What CLA UK does

CLA UK (legal entity Czech Logistics Alliance (UK) Limited) is a privately held UK-headquartered logistics provider founded in 2005 by Brian Sides, operating from Kibworth Harcourt, Leicestershire. The company sells an integrated freight and customs platform to B2B shippers moving goods between the UK and Continental Europe, combining time-sensitive full-trailer-load road freight, express vans, groupage/LTL consolidation, sea and air freight, and cross-dock warehousing in the UK and Czech Republic. Its in-house customs department handles import/export declarations via direct HMRC CDS integration, T1 transit documents through NCTS, IPAFFS notifications, duty/VAT deferment, and specialist declarations including CHED-D and ATA Carnets, with coverage at 40+ UK ports. CLA UK holds AEO (AEOC and AEOS) accreditation, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and SQAS certifications, and is a member of BIFA and FIATA.

CLA UK's revenue model is transactional and quote-based, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Fees are charged per customs declaration (volume and complexity dependent), per FTL shipment (varying by trailer type such as 100 cubic metre mega trailers or 110–120 cubic metre road trains), per LTL/groupage unit, and on managed-services terms for warehousing at the Class A food-grade facility in Krimice, Czech Republic. The go-to-market is sales-led enterprise field sales, with dedicated account managers providing a single point of contact per client and a 24-hour quote response commitment. Customer segments include UK importers/exporters (primary), freight forwarders (primary), and vertical-specific buyers in automotive manufacturing cross-dock, food and beverage packaging, construction materials, and ADR-certified hazardous cargo.

The company's distribution advantage rests on owned operational platforms in the UK, Czech Republic, Poland (CLA PL, opened 2018), and Hungary, combined with a pan-European alliance network providing access to over 5,000 vehicles across 18 European countries. The company is privately owned by founder Brian Sides with Brett Burrows on the Board of Directors since June 2022; there are no institutional investors or parent company disclosed, and no funding rounds are reported.

Name

CLA UK

Legal name

Czech Logistics Alliance (UK) Limited

Website

https://cla-uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CLA UK is a privately held UK-headquartered freight forwarder and customs clearance agent offering integrated European road freight, customs brokerage, warehousing, and sea/air services across 18 countries, with AEO accreditation and a specialization in time-sensitive full trailer loads.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Export/Import Documentation Preparation (Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipper’s Letter of Instruction) (TLACAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

Keywords

• European road freight
• Customs clearance services
• Freight forwarding
• Transport logistics
• Warehousing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kibworth, Leicestershire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pan-European Road Freight: Full load trailer services across Europe including mega trailers (100 cubic metre) and road trains (110-120 cubic metre). B2B time-sensitive deliveries with driver accompaniment.
2. Customs Clearance Services: Import and export customs declarations, T1 transit documents, IPAFFS notifications, duty/VAT deferment accounts. Per-declaration fees based on volume and complexity.
3. Warehousing Services: Class A food-grade warehousing with dock level loading facilities at multiple European locations including UK and Czech Republic.
4. Sea and Air Freight: FCL and LCL sea freight services, urgent global air shipments, courier and express services with customs brokerage integration.
5. Express Van Services: Urgent dedicated shipments within UK and Europe using sprinter vans, Luton vans and 7.5 ton vehicles up to 3000kg.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CLA UK provides pan-European full load road freight services combined with an in-house customs clearance agency. The integrated offering covers European road freight (mega trailers and road trains), express van shipments, groupage and LTL consolidation, warehousing, sea and air freight, alongside customs brokerage including import/export declarations, T1 transit documents, IPAFFS notifications, duty/VAT deferment, and specialist declarations.

