01295 26 22 99Packaging and Labeling
This is probably one of the most important things for you to understand, in order that you can best protect your goods from loss or damage. Your pallet will be lifted on and off several different vehicles along it’s journey to the delivery point and at each point will be surrounded by other pallets of goods. It is therefore vital that you consider this when assembling, packing and securing your goods on to your pallet. Your pallet will be collected by a collection driver usually in a small to medium sized vehicle. This vehicle will deliver and collect other pallets within the area before returning to the local depot. Once back at the local depot, your pallet will be unloaded, usually using a folk lift and loaded onto a larger vehicle, which will transport it to the main Hub. Once at the hub, your pallet, will once again be unloaded and then reloaded onto a trunker vehicle heading back to the delivery area. This will once again be done using a folk lift. Once at the local delivery depot, your pallet will once again be unloaded and then reloaded on to a smaller vehicle for delivery. At the delivery point, your pallet will be unloaded using another hand operated pallet truck. It is vital that you follow the simple steps below, to minimise the chances of your goods being lost or damaged.
- Ensure your goods are stacked in a stable manner. If your goods are unstable or move at all, they are likely to fall and get damaged.
- Ensure your goods are secured to the pallet, once again minimising the chances of your goods falling off the pallet during transit.
- Shrink wrap your goods to protect against neighbouring pallets.IMPORTANT NOTE: You should always photograph your goods on the pallet before and after wrapping and securing, for verification and identification purposes. This will only take a minute and can save a massive amount of time, money and effort in the long run. Practically everyone has a camera phone these days. We are not expecting a David Bailey production with lighting and perfect balance, a couple of simple in focus photographs showing the state and condition of the goods before and after packing will suffice.
- For identification purposes, Please make sure printed labels are put on each end of the pallet in a level and clear manner.
- If your goods are not suitable to be stacked, please take steps to indicate this. The simplest and most effective way to do this is to secure an irregular shaped object to the top of your goods. This can be as simple as an empty cardboard box and will simply, quickly and clearly indicate to a folk lift driver that goods can not be stacked on top.
This obviously depends on the type of goods themselves. Although, if you keep in mind the journey that your pallet is about to go through (as indicated above). Common sense should be used at all times in regards to protecting your goods and different material including bubble wrap, you may also consider old carpet, cushions or an old mattress depending on the goods in question. Just keep in mind that common sense is always best, and over protecting your goods is far better than under protecting them.
Whilst every care is taken to deliver your pallet in the same condition as it was collected, fragile item are not ideally suitable for transport through a pallet network. For this reason glass items or glass components are not covered under any insurance provided by ourselves or our couriers or agents. Should you decide to send any fragile items we recommend extra care is taken when packing and securing this items.
Collection and Delivery
This will depend on the service booked; An economy service will be delivered within 3 days from collection, therefore a pallet collected on a Monday should be delivered Wednesday/Thursday. Please note that we do not deliver on a weekend unless a Saturday AM delivery is booked and paid for. Therefore, a pallet collected on a Thursday would not be expected to be delivered until Monday/Tuesday.
A Next Day service takes 24 hours. Therefore a pallet collected on a Monday should be delivered on a Tuesday. Please note a Next Day pallet collected on a Friday would not expect to be delivered until Monday, unless a Saturday AM delivery is booked and paid for.
We are able to indicate ETA’s (estimated time of arrival) via the system. You can also request a call 30 minutes before delivery, which should give you time to be at the delivery point or make arrangements for someone else to be at the delivery point. Please ensure that the phone number you provide is correct and that the phone is switched on and available to receive calls.
Please Note: Should a delivery driver arrive at the delivery point and there is no-one available to receive your goods or no arrangement has been made to leave your goods a redelivery charge may be incurred.
Yes you can, but this would need to be arranged as a ‘Direct Run’ cost for this would be a lot higher than services quoted on our site and can be obtained by calling us on 01295 26 22 99
Yes you can, when making your booking you can choose from an AM delivery or a Timed delivery. Both these options are chargeable and the price for each is clearly shown on your rate card.
