Guides / Groupage and consolidated loads · Updated 30 September 2026

Groupage and consolidated loads: UK–EU customs explained

One lorry, many consignments, many declarations. Here is how customs handles groupage freight between the UK and the EU, and how to stop your pallets from holding up everyone else's.

This guide is also available in Polish.

What groupage means for customs

Groupage (also called consolidated or LTL, less-than-truckload, freight) means one lorry, trailer or container carries goods for several unrelated senders and receivers. Commercially it is efficient: each shipper pays for a few pallets rather than a whole vehicle. For customs, though, the vehicle is only the container. The goods inside still belong to different traders, and each trader's consignment normally needs its own customs formalities.

That split between one vehicle and many consignments is where most groupage problems start. The trader is responsible for the declaration for their goods; the haulier is responsible for moving the vehicle through the border. Both sides have to line up before the truck can board.

One declaration per consignment, one reference per vehicle

On the declaration side, each consignment is usually covered by its own export or import declaration, lodged by or for the trader concerned. In the UK these go through CDS (see the glossary entry for CDS), and each accepted declaration produces its own Movement Reference Number (MRN). A trailer carrying fifteen consignments may therefore be associated with fifteen separate MRNs, plus any safety and security references.

On the vehicle side, the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) brings those references together. HMRC's guidance on getting a goods movement reference states that you must enter a reference for all goods contained in a vehicle, trailer or container, and that for exports to the EU you can upload multiple declarations if you need to. HMRC also notes that you can now include multiple entry summary declarations for goods moving from the EU to Great Britain. The result is a single goods movement reference (GMR) that represents the whole load and is presented at the port you are leaving from.

According to HMRC's registration guidance, GVMS links together all the declarations submitted for the goods before they reach their destination. In practice this means the GMR is only as complete as the references fed into it.

Who does what

If an agent acts for you, remember the representation basis matters: under direct representation the importer remains liable for the declaration, while under indirect representation the agent is jointly liable. The direct representation entry explains the difference.

What one missing document does to the whole truck

Because the GMR must cover all goods in the vehicle, a single consignment without a valid reference is not a problem for that shipper alone. If one MRN is missing, wrong or not yet accepted, the operator cannot give a complete reference for the load, and the vehicle is not ready to move through the border. Every other shipper on that trailer waits too.

The same knock-on effect applies to checks. If customs selects one consignment for examination, reaching those pallets may mean handling other goods on the trailer, and the vehicle cannot continue until the check is resolved. For a broader picture of how checks work, see what happens during UK customs checks.

Transit for mixed loads

Some groupage operators move consolidated loads under the Common Transit Convention rather than clearing every consignment at the frontier. The goods travel under a transit declaration to an office of destination or authorised consignee, where they are presented and then cleared. HMRC's step-by-step guidance says you get a paper Transit Accompanying Document (TAD), which includes your transit movement reference number, and at the end you present the TAD and goods to the office of destination or authorised consignee and wait for clearance. The same guidance refers to a master unique consignment reference for grouping goods.

For GVMS, HMRC states that for Common Transit Convention movements you need an MRN generated by the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) and an offline version of the TAD. Transit does not remove the need for final import formalities; it moves them inland. Our guide to T1 transit from the UK to the EU covers the procedure in more detail.

Tips for shippers using groupage

• Ask the operator for its cut-off time for declaration references, and treat it as a hard deadline.
• Check your commercial invoice and packing list match the physical pallets: counts, weights and descriptions.
• Confirm who is lodging your declaration and on what representation basis before collection day.
• Have your EORI number and commodity codes ready; missing basics are the most common cause of a late MRN.
• Send the accepted MRN to the operator as soon as you have it, not on the day of departure.
• If your goods need licences, certificates or pre-notification, flag this early so the operator can plan the load.
• Ask whether the load will run on transit or be cleared at the frontier, as that changes where and when your import formalities happen.

For a practical look at how consolidated road freight is organised on the UK–Poland route, including hub consolidation versus clearing on the move, see this overview of LTL groupage customs risks.

Bottom line

Groupage shares the vehicle but not the paperwork. Each consignment carries its own declaration, and the GMR ties them together for the whole trailer. The load moves at the pace of its slowest document, so shippers who deliver clean, early data protect not only their own goods but everyone else's on board.

Related guides

• Movement Reference Number (MRN): what it is and how hauliers use it

• Moving dangerous goods by road between the UK and EU: ADR duties and paperwork

• T1 transit from the UK to the EU: what the broker does

Sources

• Get a goods movement reference (GOV.UK)
• Register for the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GOV.UK)
• Transporting goods out of the UK under transit: step by step (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.