Don't feel like getting involved in the logistics process? Door-to-door service is for you! And that's pretty good, this turnkey solution is our specialty. Whatever the departure and arrival, we manage the entire logistics process from A to Z: storage, packaging, customs clearance, road freight, sea or air freight… Everything is included in a single quote! Everything is included in one and the same quote! Learn more about this service on this dedicated page, enjoy reading!
Table of Contents
Door to door service from/to UK
What is door to door service?
As we mentioned in the introduction, door to door service is the premium service par excellence. The concept is quite simple, you do absolutely nothing, the forwarder (@DocShipper) takes care of the whole process for you!
Concretely, you will tell us the information inherent to your project: starting and ending point, volume, weight ... And that's it! Your DocShipper consultant will accompany you throughout the process and keep you informed of the progress of operations. Moreover, it will be the same consultant who will take care of the coordination with the different actors: your supplier, shipowners, terminal operators, customs authorities ...
And what about incoterms?
When you do business with a supplier, generally this one sells you the products according to 2 Incoterms. There may be more, but these are the 2 most common, so we will only cover those. As a reminder, the Incoterms make it possible to define the responsibility of the buyer and the seller in the logistics chain.
The 2 most frequent incoterms are:
- EXW (Ex Work): In this case, your supplier is not responsible for the logistics process at all. Concretely, you (as the buyer) must come and collect the goods directly from the factory (or warehouse) of your supplier.
- FOB (Free On Board): When a buyer places an order under the FOB Incoterm, the supplier is responsible for local charges. For example, in the case of a shipment by boat, the supplier includes in his price the road freight from his factory to the nearest port as well as all the charges inherent to the port (handling, export declaration, THC ... .)
DocShipper info : You will sometimes see sellers offering to sell you the cargo under the CFR (Cost and Freight) or CIF (Cost Insurance and Freight) incoterm. By definition, this Incoterm also includes international freight, but beware! When you see, CIF Felixstowe, it does not mean that you will be able to pick up the goods directly on arrival. There will be the whole import process to finalize including the payment of customs duties and taxes
Door to door transport process
As we mentioned above, the principle of this service is to manage the entire logistics process. We thus take care of coordinating all the actors present in the logistics chain. You then have only one contact: DocShipper!
- Pick up from the supplier at the origin
- Handling at the warehouse at the origin
- Origin port / airport operations
- Export declaration
- Sea, air or rail freight
- Customs clearance at destination
- Handling at destination
- Delivery to destination
DocShipper Advice : We will now detail each of the 8 steps mentioned just above. If the explanations are not precise, do not hesitate to contact our teams for more details! If you are already clear about your project, you can now complete our online form: Contact DocShipper
Door to Door Service - Step by Step
Pick up from the supplier at the origin
Is the cargo ready? Now is the time to pick it up from the supplier! One of our drivers will go directly to the site to load and transport the goods from the factory of origin to one of our warehouses to consolidate the goods if you have not made a full container at the start. In this 2nd case, the container will go directly to the departure terminal.
DocShipper remark: The use of Incoterms (and their understanding) is important at this stage of operations. Quite simply because it will clarify your responsibility (as a buyer) and that of the supplier (as a seller). This is what we will see step by step by considering the 3 Incoterms mentioned above by determining whether the step in question is included in the supplier's pricing:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Included
Handling at the warehouse at the origin
The goods have now arrived in our warehouse at the origin, it is now time to check the goods and establish the packing list which will be the valued inventory of all your goods. This document is also mandatory for the export declaration, but also for customs clearance during import. Concretely, this is when we check all the documents to be sure that nothing is blocking the D-Day.
DocShipper remark: About the Incoterms, is this step included? The answer here:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Included
Origin port / airport operations
Once the goods arrive at the departure terminal, whether it is a port, an airport or even a train station, the goods are then loaded onto the boat, plane or train, it all depends on the method you have selected! This step includes certain charges such as terminal charges, handling and various taxes.
DocShipper remark: About the Incoterms, is this step included? The answer here:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Included
Export declaration
Before sending any goods, whether by plane, boat or train, it is mandatory to make an "export declaration" with the local customs authorities. Customs officers do this process for several reasons: first to be sure that the products shipped are not prohibited, then to respect the export quotas on certain products and finally to have export and import statistics regarding the country's trade balance.
