Italy is one of the UK’s top ten most important trading partners. We export everything from cars and gas turbines to aircraft parts and pharmaceutical products, to a value of around £18.7 billion annually. So, if you’re looking for a new territory to work with, Italy is a strong contender. But before you make the move, you need to really understand the shipping options available to you. What best suits your cargo, what it means for your budget, and how long it will take.
Exploring the Different Freight Options Between the UK and Italy
What are the options for sending freight between the UK and Italy?
As with any other destination, there are a range of freight options when you’re sending goods to Italy from the UK. But the vast majority of shippers choose road or sea freight – usually a combination of the two. Depending on the service you choose, you can move your goods from A to B within 24 hours, without the expense and red tape of air freight. If you’re not in a hurry, multi-modal transport is another option to be aware of.
Road freight to Italy
Road freight tends to be favoured by businesses shipping goods to Italy because it’s easy, flexible, and involves minimal handling, so there’s less chance of your goods being damaged in transit. Transit time is typically between 24 hours and five days, depending on your service selection and your pickup and delivery points. And it’s straightforward. Your shipment is picked up at your door and delivered to your customer’s door, regardless of whether you’re sending a single pallet or a full truckload. It’s tracked and flexible, and that’s really all that most businesses want.
Next-day express road freight
If you’re dealing with time-sensitive shipments, express freight is the obvious choice. Using dedicated vans or double-manned vehicles, express services operate around the clock to ensure urgent cargo arrives on time. Which can be really important for perishable goods, critical production materials, and high-value deliveries.
Once a collection time has been arranged, your freight forwarder will handle the rest, providing you with a tracked delivery within 24 hours from collection.
Sea freight to Italy
If you’re not working to any particular time constraints, then sea freight can be a cost-effective solution. Particularly if you’re sending large, heavy, or bulky shipments. Transit time is usually between 7–14 days, depending on the route and sailing schedule. Sea freight from Felixstowe to Venice is obviously going to take longer than shipments going from Southampton to Genoa.
Many businesses choose sea freight to Italy for regular shipments where delivery time is not a concern. To add flexibility, sea freight can also be combined with road transport once goods reach Italy, giving you the best of both worlds.
Multimodal transport to Italy
If time isn’t an issue for you, but cost-efficiency is, multimodal freight is a great option. Combining different transport modes, including sea, road, and multimodal freight also tends to be more environmentally friendly.
Goods may travel by road from their origination point in the UK, onto sea seaport or rail depot to cross to mainland Europe. From there, they may continue by road into Italy. It sounds complicated, but a professional freight forwarder will coordinate each leg of the journey. They’ll also handle customs clearance, and provide a single point of contact from collection to delivery. So, all you have to do is book the service.
Whether you need express delivery to Milan, a regular groupage service to Rome, or sea freight to Genoa, working with a professional UK freight forwarder can help to make the experience simpler.
Are you looking for a reliable logistics partner to move from your freight to Italy from the UK? Get in touch with Plexus Freight to find out how we can help.
