Service
Groupage / Shared Load
Groupage — also called a shared load — means your belongings travel in the same vehicle as one or more other households moving along a similar route, rather than a vehicle reserved solely for you. It is a common and practical option for smaller volumes or when a fixed delivery date matters less than overall cost.
- Best for
- Smaller volumes, flexible dates
- How it works
- Shared vehicle space with other households on the same route
- Alternative
- Dedicated transport for fixed dates or larger volumes
Because the vehicle makes more than one stop, groupage typically involves a collection and delivery window rather than a single fixed date — something we explain clearly when you request a quote so there are no surprises.
Groupage is not a lower-quality version of a "real" move — it is a different way of allocating vehicle space that happens to cost less, precisely because the cost of the journey is spread across more than one household. For a large share of the moves we coordinate, it is the more sensible choice on both cost and practicality grounds, not just a budget compromise.
How groupage works
Your goods are loaded alongside one or more other households travelling a similar route. The vehicle makes multiple stops for collection and delivery, which is what allows the shared cost — but also means your exact delivery time sits within a window rather than a fixed slot. Loading is planned so each household's goods stay together and are unloaded in a sensible order relative to the route, rather than mixed together arbitrarily.
Groupage vs. dedicated transport
Groupage tends to suit smaller households with some flexibility on dates. Dedicated transport — a vehicle reserved solely for your move — suits larger volumes or a move date that cannot shift. We will advise which fits your situation once we know your volume and route, rather than defaulting to whichever is more convenient for us to arrange.
Which routes run groupage most often
Busier corridors — for example into Spain, Germany, or France from the Netherlands — tend to have groupage departures on a more regular cycle than less-travelled routes, simply because there is more combined demand to fill a vehicle. A quieter route can still use groupage, but the collection window may be somewhat wider while the vehicle fills with enough combined demand to make the trip worthwhile.
How pricing works for a shared load
Because the cost of the vehicle and driver is split across more than one household, groupage pricing is generally driven more heavily by your own volume than by the full cost of running a vehicle solo. This is why groupage tends to become less cost-effective, relative to dedicated transport, once your volume approaches filling a vehicle on its own — at that point you are effectively paying for most of the vehicle anyway.
Packing considerations for a shared load
Since groupage involves more handling points — loading and unloading at more than one stop — packing for a shared load benefits from the same care as a longer sea freight journey, even on a relatively short European route. See our packing service for how this is handled.
What we ask before quoting a groupage move
To give an accurate groupage quote, we need your origin and destination, an approximate volume, and how much flexibility you have around your moving date. The more flexible your date, the more options we generally have to fit your move efficiently into an existing route.
Explore more
Related services
Professional Packing
Full or partial packing by a team trained for international transport, not just a local move.
Learn more →Storage
Short or longer-term storage when your moving dates do not line up on both ends.
Learn more →Corporate Relocation
Employer-led international relocations, coordinated directly with HR or mobility teams.
Learn more →FAQ
Groupage / Shared Load — frequently asked questions
Is groupage slower than a dedicated move?
Groupage involves a collection and delivery window rather than one fixed date, because the vehicle serves more than one household. For most routes this adds some flexibility rather than significant delay.
Is my furniture safe sharing a vehicle with someone else's belongings?
Yes — each household's goods are packed, loaded, and kept separate within the vehicle, regardless of whether the load is shared or dedicated.
At what point does dedicated transport make more sense than groupage?
Once your volume approaches filling a vehicle on its own, or your delivery date genuinely cannot move, dedicated transport tends to become the more sensible option even though it costs more.
Can I request a narrower delivery window on groupage?
We can give you the most accurate estimate available for your route, but a shared load inherently depends on other households' collection points along the way, so a fully fixed slot is not something groupage can guarantee.
Does groupage work for corporate relocations too?
It can, for smaller moves with some date flexibility, though most corporate relocations favour dedicated transport for the schedule certainty it gives against a fixed start date.
Reviews
What our customers say
5 out of 5 stars 5.0 out of 5, based on 1 reviews
“We chose a shared-load service for our move to Spain because our dates were flexible. The process was explained clearly beforehand and worked very well for us. Everything arrived safely.”
Need groupage / shared load for your international move?
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