On an accompanied move the same truck and driver collect your goods, cross the sea and deliver at the other end, without the trailer being left at a port. That keeps transit times short and gives you one vehicle to track from start to finish.
When to choose accompanied
- Urgent or time-critical deliveries where a day matters
- High-value goods that you'd rather didn't sit at a port
- Short sea crossings, where the driver's time on board is short
- Multi-drop deliveries or collections on the same trip
- Loads needing a particular vehicle, such as a tail-lift or temperature control
Main accompanied crossings
| Route | Region | Typical crossing |
|---|---|---|
| Dover to Calais | Short Strait | About 1.5 hours |
| Dover to Dunkirk | Short Strait | About 2 hours |
| Folkestone to Calais (Channel Tunnel) | Short Strait | About 35 minutes |
| Harwich to Hook of Holland | North Sea | About 7 hours |
| Hull to Rotterdam | North Sea | Overnight |
| Portsmouth to Le Havre or Caen | Western Channel | 5–6 hours, or overnight |
| Portsmouth to Santander or Bilbao | Bay of Biscay | About 24–32 hours |
| Holyhead to Dublin | Irish Sea | About 3–3.5 hours |
| Liverpool to Dublin | Irish Sea | About 8 hours |
| Cairnryan to Belfast or Larne | Irish Sea | About 2–2.5 hours |
| Pembroke Dock or Fishguard to Rosslare | Irish Sea | About 3.5–4 hours |
| Dublin or Rosslare to Cherbourg | Ireland to France | About 17–19 hours |
Approximate crossing times. Schedules, operators and timings change, so we confirm the best sailing for your load when we quote.
Typical road transit times from the UK
| Destination | Typical transit |
|---|---|
| Northern France and Belgium | 1 day |
| Paris, the Netherlands and Western Germany | 1–2 days |
| Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria | 2–3 days |
| Northern Italy and Spain | 2–4 days |
| Poland and Central Europe | 2–4 days |
| Ireland (via Holyhead) | 1–2 days |
Door to door, after collection. Depends on customs, driver hours, weekend driving bans and the crossing.
Customs on accompanied loads
Since Brexit, goods moving between Great Britain and the EU need customs declarations on both sides, and safety and security information before arrival. Loads that cross more than one border often travel under transit (T1), which suspends duty until the goods reach their destination.
We handle the export declaration, the transit document and the import clearance, and make sure the driver has the right references before the truck reaches the port, so it isn't held at the border.
Full loads and groupage
We arrange full trailer loads as well as groupage for smaller consignments, where your pallets share a trailer with other goods. Groupage is usually cheaper for a few pallets but takes a little longer, as the trailer is built up and then delivered across several drops.
Written by the 365 Freight team · Last reviewed . Rates, rules and schedules change, so we'll confirm the details for your shipment when we quote.