Freight forwarding and cargo handling explained

Published 2026-09-10 · Last reviewed 2026-09-10 · Next review due 2026-12-10

This guide is general information written for people working around UK ports. It is not legal or customs advice, and it does not certify that any consignment complies with anything. Requirements change and depend on the specific goods, materials, route and dates involved. Always check the official sources linked below, and take professional advice where the consequences of getting it wrong are significant.

The roles

Freight forwarder

Arranges the movement of goods on behalf of a shipper, typically buying transport capacity, arranging documentation and coordinating the parties. A forwarder is usually not the carrier. They are frequently the party who first spots that a consignment's packaging will cause a problem, because they see the destination requirements.

Shipping agent

Acts locally for a vessel owner or operator, handling port formalities, berthing arrangements and communications with terminal and authorities. Agents deal with the ship; forwarders deal with the cargo.

Terminal operator and stevedore

The terminal operator runs the quayside facility. Stevedoring is the physical loading and discharge of vessels. These are the parties whose equipment and working practices determine what forms of unitisation are practical at the quay.

Devanning or container unloading warehouse

Strips containers and prepares cargo for onward domestic distribution. This is where the highest volume of pallet demand around a port typically sits, because loose-loaded or foreign-footprint cargo has to be transferred onto something the UK network can handle.

Customs agent

Prepares and submits customs declarations. Often the same organisation as the forwarder, but a distinct function.

Haulier

Moves the cargo by road. Hauliers care intensely about pallet dimensional consistency, because it determines how many they get on a trailer and how well the load restrains.

Where pallet decisions get made

Rarely in one place. The exporter may specify packaging, the forwarder may flag a destination requirement, the devanning warehouse may decide the repalletising footprint, and the haulier may object to the result. Enquiries that reach us with the whole chain described get a far more useful answer than enquiries that only describe one link.

Cargo handling terms worth knowing

• Breakbulk — cargo handled as individual pieces rather than in containers or as bulk.
• Bulk — unpackaged homogeneous cargo such as grain, aggregates or ore.
• RoRo — roll-on/roll-off, where wheeled cargo or trailers drive on and off.
• LoLo — lift-on/lift-off, where cargo is craned.
• Groupage or LCL — several shippers' consignments consolidated into one container or trailer.
• Devanning or stripping — unloading a container.
• Stuffing — loading a container.
• Dunnage — material used to block, brace, separate and protect cargo in transit.

Sources

Each link was checked on the date shown. Where a site blocked our automated check we say so rather than implying a clean result.