Transport Quotation Format – Haulage and Courier Quotes
Quote transport, haulage, courier and freight work: route, vehicle, rate basis, waiting time, fuel and insurance. Free quotation generator with PDF download.
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Transport is quoted on a rate and lost on everything around the rate. The kilometres are the easy part; the money leaks through waiting time nobody allowed for, a second drop that was never mentioned, and an empty return leg absorbed because the quotation did not say who paid for it.
A transport quotation that names those four things up front rarely loses to a cheaper one, because the cheaper one is usually cheaper for exactly that reason.
Line items
What goes on a transport quotation
Rate basis first, then everything that sits outside the rate.
Route or zone
Collection and delivery points named, or zones defined. "Lagos to Ibadan" and "Apapa to Ibadan via Sagamu" are different jobs at different costs.
Vehicle and payload
Type, capacity and body. A customer who assumed a tail lift and gets a flatbed has a loading problem that becomes your delay.
Rate basis
Per trip, per kilometre, per tonne, per pallet or per container. Say which, and what happens when the load is lighter than quoted — most disputes start here.
Loading and waiting
Who loads, and a free waiting allowance with an hourly rate beyond it. Unquoted demurrage is unrecoverable in practice.
Drops and returns
Number of delivery points included, cost per additional drop, and whether the return leg is loaded or empty. An empty return is half your cost.
Fuel, tolls, permits
Included or surcharged, with the mechanism stated. Escorts, abnormal-load permits and border costs named separately where they apply.
Insurance
Goods in transit cover, the limit per consignment, and the exclusions. State it rather than waiting to be asked.
Rate validity
Short where diesel dominates your cost, or quoted as a base rate plus a stated surcharge.
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Avoid these
Where transport quotes lose money
- No waiting allowance. Free waiting has to be quoted as an allowance with a rate beyond it, or a six-hour hold at the warehouse is a shift you donated.
- Drops assumed to be one. State how many are included and price the rest. "On the way anyway" is how a three-drop run gets paid as one.
- Return leg unspoken. Say whether the rate assumes a backload. If it does and the backload falls through, say who carries that.
- Flat rate, long validity, diesel-heavy route. Shorten the validity or quote a surcharge mechanism.
- Insurance limit not stated. The customer assumes full value. Name the cap before the vehicle loads.
- Access not checked. Height restrictions, unsurfaced approaches, no turning circle. An articulated vehicle that cannot reach the door is a wasted trip at your cost.
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Questions
Transport quotation FAQ
How do you quote for transport services?
Price the movement, not the vehicle. State the route or zone, the vehicle type and capacity, what the rate covers (loading, waiting, one drop or several), and then everything charged on top: fuel surcharge, waiting time beyond an allowance, additional drops, return loads, tolls and permits.
What should a transport or courier quotation include?
Collection and delivery points, vehicle type and payload, the rate basis (per trip, per kilometre, per tonne or per pallet), loading and unloading responsibility, free waiting time and the rate afterwards, fuel surcharge treatment, insurance cover and its limit, and the validity of the rate.
Should a transport quote include a fuel surcharge?
Either quote a rate that holds for a short period, or quote a base rate with a stated fuel surcharge mechanism. What does not work is a long-validity flat rate on a route whose cost is mostly diesel — you will absorb every price movement until the quotation expires.
How do I handle waiting time in a haulage quotation?
Give a free allowance — commonly one or two hours for loading and the same for discharge — then an hourly rate beyond it. Demurrage that was never quoted is almost never paid, and a driver held for six hours is a vehicle and a shift you cannot resell.
What insurance should a transport quotation state?
The cover you actually carry and its limit per consignment, plus what is excluded. Goods in transit cover is usually capped, and a customer shipping high-value goods needs to know that before the vehicle loads, not after a claim.
Is a transport quotation the same as a waybill?
No. The quotation offers a price before the job; the waybill travels with the goods and evidences what was carried and who received it. You normally issue the quotation, then a waybill per movement, then an invoice against the quoted rate.