Getting Haulage & Freight Quotes is Easy on Shiply

Preparing for freight and haulage

If you need to move something big or a large number of smaller items over a large distance, then a specialised company might be what you need.

Road haulage is an industry in itself, drivers work either independently or via agents and freight carriers to move loads that are too big and heavy for vans or other transport vehicles. Lorries are also widely used internally by large corporations (such as supermarkets) to transport large amounts of goods within their supply chains, often on pallets or in containers.

Your Freight Delivery
Before you get your goods hauled you should make some preparations to ensure you get yourself the best quote and protect yourself in the unlikely event that your cargo is damaged.

Check – Inspecting your delivery pre & post transit is important. It lets you discern whether or not it gets damaged during the journey.

Weights and measures – Knowing the size and weight of your shipment can help you receive the best quotes. This will help firms know what type of vehicle is required for your delivery job.

Package – Securing and wrapping your goods will help to make sure they aren’t damaged during transit; it will also help with packing transports tightly. You may want to use pallets to transport a large amount of smaller goods.

If you’re making a commercial delivery, ensure that the proper labelling and documentation goes with your delivery, this should usually be carried by the driver and signed off at the point of delivery.

Haulage and freight types

On Shiply we categorise road freight into two major types of general freight based on how much space the goods will take up on a transport.

Part Load

Exactly what it sounds like, for loads that take up less than a whole lorry/truck. Commonly known in the industry as LTL (less than truckload) shipments help transporters consolidate their journeys so that they can haul as much cargo as possible in one trip, and this allows the driver to make their trips as efficient as possible.

The main advantage of using a part load service is that it’s a great deal less expensive than chartering a lorry for a single load. The main disadvantage is that the driver may take longer to deliver the load because they pick up additional consignments along the way and may not take as direct a route as a dedicated delivery.

Full Load

For loads that will take up the space of an entire lorry, full load or truckload shipping is used to transport large amounts of goods. Full load deliveries tend to be largely standardised and packed tightly on pallets or in crates, this helps maximise the capacity of the lorry.

Full load carriers are more direct than part loads and often specialise, this dedicated service means your delivery will usually get completed quickly and efficiently. Hiring an entire lorry can be expensive; however, it is likely to be cheaper than numerous smaller deliveries to transport the same amount of cargo.

When you’re comparing different companies you’ll want to check a couple of key things:

Insurance – Anything that takes up an entire lorry is likely to be valuable, therefore it’s important to check the level of load protection given by the companies. In the case that their cover doesn’t equal the value of your load, you can ask them to increase it for a small cost.

Associations – Although there’s no obligation for a haulier to be a member of an association it does provide you with a certain peace of mind that they are a registered member of a recognised body.

Once you’ve decided what type of transport you are going to require, you need to find a suitable transport provider. Finding and comparing hauliers for your delivery is easy using Shiply.

Haulage and freight quotes

Comparing a range of hauliers can be time consuming, and getting quotes even more so. To save yourself the trouble of calling around all the different freight transporters Shiply can help you get quotes by allowing delivery companies to come to you.

List the details of your cargo on Shiply including: what items you need moving, where they are going and when you’re thinking of moving them.

Available drivers will offer quotes for delivering your items; if multiple transporters compete for your consignment then the quotes will get lower.

You can view each driver’s profile on Shiply so you will be able to compare not only on price, but on feedback from other users as well.

Completing your delivery

Depending on the level of service you have arranged with your chosen transport provider you may or may not receive help unloading at the point of delivery, or it may be dropped off for you at a specified location.

Make sure your delivery is checked over for damage, and signed off properly at the other end, and if you’re not receiving the goods yourself make sure you get a copy of the completion documents.

Once your cargo has successfully been transported we would encourage you to leave feedback for the haulier on Shiply, any positive or negative comments are welcome as it helps us build a more comprehensive service for our users.