How your supplier should prepare goods for collection
Your supplier should have the goods ready so the driver can load without waiting and deliver them undamaged: on sound pallets, firmly secured with stretch wrap or strapping, labelled with the consignee and piece count, and clearly marked as stackable or not. Confirm the collection slot with the warehouse in advance – warehouses in southern Europe often close for lunch and run on reduced hours in August.
Checklist for your supplier
You can forward this list to your supplier. Every point settled before the truck arrives saves waiting time at collection and arguments at delivery.
- The pallets are sound. No broken boards or missing blocks, and nothing overhangs the pallet edges.
- The goods are secured. Stretch wrap is taken down over the pallet base so the load can’t slide. Heavy items at the bottom, light ones on top.
- Every pallet is labelled. Consignee name, delivery address, order number and pallet sequence (e.g. 3/12) – ideally on two sides.
- Stackability is clear. Mark non-stackable pallets, and fragile goods too.
- The paperwork is ready. An invoice or delivery note for the driver; the CMR consignment note is issued by the carrier and signed by the sender.
- It is agreed who loads. Usually the supplier’s warehouse, with a forklift; the driver checks load distribution and securing.
- The warehouse knows the reference. The order number or collection reference under which the goods will be released.
Pallets: sizes and space on the truck
| Pallet type | Size | How many fit a 13.6 m trailer |
|---|---|---|
| Euro pallet | 120 × 80 cm | 33 |
| Industrial pallet | 120 × 100 cm | 26 |
| Non-standard size | depends on the goods | has to be worked out – give the dimensions in your request |
Always give the pallet height. Two pallets will only stack in a standard trailer if they are low enough – with tall pallets stacking is impossible even if the goods could take it.
Why securing the load matters so much
A truck from Spain or Portugal is on the road for several days, with hundreds of kilometres through hilly terrain. Braking and cornering put forces on the load that easily tear loose wrapping. In groupage, pallets are also moved several times by forklift. Damage caused by poor packing may not be the carrier’s liability, because the fault lies with the sender.
Booking the collection: what to confirm in advance
- the date and time window for loading,
- the exact warehouse address – the factory and the dispatch warehouse are often in different places,
- the name and phone number of someone at the warehouse who knows about the collection,
- the vehicle registration and driver’s name, which we send to the warehouse,
- whether the warehouse requires a booked time slot (common at larger distribution centres).
Warehouse hours in southern Europe
Many warehouses in Spain and Portugal stop for lunch, usually in the early afternoon, and close early on Fridays – in summer often around midday. In August many manufacturers in Spain, Italy and France scale back or shut down for the summer holiday. Watch out for national holidays too, and in Spain for regional holidays, which vary from region to region. If a truck can’t load on a Friday because the warehouse has closed, weekend lorry bans in Germany, France, Austria and Italy can push your delivery back by several days.
Questions to ask your supplier
- What are your loading hours, and do you close for lunch?
- Will the goods really be packed and ready on the collection day?
- How many pallets will there be in the end, and how tall?
- Does the date clash with a holiday or a shutdown?
Which documents the supplier should provide is covered in import documents within the EU. Which vehicle suits your goods is explained in truck and trailer types. If you like, we can send collection instructions to your supplier ourselves – just include their contact in your request.