Road haulage from Preston serves a manufacturing corridor with deep roots in defence and aerospace – the city's largest contractor alone employs thousands of engineers producing military aircraft components. Industrial tooling for energy sector projects, fabricated steel for the region's construction pipeline and precision-machined parts for aviation programmes all require transport that avoids unnecessary handling between collection and delivery.
zipmend arranges each transport individually. You book online, receive a fixed price and select the vehicle class – from a 3-tonne lorry for smaller consignments to a 24-tonne curtainsided HGV for heavy freight. For full loads, the vehicle carries your freight exclusively. For part loads, your consignment travels alongside other cargo on the same lorry – in both cases, there is no intermediate depot handling along the route.
Preston's economy extends well beyond aerospace. Over 80,000 people work across logistics, healthcare, construction and a growing technology cluster. A recently launched £100 million logistics hub on the city's outskirts is expected to create around 1,500 new jobs, reinforcing Preston's expanding role in North West freight operations.
All lorries in zipmend's fleet feature curtainsided bodies with rear and side loading access – practical for palletised freight, irregularly shaped machinery components and oversized industrial equipment alike. Each transport is coordinated end-to-end, with proactive updates from loading through to delivery so you retain full visibility over your freight at every stage.
The small van is ideal for transporting packages or documents. It has space for up to 2 Europallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
The small van is ideal for transporting packages or documents. It has space for up to 2 Euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
Capacity
Max. shipment weight
up to 400 kg
The medium van is suitable for up to 4 Europallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
The medium van is suitable for up to 4 Euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear, has no dock height, and no tail lift.
Capacity
Max. shipment weight
up to 800 kg
The large van can carry up to 5 euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear and has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
The large van can carry up to 5 euro pallets. The vehicle can only be loaded from the rear and has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
Capacity:
Maximum shipment weight:
up to 1,200 kg
The curtain-side van is suitable for heavy shipments and can carry up to 8 euro pallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the side and from the rear and has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
The curtain-side van can carry up to 8 euro pallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the side and from the rear. The vehicle has no dock-height access and no tail lift.
Capacity:
Maximum shipment weight:
up to 1,000 kg
The van with lifting platform is suitable for heavy shipments and can carry up to 8 Europallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the rear, it has no dock height.
The van with tail lift is suitable for heavy shipments and can load up to 8 Europallets. The vehicle can be loaded from the rear, it has no dock height.
Capacity:
per package up to 200 x 150 x 200 cm
Max. shipment weight:
per package up to 500 kg
up to 800kg in total
The 3t partial load is suitable for up to 14 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
The 3t partial load is suitable for up to 14 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
Fits inside
Max. shipment weight
up to 3,000 kg
The 5t partial load is suitable for up to 14 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
The 5t partial load is suitable for up to 14 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. A tail lift is available as an additional service.
Fits inside
Max. shipment weight
up to 5,000 kg
The 12t partial load is suitable for up to 18 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
The 12t partial load is suitable for up to 18 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
Fits inside
Max. shipment weight
up to 12,000 kg
Our standard truck can carry up to 33 pallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
Our standard truck can carry up to 33 Europallets. The tarpaulin truck can be loaded from the rear and the side and is at dock height. The vehicle does not have a tail lift.
Max. shipment weight
up to 24,000 kg
The prices for our freight forwarding services include 120 minutes for loading, unloading, and other waiting times. Each additional started hour costs 60 € net. No loading or unloading assistance from the driver. We do not conduct pallet exchanges. Island transports are generally only possible on request. Invoicing is done via email.
| Vehicle | Price | Dimensions | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small van | from 49 € | 2 Europallets 160 x 120 x 120 cm |
Max. 400 kg |
| Mid-Sized van | from 69 € |
4 Europallets 320 x 130 x 160 cm |
Max. 800 kg |
| Large van | from 119 € |
5 Europallets 420 x 135 x 180 cm |
Max. 1,200 kg |
| Curtainside van | from 149 € |
8 Europallets 420 x 210 x 210 cm |
Max. 1,000 kg |
| Tail lift and pallet truck | from 179 € | 8 Europallets 420 x 210 x 210 cm (200 x 150 x 200 cm per package) |
Max. 800 kg (500 kg per package) |
| Vehicle | Price | Dimensions | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3t Partial load | from 159 € | 14 Europallets 600 x 240 x 230 cm |
Max. 3,000 kg |
| 5t Partial load | from 189 € |
14 Europallets 600 x 240 x 230 cm |
Max. 5,000kg |
| 12t Partial load | from 249 € |
18 Europallets 720 x 240 x 270 cm |
Max. 12,000 kg |
| Standard-Truck | from 279 € | 33 Europallets 1,360 x 245 x 270 cm |
Max. 24,000kg |
The prices for our freight forwarding services include 120 minutes for loading, unloading, and other waiting times. Each additional started hour costs 60 € net. No loading or unloading assistance from the driver. We do not conduct pallet exchanges. Island transports are generally only possible on request. Invoicing is done via email.
Preston is Lancashire's county town and one of the North West's key freight nodes, with road connections reaching across the UK and into mainland Europe. The city's motorway access enables efficient HGV routing to ports, distribution centres and production sites throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
zipmend's transport network provides rapid vehicle availability in the Preston area – whether you need a part load collected at short notice or a full lorry booked for the following business day. Each order is coordinated by a dedicated contact who manages the transport from collection through to delivery, with updates at every stage.
Preston sits where Lancashire's manufacturing heartland meets England's primary north-south freight corridor. The M6 – the country's longest motorway – runs directly through the city, creating a natural axis for HGV traffic between the industrial Midlands to the south and Scotland to the north. This geographic positioning makes Preston a practical origin point for road haulage that needs to reach destinations across the full length of the UK without excessive transit times or complex routing.
To the south, Lancashire's freight flows connect naturally with the manufacturing and logistics infrastructure of Greater Manchester – one of the UK's largest concentrations of warehousing, engineering and production capacity. zipmend handles each transport from Preston as a standalone booking with a confirmed fixed price. There are no consolidated routes, no scheduled departures and no shared loads unless you specifically book a part load. Every order is arranged around your collection time, vehicle requirement and delivery destination.
The broader North West region generates substantial freight volumes from sectors including automotive components, pharmaceuticals, textiles and precision engineering. Preston's central position within Lancashire means that loads originating from neighbouring industrial areas can be collected efficiently, with vehicle type and timing matched to your specific consignment. You choose the lorry class during booking, see the confirmed price before committing and the allocation process begins immediately after your confirmation.
The M6 continues north from Preston into Scotland, connecting the city with the country's manufacturing, energy and engineering sectors. For businesses that need to move freight across the border or receive loads from production sites further north, zipmend provides the same rapid booking and coordination process regardless of distance. These longer-distance transports receive the same level of proactive communication – regular updates from collection through to arrival, with a direct point of contact for any queries during transit.
For freight destined for mainland Europe, Preston's road links connect with the port infrastructure at Liverpool, providing access to roll-on/roll-off services and container handling for onward continental distribution. zipmend organises the complete road transport leg to the port and can support customs documentation on request for consignments crossing into the EU. The booking and pricing process remains identical whether the final destination is a facility in the English Midlands or a production site on the continent.
A full truck is too big for what you want to send? No problem, because we also offer express journeys with smaller vehicles and a maximum payload of 1200kg.