LTL groupage road freight
From China, Europe and Turkey, from one pallet
Groupage road freight from China, Europe and Turkey is for lots from one pallet up to half a trailer. Your cargo travels in one truck with other customers' goods, and you pay only for the space it takes — by weight, volume or loading metres, whichever is greater.
Groupage by truck from China moves via Zabaikalsk or Kazakhstan (Khorgos) to central Russia and via Pogranichny to the Russian Far East. Every lot is cleared officially: its own CMR, its own contract and its own import declaration per consignee — this is what separates groupage from undocumented 'cargo' schemes.
Specification
Specification · Groupage road freight (LTL). Standard terms · departure date and rate are confirmed per lot
Service
- Lot size
- from 1 pallet to about half a trailer
- Warehouses
- consolidation in China, Europe, Turkey
- Options
- palletising, crating, insurance, customs
Terms
- Timing
- 2–4 days longer than FTL; Europe → Moscow from 9 days
- Documents
- CMR per consignee included
- Currency
- USD / RUB
Logistics
- Origin warehouse
- receiving, measuring, photos, packing
- In transit
- TIR / T1 / customs transit, border
- Destination
- declaration per consignee, break-down, delivery
Price
- Base
- rate per weight / m³ / LDM, whichever is greater
- Extras
- pick-up, packing, storage, door delivery
Service flow
- 01
Request and booking
We take weight, dimensions and piece count, shipper and consignee addresses, book space on the next departure and quote by weight, volume or LDM.
1 day - 02
Warehouse receiving
Cargo arrives at the consolidation warehouse: measuring, weighing, photos, checks of packaging and piece marking. If needed we palletise, stretch-wrap or crate.
until departure - 03
Load build and departure
We build the load to a loading plan: heavy at the bottom, fragile on top, strapped down. A CMR is issued for each consignee and TIR, T1 or Russian customs transit is opened; the truck departs on schedule.
per schedule - 04
Border and customs
The truck crosses the border; in Russia each consignee files its own import declaration (DT) under its own contract. We file the declarations ourselves or coordinate the consignees' brokers so that release happens together.
1–3 days - 05
Final delivery
The load is broken down at a warehouse in Russia and lots are delivered to addresses or collected from the warehouse. We hand over the stamped CMR, closing documents and the domestic waybill (incl. e-waybill ETrN).
1–3 days
Problems
Light but bulky cargo turns out more expensive after measuring at the warehouse — a surcharge is billed after the fact.
We quote on the greatest of weight, volume and LDM at the request stage and send photos of the measurement on receipt — any recalculation is agreed before departure.
One consignee in the load lacks a certificate or has mismatched papers — customs holds the whole truck.
We check the invoice, packing list and permits of every participant before loading; a lot with open issues does not go on the truck.
Packaging gets damaged during hub transshipments, and it is impossible to prove where it happened.
Every piece is photographed on receipt and at break-down, transshipment happens only indoors, fragile cargo goes on the top tier and is strapped.
Documents
Documents for each lot in a groupage load. Customs checks the whole truck, so an error in one consignee's papers can delay release for everyone — we check every set before loading.
Incoterms
- FCA
- seller delivers export-cleared cargo to the consolidation warehouse — the most convenient term for groupage
- EXW
- we collect from the seller; export clearance must be arranged separately
- DAP
- seller pays delivery to destination, Russian customs on the buyer
Documents
- CMR
- a separate consignment note for each consignee in the load
- Invoice
- commercial invoice for your lot, matching the CMR
- Packing List
- packing list with piece numbers, weight and dimensions of each
- Contract
- the consignee's foreign trade contract — the import declaration is filed under it
- Permits
- EAEU technical regulation certificates or declarations where required
FAQ
The greatest of three values applies: actual weight, volumetric weight (1 m³ ≈ 333 kg) and loading metres (LDM). LDM matters when cargo cannot be double-stacked. We calculate all three up front so there are no after-the-fact surcharges for light but bulky cargo.
Roughly 18–30 days from delivery to the consolidation warehouse to release in Moscow. This includes waiting for the next departure, the road via Zabaikalsk or Kazakhstan, the border and customs. We give the departure date and estimated arrival at booking.
Usually by 2–4 days — the time needed for consolidation, warehouse break-down and clearing several consignees. In return the rate is several times lower, and departures follow a schedule, so the arrival date is known in advance.
Yes, the minimum lot is one pallet or 0.5 loading metres. Cargo must be packed for transshipment and marked piece by piece; if the supplier ships loose cartons, we palletise at the warehouse. Russian customs clearance is still required for one pallet — the declaration is filed under your contract.
Each consignee files its own import declaration under its own contract, while the truck can move under a single transit document. A problem with one participant's papers can delay release of the whole load. That is why we check each consignee's set before loading.
Every piece is received with photos and a packaging check, transshipped only indoors, and fragile items go on the top tier and are strapped down. If the supplier's packaging is weak, we suggest crating before dispatch. For valuable cargo we recommend an insurance policy.