Creating a quotation — road freight

Road freight quotes cover domestic and cross-border trucking. This article walks through the three load types, the vehicle selection, and the CMR considerations for cross-border lanes.

Overview

Road quotations use mode=road with three load types:

• FTL — Full Truck Load. You own the truck for this trip. Charges "per truck".
• LTL — Less-than-Truckload. Shared with other shippers. Charges by weight-or-volume break.
• Container (port haulage) — a truck moves a sea container between port and yard/warehouse. Priced per container move.

Route is city-to-city (or door-to-door): Origin City + Country → Destination City + Country. Ports and airports don't apply unless it's a port-haulage move.

Load types

FTL:

• Most common for DG, time-critical, full-container, or cargo that won't share.
• Priced per truck (per day, per km, or flat per route).
• Vehicle Type matters — see below.

LTL:

• Common for small regional shipments (2–5 pallets).
• Priced by W/M break, similar to sea LCL.
• Consol happens at the origin depot; cargo moves on a milk-run.

Container haulage:

• Port ↔ warehouse drayage.
• Typically a tenant-defined rate card per port pair.
• Includes empty-return charges, detention if delayed.

Vehicle Type

A required field when the load type is FTL or Container. Pulled from master-data vehicle_type catalog:

• Pickup / 1-ton — small parcels, last-mile urban.
• 3T / 5T closed box — palletised LCL dispatch trucks.
• 7T / 10T curtain-side — larger LTL runs.
• Tri-axle trailer / 40-ton prime mover — FTL long-haul, container haulage.
• Reefer trailer — temperature-controlled.
• DG trailer — ADR-compliant.
• Flatbed / low-bed — oversized or project cargo.

Assign the right vehicle type — it affects rate, availability, and route restrictions (some cities ban large trucks during day hours).

Typical charges

Step-by-step

1. 1
   Quotations → + Create → Customer.
2. 2
   Direction: Export / Import / Cross-trade / Local. Mode: Road. Load Type: FTL / LTL / Container.
3. 3
   Route: Origin Country + City; Destination Country + City. For cross-border, confirm the customs clearance side — either you handle it (add a Customs Clearance charge) or the customer arranges.
4. 4
   Vehicle Type (FTL / Container only).
5. 5
   Cargo: weight, volume, piece count. For DG / reefer flag the special handling.
6. 6
   Dates: Pickup Date, Delivery Date. Tight windows warrant a surcharge.
7. 7
   Charges: TR + FSC + route-specific extras (tolls, borders, multi-stop).
8. 8
   Commercial Terms: driver waiting time, free time at origin / destination (typically 2–4 hours), ADR / HSE requirements if DG.
9. 9
   Save & Send.

Cross-border considerations

Cross-border road (e.g. UAE → KSA, Europe routes) requires:

• CMR (Convention on International Carriage by Road) consignment note — mandatory. Generated from the booking via the TCN document.
• Carnet TIR if transiting through non-free-trade regions.
• Driver visa / permit — confirm the driver can legally enter the destination country. Subcontracted drivers need the right nationality + work permit.
• Vehicle permits — some jurisdictions require route permits for specific trucks.
• Customs clearance at the origin and destination borders.

Commercial Terms should specify which party arranges the customs clearance at each border.

Common pitfalls