When you start to figure the cost of shipping a truck to Belgium, it may be best to use one of the simple online calculators provided by shipping-service companies and freight-handling companies. Almost every business in this industry has an online presence with a Web site that provides plenty of background information. In addition, many of them ask you to provide a few basic pieces of information that allows them to give you a good estimate of your costs.

These fill-in-the-blank forms usually ask for individual name and/or company name, as well as the usual phone number, email and fax numbers. You will need to identify the place of origin or the nearest city and the destination. Companies will also ask you to provide a description of the commodities or items being shipped, and will want to know weight of the item, whether you will need a container of a particular size and whether delivery will be required on the receiving end (in Belgium).

With these few facts the shipping company can offer you a close estimate of total cost of shipping a truck to Belgium. Among the questions you will answer will be one or two regarding customs and broker handling. Customs clearance is always one of the major details to be arranged with shipping anything overseas. If you choose not to have a broker, shipping agent or service company work for you, you may have to make the trip to customs to present documents and pay any required fees.

Estimates have ranged from about $900 to as much as $2,000 for shipping a mid-size pick-up truck with no special requirements. But this number can vary considerably depending on a number of factors:

• Original location and land transportation – especially if purchased from an auction and you, the owner, won’t be present to transport the vehicle to the port or dock.
• Insurance – This is a question included in many online calculators for the cost of shipping a truck to Belgium. In addition to vehicle insurance, the entire shipping process should be covered for liability, as well as with land and marine transport insurance.
• Be sure to include costs for storage and delivery at both ends of the journey, if the vehicle has to be placed in a shipping company or port warehouse for a short time.

As for the time element, separate from the cost of shipping a truck to Belgium, this can vary a bit. But most people can count on getting a truck or other vehicle to Belgium from port to port in a matter of days. Preparation time should start two or three weeks before the desired shipping date.

Belgium, like many other European countries, does not have unusually restrictive import requirements. But the vehicle owner should always have registration, tax and customs documents in order long before the truck arrives. Check with the local officials to learn about import duties, taxes and registration that may apply in that specific location. Ask specifically about Import/Export Control lists for Belgium and for European Union countries.

Many of the requirements to ship heavy machinery to Europe are the same as with transporting a car or small truck. There are several registration and customs items to be covered no matter the size of the cargo. In every case, the equipment owner should be sure to have up-to-date registration and insurance information, with original documents available for inspection when a customs agent or shipping official asks to see them.

It is generally less expensive to transport motorized vehicles with roll on/roll off service, so this may also be practical when you need to ship heavy machinery to Europe. If the machinery can be driven onto the ship and secured on an inner deck, this could save a considerable amount of money over container or flat rack shipping, for example. These are questions that can be answered by shipping and transport agents who make all the arrangements for you, as well as by the shipping company itself.

Shipping companies and agents can help you arrange ocean freight, air freight as well as land transportation for your equipment. With new equipment it may be necessary to crate or cover certain items as well. Among the documents required to ship heavy machinery to Europe are dock/port receipts, bills of lading, original registration for each item, export declarations and customs forms.

It is always wise to have current, original insurance documentation available as well. This includes blanket coverage for marine shipping, for example. In most cases, the ship company is only liable for a minimum amount under its insurance. Shipping and transport service companies can also assist with preparation and filing of letters of credit and other financial documents. In addition, it may be necessary to arrange specific documents with the government of the destination country.

When you arrange to ship heavy machinery to Europe be prepared to provide the make/model of the equipment, dimensions and weight along with a current value for each item. To get some estimate of the cost for shipping you will also need to provide the names of the originating port and the destination port.

One of the most important factors when you ship heavy machinery to Europe is the experience of the transport service or freight-forwarding company. While there may be dozens of companies to choose from when you send smaller vehicles or personal cargo across the ocean, there are fewer firms with the knowledge and experience to handle the special needs of heavy equipment owners. It’s crucial to find a company that will protect the huge investment you have in your constructions or agriculture equipment. These experienced companies will also be able to answer your questions about conformity requirements in the various European nations.

Costs will vary depending on number of pieces of equipment, point of origin and final destination. Be sure to include all import duty charges and land transportation charges in your cost figures.

For overseas export and import of construction machinery, you need to look for companies that provide freight forwarding services. Moving large machinery is not something similar to moving homes and offices. Special equipments are required to transport construction machinery for which special moving companies must be hired. Companies providing freight forwarding services also provide other kinds of logistics services that may be required to complete international shipping. The freight forwarder may not actually perform the move. The company may hire third parties for actual shipping of construction machinery. However, you don’t have to talk to third parties as the freight forwarder will take of everything required for moving.

To make moving of construction machinery possible at an affordable price, you should get freight forwarding quotes from at least three different companies. You need to compare the quotes based on the services offered and cost. You should also make sure that you are given insurance options that will protect the heavy machinery you are shipping. After comparing quotes, you can choose the best quote that is suitable for you.

Construction machinery freight forwarding can be done in three different methods.

• RORO vessels are most commonly used if the machinery can operate on its own wheels. Since rolling on and rolling off such heavy machinery is simple, RORO vessels cost less. There may be times when the construction machinery can’t be transported in RORO vessels for lack of any such wheels. Also, RORO shipment is possible only in a few countries.
• In that case, container shipping is the most common freight forwarding service used when the machinery can be disassembled and loaded in containers. The flat rack containers can also be used for oversize machinery. Even though it is expensive, container shipping safely transports your construction machinery.
• Break bulk is another type of freight shipping service that is possible.

