What Is a Shipping Quote? Contents and Pricing

A shipping quote is a document that sets out the estimated cost of moving a consignment from A to B, together with any surcharges. It typically states the pickup and delivery points, the mode of transport, the details of the goods, and an expiry date, because rates change over time.

What affects a shipping quote

The price in a shipping quote depends on distance, the weight and dimensions of the goods, the load space used, the mode of transport and the route. Whether the freight moves as a full truckload (FTL) or a less-than-truckload (LTL) shipment also changes the rate. Behind that sits the carrier's own pricing: what the truck and driver cost per kilometre and per hour, the tolls in every country on the route, the empty kilometres to the loading point and back, and the time spent at the ramps.

What a road freight quote should contain

The contents of a good quote leave little room for argument later. Besides the price, it states:

• the basis of the rate: per load, per kilometre, per pallet place or loading metre, or per 100 kg,
• what is included, such as tolls, a fuel surcharge, loading and unloading time, and ferry or tunnel fees,
• surcharges that apply only in certain cases: waiting time beyond an agreed limit, extra stops, a tail lift, dangerous goods or weekend delivery,
• the assumptions behind the price, for example stackable goods, a loading dock at both ends or a fixed delivery time window,
• how long the price is valid and which terms and conditions apply.

A fuel surcharge is often calculated with a diesel floater, a clause that adjusts the freight rate to changes in the diesel price, so the quote does not have to be renegotiated every month.

Calculating a shipping quote

Carriers and freight forwarders usually do not charge for a quote and hold the price until the stated expiry date. You can estimate the transport cost yourself in advance with the IMPARGO cost calculator before you request or send a quote.

Most disputes come from what a quote did not say. A price that assumed one hour of unloading becomes a loss when the truck waits four, and a rate per pallet means little if the pallets turn out not to be stackable. Writing those assumptions into the quote turns such cases into an agreed surcharge instead of an argument. A quote is also not yet an order: the price becomes part of the contract when the customer accepts it and books the transport on those terms.