DocShipper remark: About the Incoterms, is this step included? The answer here:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Included
Sea, air or rail freight
Have customs officials approved the export of your goods? The goods are now ready to be chartered! We will suggest the most suitable transport method for your project by mainly considering 2 points: the necessary budget and the transport times depending on the method. Below you will find more details about the different transport options.
DocShipper remark: About the Incoterms, is this step included? The answer here:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Not included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Included
Sea freight services
This method of transport is quite simply the best known option when it comes to international transport, and not the least since it represents more than 80% of world traffic! Why ? Quite simply because it is the cheapest method, by far! You have the option of shipping by sea groupage (LCL) or a full container (FCL). Moreover, little known point, but from the moment you fill a 20-foot container (the smallest) halfway, or 14/15 cubic meters, it becomes profitable.
If you want more information on this method, do not hesitate to go to the dedicated page: Sea freight services
Air freight services
Air freight is a fairly popular method of transportation as it allows goods to be shipped from one end of the world to the other in a matter of days! A significant advantage, but which comes at a price ... Indeed, this transport method is also the most expensive, especially if you have large volumes to transport. On the other hand, it is good to remember that for small volumes, this method is faster, but also less expensive! This is particularly the case for cargo whose volume is less than 1.5 cubic meters.
If you want more information on this method, do not hesitate to go to the dedicated page: Air freight services
Road freight services
Transport by truck is an unconditional one simply because it allows, at a minimum, to make the link between the various warehouses / factories and the terminals (port, airport or station). On the other hand, it is also possible to make door-to-door transport by truck over a short distance, this is what is called the cross border. This would be the case, for example, for a shipment between London and Paris. It would be much faster and cheaper to use this method, which is much less procedural.
If you would like more information on this method, do not hesitate to go to the dedicated page: Road freight services
Rail freight services
With the billions of dollars that China is investing to rebuild the Silk Road between Asia and Europe, this method of transport is becoming more and more profitable. Today it is placed between sea freight and air freight. It's sort of a happy medium: cheaper than air freight, faster than ocean freight. Even if this option is still little exploited, it is gaining popularity every year and thus becomes more and more attractive.
If you would like more information on this method, do not hesitate to go to the dedicated page: Rail freight services
Customs clearance at destination
Once your goods arrive at their destination, it is mandatory to go through customs. As for export elsewhere. This phase is the most delicate during an international transport, quite simply because it is at this moment that the authorities check the documents and the conformity of the goods. It is also on this same step that you will have to pay customs duties and taxes. It is therefore important to anticipate this phase rigorously so as not to have a problem on the day!
More information on this service on our dedicated page: Customs clearance service
DocShipper remark: About the Incoterms, is this step included? The answer here:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Not included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Not included
Handling at destination
In the same way as at the origin, there will be manipulations as well as other charges at the arrival terminal. Moreover, all of its charges are more commonly called "import charges". This is the last step before the cargo is released, that is to say, after this step you have the option of picking up the goods yourself, or using our road transport services to ship them to the final destination.
DocShipper remark: About the Incoterms, is this step included? The answer here:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Not included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Not included
Delivery to destination
Finally, we finish the process of a door-to-door solution with the delivery... to your door! Concretely, our driver will transport the goods to the address you want, wherever it is. Not insignificant, it will be necessary to ensure that the conditions of access do not pose a problem and to clarify on the unloading of the goods: Who will do it? How? 'Or' What ? When ? These are important points that your DocShipper consultant will clarify with you directly.
DocShipper remark: About the Incoterms, is this step included? The answer here:
- EXW (Ex Works): Not included
- FOB (Free On Board): Not included
- CFR (Cost and Freight): Not included
Sea freight vs Air freight vs Rail freight
The graph above sums up what we said earlier on this same page. The 3 transport methods are compared along 2 axes:
- Horizontal transport times: as we can see and unsurprisingly, sea freight is the longest and air freight the fastest, the train being one in between.
- Vertical transport costs: once again, we find unsurprisingly air freight which is the most expensive formula, sea freight the cheapest and rail freight which is positioned between its 2 solutions.
We have also put together a table that can guide you to the option to choose from a purely financial point of view:
* The values shown in the table are only indicative. Results may vary depending on the origin, destination and nature of the goods.
✓ = Most adequate shipping method
≅ = Shipping method possible
✘ = Unsuitable shipping method
