, for more information regarding insurance on your freight please see our Terms & Conditions. If our standard insurance does not meet your required level of cover, please contact us regarding additional insurance as this can be offered.

In line with our Customer Service Charter we aim to provide the highest quality service to all clients, however should the situation arise where goods are unfortunately lost or damaged in transit please contact your account manager or our customer service team as soon as possible to report this so we can investigate & process accordingly.

Our operation runs 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday. Until 12.00 on a Saturday and closed on Sundays. If you have a request outside of our working hours please contact us and we will respond as quickly as we can.

Our main contact number is 01460 64701 and the fastest way to reach us, however if you prefer to email please click here so your enquiry can be directed to the relevant department.

All consignments are tracked via our online portal that can be accessed here. We can also offer tracking updates with twitter, email and text notifications for each delivery. Please click here for more information.

As founding members of the Palletforce Network, we can offer a next-day service to most UK postcodes. However certain postcodes in the Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland and Channel Islands cannot offer a 24 hour service. To find out more please contact your account manager or a member of our customer service team.

For account holders, the cut off time is dependent on your location however most collections can be accommodated the same day if we are advised by 12 noon, including reverse collections. For more information regarding collection cut off times, please contact us.

We offer a variety of flexible service options for your freight, meaning it can be delivered as you request it. This ranges from same-day delivery, to economy and premium services. For more information about our service offerings, please click here.

Our standard service offering is kerbside delivery, meaning we cannot provide a pallet removal service and delivery points are expected to accept the delivery of the pallet and contents in full. However, we can request pallet removal at the drivers discretion if we are pre-advised.

Our standard service offering for delivery and collection times is between the hours of 09.00-17.00. Should you have a specific time requirement, or a consignment that falls outside these hours please Contact Us.

All deliveries are covered under our standard terms & conditions, unfortunately consequential loss is not currently we offer under our existing terms. To view our terms & conditions please click here.

If this is required, then yes! Our clients ship to a range of end destinations with varied requirements, if your end client needs notification prior to delivery this can either be done by using our Book In Service, by requesting delivery notifications or by a pre-delivery phone call from the driver. To find out which option would work best for you, please give us a call.

Unfortunately we do not accept card payments, all consignments must be paid for on an account basis via BACS or direct debit.

We have a variety of different surcharges that can apply to your consignments depending on your requirements. Please contact your account manager or the customer services department for an updated list of surcharges that will provide you with all the explanations for each surcharge and the relevant cost if applicable.

If something does not seem right on your invoice, please get in touch with our invoicing team who will look into the matter to get it resolved as quickly as possible. Please click here if you have an invoice query.

We handle a variety of pallet sizes on a daily basis at C & D South West! However, all goods sent with us must be in line with our Pallet Guidelines and secured to a pallet for onward shipment. To find out more about pallet sizes and guidelines please click here.

If you are sending oversized freight that falls outside the Pallet Guidelines on your rate-card, please contact our quotes team with the pallet dimensions who will provide you with the accurate price.

For tail-lift deliveries the maximum dimensions is a Full Pallet, no more than 1000kgs. If a 7.5 Tonne vehicle is required for delivery, the limit for the tail-lift is 750kgs. If your pallet is over-sized or you are unsure on what can be delivered via tail-lift, please contact our customer services team.

For fork-lift deliveries the maximum weight permitted through our hub is 1900kgs. If your pallet is over-sized or you are unsure on what can be delivered via fork-lift, please contact our customer services team.

Standard practice for deliveries is that a signature is to be obtained at the delivery point with a date and time stamp. However if a driver arrives and nobody is on site, goods can be left upon request in a safe location if available.

All our consignments are logged via our online portal and have an electronic proof of delivery available to access online.

Yes. As we have left the Customs Union with the EU there is a requirement to raise export and import customs declarations for all goods, regardless of a free trade agreement being struck. If a shipper chooses to use a customs broker or the C&D European services, there will be an administration fee payable for this service.

Any customs administration charges will be advised when quoting will and billed alongside the consignment charges on your invoice.

This process is called Direct Representation and each consignment needs to be accompanied by this declaration. If you wish to use our network as your customs representative, we have a template form that must be completed before any import or exports are completed.

An Import Entry at the country of destination will need to reflect the cost of the import clearance and any VAT or duty applicable upon import.

Yes, if you wish however, we will need to have a copy of the export declaration raised with customs approval to export at the time of collection. This will be required as an upload into our Alliance system.

No, we do not need to have Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) approval. Our network partners at Palletforce are currently undertaking the necessary applications and approvals with HMRC for our export and import processes. Where C&D and Palletforce will utilise a customs partner they too will have established processes approved by HMRC. We will consider AEO should there be advantages to our network and clients from gaining approval.

This is a list compiled by HMRC from companies wishing to offer their services. To quote from the UK.gov website “Customs agents and fast parcel operators on this list are not approved or recommended by HMRC”. You can trust that C&D South West will provide a service to our clients that ensures continuity of service between the UK and EU.

From 1st January 2021, certain products will require licensing and/or additional controls and as a shipper you will need to ensure you comply to the requirements.

Products that require new and additional processes include excise goods, food stuffs, and products of animal by-product.

Where additional or defined border controls posts (BCP) are required, we will be discussing this requirement with clients on an individual basis to ensure a solution which doesn’t compromise other cargo.

We will not be able to offer a service for excise goods (alcohol and tobacco) or consumer to consumer shipments otherwise called “personal effects” into the EU after 1st January 2021.

International Commercial Terms define the responsibility for charges on freight movements and they define which liabilities pass between the shipper and consignee.

With currently no border controls on goods in the Customs Union it has been of little importance.

The most common likely export term that will be used for exporting to the EU is DAP (delivered at place) meaning the EU importer pays the UK exporter the cost of goods plus the shipping costs door to door excluding the import clearance and any duty/tax – which is paid by the importer. The transport is arranged by the seller to the buyer’s door. Similar definitions apply to importation INCO terms.

Through our network we can offer DAP uncleared (DAU) and DAP Cleared (DAC) for export consignments and FCA for import consignments. Please contact us if you have any query relating to these.

It is vital that as a shipper you do not send us any export consignments until they are customs cleared for departure.

If a client loads a pallet that does not have the correct export approval, resulting in the pallet being held at our central Palletforce hub, a storage charge per 24 hours will be applied. This is to discourage the build and congestion of export shipments which could risk the whole export pipeline.

European Import and Export consignments can be booked via our online portal. However, new mandatory information is now required as part of the consignment booking process. Completion of the export/import declaration needs additional information to enable export and import.

There is zero tolerance on the accuracy of customs declarations, so accurate data entry is mandatory. For more information on this, please check our blog post about Brexit Do’s & Don’ts here.

We do have guides on how to input your consignments if you are unsure, so please email [email protected] to request a copy of the European Alliance Input Guide.

Please contact a member of our customer services team should you have any issues with declarations.