None of our services offered are 100% Guaranteed, although every effort is made to collect and deliver within the target timescale stated for each service.
UK Mainland deliveries do not include any anywhere that is not geographically part of the Main Island as well as some remote parts of the Main Island. Areas not included in the UK Mainland include but not limited to;
- Isle of Man
- Isle of Wright
- Isles of Scilly (including remote areas of Cornwall)
- Channel Islands
- Guernsey
- Jersey
- Northern Ireland
- Scottish Highlands
When you book a collection or delivery to or from any of these areas, please be aware that timescales will invariably increase, as will the likelihood of possible delays. Once again, every effort is made to ensure a swift and efficient service wherever possible.
Guernsey postcards are GY; Jersey is JE.
PO is the Isle of Wight, IM the Isle of Man and some TR postcodes the Isles of Scilly (some TR postcodes are for Cornwall and the mainland).
The restriction includes Northern Ireland and postcodes there are BT.
The areas that perhaps cause the most controversy are the Scottish Highlands. Although they are only marginally separated from the mainland, which is an area of contention itself, PA and PH postcodes are excluded from the mainland, as are IV, HS, KA, KW and ZE postcodes. This is simply because these areas take more time to reach. Since they are also not so densely populated, collections and deliveries are less frequent and therefore becomes a more expensive journey due to lack of volume.
Yes you can. Time slots or AM deliveries are available at an additional cost whilst you are completing your order. Simply tick the timed delivery option and choose the time slot you need your goods to be delivered. The same option is available for collections.
The quickest, easiest and simplest way to track your pallet is to use your online portal we will provide which will show you tracking, ETA’s, POD’s and images.
FAILED COLLECTIONS/DELIVERIES:
Thankfully, the majority of deliveries go through without a hitch, but sometimes a delivery fails and this can be for a number of reasons. If you missed a delivery and would like it re-booked, we can arrange this for you. In the majority of cases we will be notified of a failed collection/delivery and will take the necessary steps to resolve the issue. Please be aware that in instances where a delivery fails through no fault of the delivering depot charges will be incurred by us, which will be passed on to the billing point.
ACCESS TO THE ADDRESS:
Pallet networks deliver thousands of pallets daily and their delivery vehicles are usually pretty big. It is important that drivers have clear access to the addresses you’ve given for both collection and delivery. They will struggle to get down narrow roads or driveways with little to no leeway or under low arches or bridges, for example. We do not want you to experience any delays with your services, therefore if you envisage any access issues please advise us of so in the ‘Special Instructions’ section of your booking and alternative arrangements can be made before hand.
PALLET ACCESSIBILITY:
A little thought can save a lot of issues. Pallets in the main are collected by a driver with the aid of a hand operated pallet truck. This equipment lifts the pallet slightly off the ground and allows it to be physically pulled by the driver, on to the tail lift of his vehicle. Please keep this in mind and be mindful of the following;
- Pallet trucks can not work on uneven surfaces such as gravel, grass or cobbles
- It is extremely difficult to move goods on an incline or decline
In such circumstances you should arrange for your pallet to be collected from a solid, stable surface (such as tarmac), You can also arrange for the pallet to be placed on a thick plywood sheet and create a runway of plywood sheets from the pallet location to the vehicle. In the situation where an incline or decline could cause an issue, you could arrange for additional man power to be on hand to help with the loading/unloading or move the goods to a flat accessible area.
Saturday Deliveries are available in most instances at an additional cost and can be booked (where available) as part of your original order.
Saturday Collections are not available.
Sunday & Bank Holiday collections or deliveries are not available.
Unfortunately, we have no control over adverse weather conditions and delays are bound to occur both during and after such an event. Every effort will be made to limit the delay and inconvenience to yourself as much as possible. Other unforeseeable events which could cause similar issues would include road traffic accidents, strikes or protests. Once again, every effort will be made to limit any delay.
