How to reply to a freight quote request
Quote requests rarely arrive complete. The weight is missing, or the date, or the postcode, and while you chase it the shipper is reading other replies. This guide covers what to check, what to ask, and how to write a reply the customer can accept without writing back.
Read the request for what you need to price it
Before calculating anything, split what changes the price from what does not. For a general cargo road move, this is usually enough:
- Origin and destination, with town or postcode: that gives you the road distance.
- What is moving: number of pallets or packages and an approximate weight.
- Collection date and, if there is one, delivery date.
- Loading and unloading conditions: dock, tail-lift, opening hours.
Only ask for what your rates depend on
If you charge per kilometre and per pallet, the weight does not move your price, so you do not need it to quote. Order references, cargo value or the delivery contact are needed to run the job, not to price it; ask for them once the customer has accepted.
When something is genuinely missing, ask for all of it in one message, as a short list, and say the price follows as soon as you have it. Every separate question is another round trip.
Price it with your rules, not from memory
A round figure worked out in your head is hard to defend when the customer pushes back, and it is easy to forget a surcharge. A line-by-line breakdown explains itself. Here is Madrid to Valencia, 8 pallets and 3,200 kg, with the sample rates from the demo:
- Base
- €50.00
- 0,80 €/km
- 355 km × €0.80€284.00
- 0,15 €/kg
- 3,200 kg × €0.15€480.00
- 20 €/pallet
- 8 pallets × €20.00€160.00
Write a reply that can be accepted as it stands
- The total first, and whether VAT is included.
- The breakdown in a few lines, so the figure is traceable.
- What is included and what is not: waiting time, tail-lift, delays.
- How long the offer is valid and the collection date you can do.
- How to accept: a reply to the email is enough.
Reply in the same thread as the customer's email. The request and the price stay together, and your answer does not get lost in their inbox.
Reply template
Replace the bracketed parts with your own terms. The price and breakdown come from the example above.
Subject: Re: Transport quote Madrid – Valencia
Hi Ana, Thanks for getting in touch. For 8 pallets (3,200 kg) from Madrid to Valencia, collected on the date you gave us, the price is €974.00 + VAT. Breakdown: - Base price: €50.00 - Per kilometre: 355 km × €0.80 = €284.00 - Per kilo: 3,200 kg × €0.15 = €480.00 - Per pallet: 8 pallets × €20.00 = €160.00 Loading and unloading at a dock are included. Waiting time over [2 hours] and tail-lift are not; if you need one, let us know and we will add it. This offer is valid for [15 days]. To confirm, just reply to this email. Kind regards, [Your name] [Company] · [Phone]
If you work with several rules (per kilo and per pallet, surcharges, a minimum), the quote calculator applies them in the right order, and the quote generator drafts the email from your customer’s request.
Where the time actually goes
Rarely on the maths. It goes on reading the email, looking up the distance, opening the rate sheet and writing the reply, request after request. Quote Process does those steps for every request that reaches your Gmail and leaves a draft with the breakdown, ready to review and send. Nothing goes out until you approve it.