Pay for the space you use
Groupage and consolidated freight
Most shipments are not a full truck. Groupage lets you pay for the pallet spaces you actually occupy, on scheduled departures, without waiting until you have enough volume to justify a dedicated vehicle.
At a glance
- Minimum consignment
- 1 pallet space
- Typical LTL transit, Germany
- 3 to 5 days
- Typical LTL transit, Italy
- 3 to 5 days
- Euro pallet footprint
- 1200 x 800 mm
- Industrial pallet footprint
- 1200 x 1000 mm
- LCL minimum
- 1 m³ or 1000 kg
Groupage, also called consolidation or part load, is the practical answer to a common problem: you have three pallets to send to Germany and a full truck costs the same whether you fill it or not. By combining your consignment with other shippers heading the same way, the cost of the vehicle is shared and you pay roughly in proportion to the space you take.
The trade off is handling. A groupage shipment is loaded, cross docked at least once and reloaded, which means slightly longer transit and more opportunity for damage than a direct full load. Good packaging matters more here than anywhere else, and we will tell you honestly when a consignment is too fragile or too awkward to travel this way.
We run groupage in two forms. Road LTL uses scheduled departures to the main European markets, priced per pallet space or loading metre. Ocean LCL consolidates your cargo into a shared container, priced per cubic metre, for volumes that do not fill a box. Both are set up so a small shipper gets a real service rather than whatever space happens to be left over.
What we take care of
- Collection from one or several loading points in Romania
- Cross docking, labelling and load consolidation
- Scheduled onward departure on the relevant lane
- CMR or bill of lading documentation per consignment
- Customs clearance for non-EU consignments
- Deconsolidation and final delivery at destination
- Pallet exchange schemes where the receiver requires them
- Proof of delivery per pallet, returned digitally
What we do
From one pallet
No minimum volume beyond a single pallet space, with the same documentation and tracking as a full load.
Scheduled departures
Fixed departure days on the main lanes, so you know when your goods leave rather than waiting for a truck to fill.
Ocean LCL consolidation
Shared container space to and from overseas markets, priced per cubic metre with a sensible minimum.
Multi-supplier consolidation
We collect from several of your suppliers, consolidate at our end and send one shipment onward.
Piece level tracking
Each pallet is labelled and scanned at every handling point, so a missing piece is found rather than searched for.
Packaging review
We check that the packing can survive cross docking before the goods travel, and say so when it cannot.
How it works
- 1
Send pallet count and dimensions
Number of pallets, height of each, gross weight and the two postcodes. Stackability matters, so tell us if pallets can take weight on top.
- 2
We quote per space
A price per pallet space or cubic metre, with the next scheduled departure date on that lane.
- 3
Collection and consolidation
We collect, label and consolidate your pallets with the rest of the load for that departure.
- 4
Transit and delivery
The consignment moves on the scheduled service, is deconsolidated at destination and delivered to the receiver.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper is groupage than a full truck?
For a small consignment, substantially. Three pallets to Germany typically cost a fraction of a dedicated truck on the same lane. The saving narrows as volume grows, and somewhere around twelve to fourteen loading metres a full truck becomes the cheaper option outright. We run both numbers whenever a shipment is near that line.
Is groupage slower than a direct truck?
Usually by one to two days, because the goods are cross docked and the vehicle makes multiple stops. On our scheduled lanes the difference is small and predictable. If a deadline is tight, say so at quotation and we will price the direct option alongside.
Can my pallets be stacked?
That depends on your packing, and it changes the price. A pallet that can take another on top uses half the floor space and is charged accordingly. Tell us the stackability at quotation stage, and make sure the pallet is actually built to take the load, because a collapsed stack damages everyone.
What packaging do you recommend for groupage?
Goods on a sound pallet, shrink wrapped to the pallet, not overhanging the edges, with corner protection for anything that can be crushed. Overhang is the single most common cause of damage, because a forklift or a neighbouring pallet catches it. If the load is fragile, a crate rather than stretch film is the safer choice.
Related services
Where we ship this
Industries we serve with this
Incoterms used with this service
Tell us what you need to move.
Send the supplier city or port of loading, the volume and weight, and the date the goods are ready. We will come back with a landed cost and a realistic transit time, usually within one working day.