A POD is the industry term for a Proof of Delivery. This can be in paper or digital format and a driver will ask the person receiving the goods to sign for them. Once signed this document establishes that the goods were delivered to the correct address and in good condition. We would strongly advise that upon delivery you check the external packaging of your goods to ensure that the packaging is in tact. Should there be any damage spotted you can still sign the POD but must make a note of the damage and a brief description of the damage. It is also very important to take photographs of the damage in question as this will be needed by the insurers.
Every order is covered by a free insurance cover of up to £5,000.00 per metric tonne (£5.00 per kilo) higher levels of insurance cover can be purchased to cover both weight or value. This can be booked online as part of your original order.
If your pallet arrives at its destination and is damaged, you need to notify the driver in the first instant and note the damage on the POD before signing. Then let our Customer Service team know within 48 hours of delivery by emailing claims@twehaulage.com
DAMAGED GOODS:
To prevent damage to your item it is your responsibility to make sure they are well packaged and protected. If they are not protected appropriately for transportation through a pallet network then a claim for damage will not be successful. Fragile items like glass are on the prohibited list and should not be sent at all. If your pallet has been damaged, you must let us know before the deadline, otherwise it is too late with some couriers to start a claim.
You will be asked to provide different information regarding your claim. We will reply promptly to your support request and providing we get the necessary information back from you on time, we can then submit a claim. If we have strong evidence to support the claim, we’ll always do our best to get your claim settled very quickly.
If you are a business (VAT registered or non VAT registered) and ship outside of the EU (import or export), you must register for an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) code. This code identifies you to Customs as being eligible to ship internationally. Without it, your booking may be turned away by the courier.
EORI FORMAT:
For UK businesses the format for the EORI code is “GB”, followed by your nine digit VAT number, followed by three zeros. If you are non VAT registered, you must still apply for an EORI number. It must be written all in upper case and with no gaps or spaces between the information, eg. GB999999999000. You can find out if you already have a valid EORI number in this format on the European Commission website – You have only one EORI number per legal entity, so every branch of one business will use the same code.
APPLYING FOR YOUR EORI CODE:
If you do not have an active EORI code, you can apply for one by downloading a form from the HMRC website and it should take only a few days for you to receive your code. You must let HMRC know if your VAT code changes. EORI information on the HMRC website.
The Customs Procedure Code (CPC) on your Commercial Invoice confirms the nature of movement for the goods you are shipping, be this a permanent or temporary export or an import. Without it, your order may be held at Customs resulting in significant delay.
PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY EXPORT CPC
Where your export is permanent, the most common CPC code used is 10 00 001. You will find a list of other CPC codes for both permanent and temporary export in the download PDF below. Please check your code selection carefully.
Export CPCs list (valid at Nov 2013)
Import CPC – Where your import is of non-community goods or for home use, the most common CPC code used is 40 00 *** with many sub categories after 40 00 000. You will find a list of CPC codes for import in the download PDF below. Please check your code selection carefully.
Import CPCs list (valid at Nov 2013)
Visit the HMRC website – or call the Excise and Customs Helpline on 0845 010 9000 to determine the correct CPC code.
The Commodity Code (or Tariff Code – these are the same thing) on your Commercial Invoice confirms what the goods are that you are shipping. Couriers require a detailed description of the items you are sending.
The Commodity Code is a classification code used by Customs and so we recommended you always supply one to avoid any delay between borders – if the Commodity Code is requested, your goods will not pass through Customs until it is provided. If you have supplied a Commercial Invoice with your shipment, but a required classification code is missing, your order will be held until an amended Commercial Invoice showing this is received.
ONLINE INFORMATION
There are hundreds of classification codes. If you don’t have one, you’ll find more information on the GOV website
The classifications are very specific and must be accurate, so search thoroughly for descriptions.
TELEPHONE SUPPORT
You can phone the HMRC Tariff Classification Service on 01702 366077.