Five years on from our departure of the European Union (EU), Dartford-based road freight specialist Europa Road continues to improve efficiency and provide significant cost savings for Benelux-based businesses by enabling full load import shipments from the UK to be customs cleared in Calais and travel directly to their end destination.
The company’s latest innovation is a new, simple Free Carrier (FCA) clearance process for full loads entering the Benelux from the UK, called FCA Flow.
Europa Road is the specialist road freight division of pioneering independent operator Europa Worldwide Group.
Jack Baxter, General Manager for Benelux Sales & Full Load Operations, said: “The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) estimates that Belgium imported approximately €721 million worth of goods from the UK in December 2024, resulting in a positive trade balance.
“While certainly a more positive outlook compared to the first few years post-Brexit, challenges remain around how Benelux-based businesses trade with their UK markets.
“The biggest issue is the extra red tape surrounding customs clearance when shipping using FCA incoterms. Importers in Belgium and the Netherlands must pay for a T-Form and transport their goods via a third-party clearance facility before their goods are delivered, which means appointing a broker, longer transit times and delays to time-critical consignments.
“This means that the customs clearance process for FCA shipments is still needlessly complex.
“This is why we want to streamline the process – cutting down on unnecessary deviations and the time it takes for full loads to reach their final destinations.
“Being able to clear all goods in Calais also reduces fuel consumption. As a business, we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of operations for our customers, and this is another step towards meeting these key objectives.”
Europa Road is headquartered at Dartford’s 27sq.ft 1Hub, strategically located near the Dartford Crossing. The company has had a presence in Benelux since 2018, when it acquired unaccompanied trailer operation Continental Cargo Carriers in Ostend. Having rebranded to Europa Road in 2022, it then opened its Rotterdam branch in 2023.
Europa Road is the first logistics provider to provide this improved FCA customs clearance process to Benelux-based businesses. Now, full trailer loads entering Benelux from the UK can be cleared in Calais and released to proceed directly to their delivery point.
As one of the largest commercial users of the Eurotunnel, which transports goods between Folkstone, straight into Calais for goods to be cleared, Europa’s FCA Flow capitalises on the existing operational, technological and customs infrastructures that the company has successfully put in place since Brexit.
Jack continued: “Most imports from the UK to Benelux are shipped using FCA incoterms, so it seemed necessary for us to find ways to streamline the process – it certainly offers a much simpler, faster and more cost-efficient operation for all.”
Since Brexit, Europa has invested heavily in its customs offering, becoming the first company to take its own Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) product to the Belgian and Dutch markets in 2022. Europa Flow, launched for UK businesses in 2021, takes care of all customs administration on behalf of the exporter, removing complexities for businesses on both sides of the Channel and minimising delays due to incomplete paperwork.
Leveraging its experience with Europa Flow, the new FCA clearance is unique in its efficiency and the speed at which it can facilitate shipments. Europa Road makes more than 30,000 journeys across the Channel annually, providing a seamless movement of goods into Europe for UK businesses.
