Port and container jobs
The UK is an island, and almost everything it buys from abroad comes in by sea. Here are 52 ports and inland rail terminals, each with its own page of live jobs: container haulage, steel and metal, trailers off the ferries, and the work on the quay and in the yard.
Container ports
Where the deep sea boxes land. Most of this work is Class 1 on a skeletal or a container trailer, often on nights, often booked to a time slot.
Felixstowe, Suffolk
The biggest container port in the country, and the one most container drivers in England have queued at. Boxes go out on skeletals day and night to every distribution park in the Midlands and the North.
London GatewayStanford-le-Hope, Essex
A deep water container port on the north bank of the Thames, with its own logistics park and rail terminal beside the quay.
SouthamptonSouthampton, Hampshire
Containers from the deep sea services, a large new car trade, and cruise ships. The container work runs north up the A34 and M3.
LiverpoolSeaforth and Bootle, Merseyside
The main west coast port: containers at Seaforth, steel, timber and bulk on the older docks, and ferries to Ireland and the Isle of Man.
TilburyTilbury, Essex
Containers, paper and timber, grain, and trailers on short sea services, close enough to London that much of the work is there and back in a shift.
TeesportTeesside
Containers, steel and bulk cargo on the Tees, serving the North East and Yorkshire.
HullHull, East Yorkshire
Ferries and unaccompanied trailers to the Continent, short sea containers, steel and timber.
GrangemouthGrangemouth, Falkirk
Scotland's main container port, on the Forth, with the central belt inside an hour.
BelfastBelfast
Northern Ireland's main port: ferries to Scotland and England, containers and bulk cargo.
Bristol (Avonmouth and Portbury)Avonmouth, Bristol
Containers, new cars at Portbury, and bulk cargo, with the M5 and M4 at the gate.
GreenockGreenock, Inverclyde
Scotland's main west coast container terminal, on the Clyde, with Glasgow half an hour away.
London ThamesportIsle of Grain, Kent
A container port at the mouth of the Medway, with the A228 and the M2 taking the boxes inland.
RosythRosyth, Fife
Short sea containers and general cargo on the Forth, run by the same operator as Grangemouth, Leith and Dundee.
Port SalfordBarton-upon-Irwell, Greater Manchester
A freight terminal on the Manchester Ship Canal, west of the city, taking containers by rail and by barge.
GooleGoole, East Yorkshire
An inland port up the Ouse: steel, short sea containers and bulk, a long way from the open sea.
GarstonGarston, Liverpool
A smaller dock on the Mersey with a rail freight terminal: containers off the trains to the North West, steel and general cargo.
DIRFTDaventry, Northamptonshire
Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, beside the M1 at junction 18: containers off the trains from the ports and one of the biggest warehouse parks in the country around them.
Hams HallColeshill, Warwickshire
A rail freight terminal and distribution park east of Birmingham, near the M42 and M6, taking boxes off the port trains.
Birch CoppiceDordon, near Tamworth
A rail served business park off junction 10 of the M42, with container trains from the southern ports.
East Midlands GatewayKegworth, Leicestershire
A rail freight terminal and warehouse park beside the M1 and East Midlands Airport.
iPort DoncasterDoncaster, South Yorkshire
A rail freight terminal and large distribution park south of Doncaster.
Trafford ParkTrafford Park, Manchester
Manchester's rail container terminals in one of the oldest industrial estates in the country.
Mossend and CoatbridgeBellshill and Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
Scotland's main inland rail terminals, east of Glasgow.
Steel and metal
Coils, sheets, plate, beams and frames off the ship onto a flatbed, a step frame or a coil trailer. You secure every load yourself.
Seaforth and Bootle, Merseyside
The main west coast port: containers at Seaforth, steel, timber and bulk on the older docks, and ferries to Ireland and the Isle of Man.
TeesportTeesside
Containers, steel and bulk cargo on the Tees, serving the North East and Yorkshire.
HullHull, East Yorkshire
Ferries and unaccompanied trailers to the Continent, short sea containers, steel and timber.
Immingham and GrimsbyImmingham, Lincolnshire
The largest port in the country by tonnage: bulk cargo, steel, a great many unaccompanied trailers through Immingham and Killingholme, and new cars through Grimsby.
BostonBoston, Lincolnshire
A small port with a big steel trade: coils, sheets and sections off the ship onto flatbeds and coil trailers, plus timber and grain.
GooleGoole, East Yorkshire
An inland port up the Ouse: steel, short sea containers and bulk, a long way from the open sea.
NewportNewport, South Wales
Steel and bulk cargo in South Wales, with the M4 a few minutes away.
Port TalbotPort Talbot, South Wales
A deep water harbour built for the steelworks beside it, handling bulk cargo for it.
HartlepoolHartlepool, County Durham
A specialist steel coil terminal opened here recently, alongside general and bulk cargo, run with Teesport by the same port operator.
GarstonGarston, Liverpool
A smaller dock on the Mersey with a rail freight terminal: containers off the trains to the North West, steel and general cargo.
King's LynnKing's Lynn, Norfolk
A small port on the Wash handling steel, timber and farm cargo, with plenty of tipper and general haulage work around it.
SunderlandSunderland, Tyne and Wear
A council owned port handling steel, wood pulp and building materials.
CardiffCardiff
Steel, forest products and bulk cargo, with steel warehousing under overhead cranes.
Ferries and trailers (ro-ro)
Lorries and unaccompanied trailers rolled on and off the ships: shunting on the port, and trunking the trailers inland.
Southampton, Hampshire
Containers from the deep sea services, a large new car trade, and cruise ships. The container work runs north up the A34 and M3.
LiverpoolSeaforth and Bootle, Merseyside
The main west coast port: containers at Seaforth, steel, timber and bulk on the older docks, and ferries to Ireland and the Isle of Man.
