Live loads on this route
There are no live loads from United Kingdom to France on GigFreight right now. Loads appear here as soon as brokers and shippers post them. Meanwhile, browse the United Kingdom board or post your own load.
Distances
- London → Dover: about 125 km
- Midlands (Birmingham) → Dover: about 300 km
- Calais → Paris: about 290 km
Transit time
The Channel crossing itself takes about 35 minutes by Le Shuttle or about 90 minutes by ferry, plus check-in and border time; the Midlands to Paris is usually one to two days.
Channel crossings
- Ferry: Dover → Calais or Dunkirk
- Eurotunnel Le Shuttle: Folkestone → Coquelles (Calais)
Typical freight
- Retail and consumer goods
- Food and drink
- Automotive parts
- Groupage (part loads)
Tolls, bans and documents
Customs after Brexit
Each load needs a UK export declaration, an EU import or transit declaration and an advance safety and security declaration. Goods leaving GB through these ports are linked to the vehicle through the UK Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS).
Permits and cabotage
Under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, UK hauliers can carry goods between the UK and the EU without permits, with limited cross-trade and cabotage rights inside the EU.
Driving bans
France bans trucks over 7.5 t from 22:00 on Saturday to 22:00 on Sunday and on public holidays.
Tips for carriers
- Confirm who prepares the customs declarations before accepting a cross-Channel load.
- UK accounts on GigFreight see European loads too — search France for the return to the UK.
Questions
What paperwork does a truck need from the UK to France?
Customs export and import (or transit) declarations, an advance safety and security declaration and, at UK ports using it, a GVMS goods movement reference, plus the usual CMR note.
Carriers and brokers on this route
Load boards can be browsed without an account. Visitors see the route, dates, equipment and price of each load, but not the poster’s contact details. Broker and shipper contact details on a load are shown only to members with a fully paid, active subscription. A trial gives access to the platform but not to load contact details.