While choosing freighter forwarder for construction machinery, it is better to pay for door to door services so that the machinery is delivered to the exact destination and no third party is required to do the transportation from the port to construction site. Sometimes, storage space may be needed to store the machinery before it is delivered to the actual destination. Since freight forwarding companies provide logistic services such as warehousing and storage maintenance, you can easily ship heavy machinery overseas.

The cost of freight forwarding depends on various factors. The size & weight of the machinery are often a main parameter that influences the cost. Efforts required to load the machinery to shipping vessels also account to the total moving cost. If dedicated shipping vessels are required to make the move possible, then the total moving cost may increase.

When you are shipping construction machinery overseas, a number of documents including ownership title, insurance, bill of lading, and other machinery specific documents are required for customs clearance during import and export. A professional freight forwarding company will take care of clearing customs at source and destination ports and it will guide you through the whole shipping process. Always make sure that the company you choose is capable of handing heavy machinery transport to international countries.

Shipping a vehicle to Europe, from the United States for example, is a detailed process that can be simplified by some careful planning. When the process involves heavy lift transport to Europe, there may be a few more details to take into consideration. Fortunately, the competitive international shipping industry has a number of excellent alternatives for getting that large piece of equipment or cargo from your site or the seller’s location to its intended destination. Start planning your shipping project several months ahead of time, do your research into shipping methods and costs, then move ahead confidently.

It may be best to start by making a short list of the different options: shipping from one continent to another; shipping by special container, roll on/roll off; special services to a specific location in Europe and so on. The key with successful heavy life transport to Europe is to find the service company that combines heavy-lift experience with careful planning of freight transport. This may be a bit different from basic roll on/roll off service available for a passenger car, small yacht etc. There will be a few extra details in the application process. Any heavy-lift specialty company should be able to provide sufficient customer feedback and testimonials about past projects.

Heavy lift transport to Europe should also be planned with the final destination in mind since the equipment and personnel experience can vary from one location to another. Europe should not present unusual difficulties since skilled lift crews have worked with such projects in military, government and private sectors. There will be some additional costs to consider as well. While sending a mid-size car from the United States to Europe might range from a few hundred dollars to about $2,000, heavy-lift projects will probably have extra cost, which is to be expected with this special category of transportation and placement.

As you plan for heavy lift transport to Europe it would be good to make necessary arrangements for special-needs cargo and cargo that may potentially dangerous. With the expansion of international companies and operations on several continents becoming more common, it’s possible to find freight-forwarding companies and ship operators that have experience with military equipment and weapons, mining and chemical transportation.

In addition to the sea-going options, it may be wise to consider shipping via one of the massive aircraft available. Of course, there may be some space limitations but the time element with heavy lift transport to Europe via aircraft is a key factor for timely delivery. With all of the logistics and special requirements of heavy-lift shipping, you may want to enlist the services of a company that has completed a number of successful voyages to European countries. Careful planning is the key in this particular type of cargo transportation.

Streamlining flow of cargo across different continents has become very essential so that entrepreneurs can demonstrate value they have for their clients. Shipping oversized equipment has become a part of many businesses and companies are using oversized equipment movers to Europe to move large shipments. By getting help from international moving companies for freight forwarding services, you can track your shipment at any time and get additional logistics services depending on the oversized equipment you are shipping to Europe.

You need to be careful while choosing oversized equipment movers to Europe because you trust the movers with large shipments that are worth several millions. Hence, proper research must be done about the logistics provider and you should be satisfied with the way the company conducts business.

Freight forwarders who are in business for several years are more stable and they will be completely aware of the procedures involved in shipping large equipment and machinery to Europe. The company you choose must be large enough to carry out freight forwarding tasks without any problem. Oversized equipments can be transported via air or sea freight. The moving company should give you freedom to choose the type of transportation you need. Further, the company should be capable of handling equipment you intend to transport.

Logistics companies have agents across the world that makes it possible to transport oversized equipments and goods. The oversized equipment movers to Europe must have agents in your source and destination countries and they must understand your equipment requirements completely. It is better to choose a freight forwarder that has experience and knowledge about moving the type of machinery you are exporting. This will make sure that you trust someone who knows about your product.

The oversized equipment movers to Europe you choose must be flexible enough to answer all your questions. Stay away from those companies that urge you to do business with them. You should get answers to all your queries before you hire any company. Always check the documents and references of the freight forwarding company. For all freight forwarding companies, documents turn around time is very important. Aside from shipping insurance, errors and omission insurance must also be provided by the freight forwarding company. This will cover for damages caused because of minor errors caused while transporting over sized machinery.

Freight forwarding companies you choose must be able to provide other logistics services you may require. It is better to talk about this with the oversized equipment movers to Europe before you actually make the move. As you are shipping oversized machinery or equipment to another continent Europe, you should check with the freight forwarding company with the documents required for customs clearance at both source and destination.

Just because the freight forwarding company is the largest, you can’t expect the company to meet your needs. You have to assess the capabilities of the providers and compare different providers before choosing one. Settling down for the cheapest provider is the last thing you want to do because you know the value of the oversized equipment you want to transport to Europe.