Many UK manufacturing businesses depend on intricate international supply chains, with parts often sourced from across the EU, so the rapid transit of key components is central to businesses meeting their deadlines.

With world governments committed to slashing carbon emissions during the next three decades, and consumers increasingly being drawn to businesses who can demonstrate a commitment to protecting the environment, international logistics is, unsurprisingly, under the microscope.

The post-Brexit landscape has changed the terms of business between the UK and Europe, causing some confusion about tariffs and taxes when importing commercial goods.

When you’re preparing to ship goods to Scandinavia, there are several key documents that must be completed in advance, one of which is known as the CMR note. A useful abbreviation for ‘convention relative au contrat de transport international de marchandises par route’, the CMR is the standard contract of carriage for goods that are shipped internationally by road.

For businesses who import goods from Scandinavia, the prospect of calculating import duties and taxes is alarming for many, who are convinced that wading through the regulations will be time-consuming and confusing. While the task is, in fact, not an impossible mountain to climb, working in partnership with an expert shipping and freight forward business, such as NTEX, can simplify the process as you’ll be able to draw upon their experience and knowledge to ensure the right fees are paid.

International shipping costs rose in January and February 2021 across the board, affecting the cost of trade between the UK and the EU. Bloomberg notes that the average for quoted courier rates has increased by a third to half of their previous value between November 2020 and February 2021. Reuters also reports that UK-EU export traffic has fallen by 68% on January 2020 levels.

If you're sending heavy goods business-to-business from anywhere in the UK to Norway, you'll want to optimise your shipping costs. Getting the best value from your Scandinavian shipments is easy - with a little know-how. Here's how to work out the cheapest option for shipping to Norway:

When shipping to Norway from the UK, are there any custom charges or import duties you should be aware of? Fortunately for British businesses, trade tariffs are very simple: in most cases there aren’t any! Norway is not a member of the EU but is part of the European Economic Area. This makes it part of the single market, with no trade tariffs between member states and common tariffs when trading outside the zone. The same rule applies when importing goods from Norway to the UK. In most cases you won’t need to pay any customs or import duties.

Transporting wide loads on UK roads requires some advance planning and special permits. What constitutes a wide, or abnormal load? While most logistics standards are closely harmonised across the EU, road transport restrictions vary from country to country. Therefore, when transporting large, or unusually shaped goods, it is important to be aware of width, height and length allowances in all of the countries you travel through. In Scandinavian logistics, for instance, you may need to traverse two or even three national jurisdictions by road, as well as the first mile journey in the UK.

When it comes to shipping commercial goods from one country to another, time is a sensitive issue. There are numerous ways to send items from the UK to Sweden. Your cargo can travel by ship, plane or lorry, or – more usually – by a combination of transport modes.

The distance to travel is different for each of the three methods. The number of documents to prepare, the loading process, and the cost differ as well. Your choice of delivery option depends on the cargo weight and sensitivity as well as the urgency and cost.