Morocco sits just across the Strait of Gibraltar from mainland Europe, and road transport has become the natural link for a large share of trade with Spain, France, Portugal and Italy. In 2025, more than 535,000 trucks passed through Tanger Med alone. Here is how a road shipment between Morocco and Europe works, and the documents behind it.

The journey of a trailer

Loading at the shipper’s premises in Morocco (Casablanca, Tangier, Kenitra, Agadir…).
Export customs clearance, at an inland customs office or at the port.
Ferry crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar — mainly Tanger Med to Algeciras, the shortest and most frequent link. The trailer travels either accompanied (with its driver) or unaccompanied, as a trailer only.
Transit through Europe under a customs transit procedure.
Import clearance in the destination country (or at the EU entry point) and delivery.

Indicatively, a shipment from Casablanca takes around 3 to 6 days door to door to most of France, depending on the region, the crossing and customs formalities.

Semi-trailer truck on an international route — Photo: Unsplash

The TIR carnet: crossing borders under customs seal

The TIR Convention (UN, 1975) lets goods travel across several countries in a sealed vehicle with a single customs document, the TIR carnet, without being inspected or paying duties at each intermediate border. Morocco has been a contracting party since 1983. The guarantee behind the carnet is provided by a national association affiliated with the IRU. Inside the EU, goods can also move under the common/Union transit procedure (T1).

The CMR consignment note: the contract of carriage

The CMR Convention (Geneva, 1956) governs the contract for the international carriage of goods by road. Morocco acceded in 1995. The CMR consignment note travels with the goods and records the shipper, the consignee, the carrier, the goods and the condition in which they were received. It also caps the carrier’s liability for loss or damage per kilogram of gross weight (8.33 SDR/kg where the 1978 protocol applies) — often far below the value of the goods. That is why separate cargo insurance matters for valuable shipments.

FTL or groupage?

FTL (Full Truck Load): one trailer for your goods only — typically up to 33 Euro pallets in a standard 13.6 m semi-trailer. Fastest and most secure for large volumes.
LTL / groupage: your pallets share a trailer with other shippers’ goods. You pay for the space used — ideal from one to a dozen pallets.

Equipment

Tautliner (curtain-sider): the most common, loads from the side or the rear.
Box trailer: for goods that need extra protection.
Reefer: refrigerated, for perishable goods.