Product overview

CLA UK offers a suite of logistics and customs brokerage services structured as an integrated transport and customs platform. The core offering combines European Road Freight Services (full load, express vans, domestic, and groupage/LTL), Warehousing, and Sea/Air Freight for transportation, with a dedicated Customs Clearance Services module handling all import/export declarations, T1 Transit Documents, and Specialist Declarations. The products work together to provide end-to-end freight movement from collection through customs clearance to final delivery, with the customs department supporting all transport services. The company operates 100 cubic metre Mega Trailers and 110-120 cubic metre Road Trains with ADR capabilities across a network spanning UK, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• European Road Freight Services Pan-European full load road freight services with driver accompaniment, operating daily scheduled collections and deliveries to major European destinations including France, Germany, Benelux, Poland, and Czech Republic. Designed for businesses with time-sensitive, high-volume shipments between UK and Continental Europe.
• Express Vans Urgent dedicated shipment service within the UK and across Europe offering time-sensitive deliveries via sprinter vans, Luton vans, and 7.5 ton vehicles up to 3000kg. Targets businesses requiring same-day or next-day dedicated transport for critical or time-sensitive cargo.
• Domestic Services Full trailer loads including mega trailers with 3-metre internal height, part-loads and groupage services covering road-freight throughout the UK and Ireland. Serves businesses needing domestic distribution with high-cube capacity.
• Groupage and LTL Services Less-than-trailer-load (LTL) consolidation services between UK and Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, plus European groupage with weekly services to Spain and Germany. Targeted at shippers with smaller consolidated loads.
• Warehousing Cross-dock warehousing services at multiple EU locations and Class A food-grade facilities with dock level loading, including facilities in the UK and Czech Republic (Krimice). Suits clients needing pan-European distribution with customs-free storage.
• Sea and Air Freight Global sea freight (FCL and LCL) and air freight services including urgent global shipments, courier, express and consolidated options with door-to-door delivery. Supports customers whose supply chains extend beyond Europe.
• Customs Clearance Services Comprehensive customs clearance agency providing import and export declarations, CDS submissions, T1 transit documents, IPAFFS notifications, duty/VAT deferment accounts, and customs consultations at all UK ports. Serves importers, exporters, freight forwarders, and transport companies.
• T1 Transit Documents Customs transit document arrangement service using the company's own customs transit guarantee to facilitate smooth movement of goods between UK and EU without incurring unnecessary duty payments. Supports traders shipping non-EU goods through the EU.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% of trailers equipped with GPS tracking providing real-time shipment visibility
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CLA CZ (Czech Republic)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company based in Prague providing full groupage and warehousing solutions for Czech Republic, as well as LTL services to Slovakia. CLA CZ supports pan-European operations and customs-free distribution through Krimice warehouse.
• CLA PL (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperations platform opened in Szczecin, Poland in 2018 providing ongoing operational support across all sales offices with specific focus on solutions to/from Poland. Provides increased trailer availability and improved response times.
• European Transport Alliance PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive alliance of international transport partners enabling pan-European coverage with 5000+ vehicles. Partners specialise in mega trailers and high cube transport for tall or stacked pallets.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• APS Group: APS Group is a UK-headquartered logistics provider offering European road freight, groupage, customs, warehousing, and supply-chain services. Its integrated UK-EU offering and similar customer base make it a close operating comparator to CLA UK.
• Europa Worldwide Logistics: Europa Worldwide Logistics operates a large European road-freight, groupage, and freight-forwarding network with customs brokerage and UK-EU connectivity. Its scale is greater than CLA's, but its core European transport model closely overlaps.
• RH Freight: RH Freight provides UK and international freight forwarding by road, air, and sea, including customs clearance. It is comparable to CLA's multi-modal freight and customs-brokerage model, although CLA has greater emphasis on full-load European transport.
• Woodland Group: Woodland Group provides international freight forwarding, oversized and project logistics, warehousing, and customs services. Its specialization in complex, high-volume movements makes it a useful comparator for CLA's high-cube and time-sensitive freight proposition.
• Barrington Freight: Barrington Freight is a UK freight forwarder offering road, sea, air, and courier services with customs support. It competes for many of the same UK import, export, and freight-forwarding customers as CLA.
• Tudor International Freight: Tudor International Freight provides international freight forwarding, customs clearance, air freight, ocean freight, and European road services. Its UK-centric multi-modal proposition and customs capabilities are directly comparable to CLA's integrated service suite.
• Davies Turner: Davies Turner is a UK logistics and freight-forwarding group with road, air, ocean, warehousing, and customs services. Its end-to-end international logistics model is comparable to CLA's transport-plus-customs offering.
• Kin Cargo: Kin Cargo is a UK freight forwarder and customs broker serving import and export customers across air, ocean, and road modes. It is relevant to CLA's customs-led, multi-modal offering and UK-EU trade focus.

Broad incumbents

• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL Global Forwarding provides international road, air, and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and contract logistics. It is a broad incumbent benchmark for CLA's pan-European freight and customs offering.
• Rhenus Logistics: Rhenus is a global logistics provider offering freight forwarding, customs, warehousing, and transport solutions across Europe. It overlaps substantially with CLA but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cla-uk

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CLA UK