The main road links for container transportation from the port of Newhaven are the arterial roads A26 and A23. Travelling north from Newhaven along the A26 the first notable destination is Royal Tunbridge Wells (30 miles). Travelling further on and following the road signs for Sevenoaks brings you to the M25 London orbital motorway (45 miles). The quickest route to a motorway from the port of Newhaven is to take the A23 arterial road towards Crawley, where you can join the M23 motorway (33 miles). From this point containers in transit can be ferried around the M25 towards the West, where the M25 meets the M3 and M4 motorways, or towards the East, linking with the M26, M20 and M2 motorways.

The destinations for cargo from Newhaven are Dieppe and Le Havre in France. Once reaching their port destination, shipping containers can be transported by road all over Europe.

Newhaven harbour was designated as the principal port for the movement of men and materiel to the European continent during World War I and was taken over by the military authorities and the ferries requisitioned for the duration of the war. Between 22 September 1916 and 2 December 1918, the port and town of Newhaven were designated a ‘Special Military Area’ under the ‘Defence of the Realm Regulations’, and the Harbour station was closed to the public.[14] The port and harbour facilities, rail sidings and warehousing were greatly enlarged at this time and electric lighting installed to allow for 24-hour operation. During World War II, large numbers of Canadian troops were stationed at Newhaven, and the ill-fated Dieppe Raid in 1942 was largely launched from the harbour.

Although Newhaven does not handle the volume of cargo as the likes of some of the bigger ports in the UK, its destinations in France make it a very important port. The port of Dieppe, which is Newhavens principal destination is a lot closer to Paris than the more regularly used ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-mer.