TilburyTilbury, Essex
Containers, paper and timber, grain, and trailers on short sea services, close enough to London that much of the work is there and back in a shift.
HullHull, East Yorkshire
Ferries and unaccompanied trailers to the Continent, short sea containers, steel and timber.
BelfastBelfast
Northern Ireland's main port: ferries to Scotland and England, containers and bulk cargo.
Port of TyneSouth Shields, Tyne and Wear
New cars, bulk cargo and the Amsterdam ferry.
Immingham and GrimsbyImmingham, Lincolnshire
The largest port in the country by tonnage: bulk cargo, steel, a great many unaccompanied trailers through Immingham and Killingholme, and new cars through Grimsby.
DoverDover, Kent
The short crossing to France: lorries and trailers rather than containers, and the busiest ferry port in the country.
PurfleetPurfleet, Essex
Unaccompanied trailers and cars on the Thames, the kind of work that is mostly shunting and short runs.
SheernessSheerness, Kent
One of the country's busiest car import ports, plus fresh produce and forest products, with work on the quay around the clock.
HarwichHarwich, Essex
Ferries and trailers to the Hook of Holland, a few miles across the water from Felixstowe, with port driving on 40 foot port trailers.
WarrenpointWarrenpoint, County Down
Northern Ireland's second port: trailers to and from Heysham, and bulk cargo such as animal feed.
Pembroke DockPembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire
Ferries to Rosslare in Ireland, almost all of the freight on lorries and trailers.
FishguardFishguard, Pembrokeshire
The other crossing from West Wales to Rosslare.
PoolePoole, Dorset
Ferries to France and the Channel Islands, with freight on the same sailings.
PlymouthPlymouth, Devon
Ferries from Millbay to Roscoff and Santander.
PortsmouthPortsmouth, Hampshire
Ferries to France, Spain and the Channel Islands, with a large fresh produce trade.
HolyheadHolyhead, Anglesey
The main crossing from Wales to Dublin, almost all of it lorries and trailers.
HeyshamHeysham, Lancashire
Ferries and trailers to Northern Ireland, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
CairnryanCairnryan, Dumfries and Galloway
The short sea route between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
LarneLarne, County Antrim
Ferries to Cairnryan, with a large share of Northern Ireland's lorry traffic.
AberdeenAberdeen
The offshore energy supply port for the North Sea, and ferries to Orkney and Shetland.
Bulk, grain and energy ports
Grain, timber, aggregates, animal feed and offshore energy. Tipper, bulk and general haulage, and port operative work on the quay.
Ipswich, Suffolk
The country's leading grain export port, and home to many of the container drivers who work out of Felixstowe.
Ellesmere PortEllesmere Port, Cheshire
Docks on the Manchester Ship Canal, with a great deal of tanker and container haulage work around them.
BlythBlyth, Northumberland
Offshore energy, bulk and general cargo across several sites in Northumberland.
AberdeenAberdeen
The offshore energy supply port for the North Sea, and ferries to Orkney and Shetland.
DundeeDundee
Offshore renewables, bulk and general cargo on the Tay.
LeithLeith, Edinburgh
Edinburgh's port: bulk and general cargo, and a base for offshore wind.
Inland rail terminals
Where the port trains end. Short container runs to the warehouses around the terminal, and plenty of warehouse and yard work too.
Barton-upon-Irwell, Greater Manchester
A freight terminal on the Manchester Ship Canal, west of the city, taking containers by rail and by barge.
DIRFTDaventry, Northamptonshire
Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, beside the M1 at junction 18: containers off the trains from the ports and one of the biggest warehouse parks in the country around them.
Hams HallColeshill, Warwickshire
A rail freight terminal and distribution park east of Birmingham, near the M42 and M6, taking boxes off the port trains.
Birch CoppiceDordon, near Tamworth
A rail served business park off junction 10 of the M42, with container trains from the southern ports.
East Midlands GatewayKegworth, Leicestershire
A rail freight terminal and warehouse park beside the M1 and East Midlands Airport.
iPort DoncasterDoncaster, South Yorkshire
A rail freight terminal and large distribution park south of Doncaster.
Trafford ParkTrafford Park, Manchester
Manchester's rail container terminals in one of the oldest industrial estates in the country.
Mossend and CoatbridgeBellshill and Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
Scotland's main inland rail terminals, east of Glasgow.
What the work is
Container haulage
Collect a box at the terminal, deliver it to the customer's warehouse, bring the empty back. Know your twist locks, check the seal number against the paperwork, and check the box weight against what the trailer and the axles can take: an overweight box is your problem at the roadside, not the shipper's.
Steel and metal
Coils, sheet, plate, sections and frames. Coils go in a coil well or on proper chocks, never loose on a flat deck. Chains and straps rated for the weight, edge protectors on every sharp edge, and the load checked again after the first few miles.
Port shunting and yard work
Moving trailers and boxes around the port or the terminal on a shunter or a tug. Lots of coupling and uncoupling, short distances, long shifts.
On the quay and in the yard
Not only driving: straddle carrier and reach stacker drivers, crane operators, lashers, checkers, planners and warehouse staff all work at the same gates.
What you need
- Class 1 (C+E) for most container and steel work, a Driver CPC card in date and a digital tacho card.
- A port induction and a port pass for each terminal you collect from. Each port has its own site rules: hi-vis, safety boots, speed limits and where you may and may not walk.
- For steel: load securing done properly, and many shippers now ask for a load restraint training record.
- Patience. Slots get missed, ships run late and queues build. Ask before you start how waiting time is paid.
Written by a Class 1 driver who has collected containers at Felixstowe and London Gateway and steel at Liverpool and Boston. Port details are general: each terminal publishes its own rules and booking system, and those come first.