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.