Freight exchanges in Europe: the full list

Freight exchange and freight marketplace: the difference

A freight exchange is an open market. Carriers, forwarders and shippers post loads and free trucks, and other users reply. The two companies agree the price and the transport order between themselves. The exchange shows the offers, but it does not carry the goods or sign the order.

A freight marketplace for shippers works the other way round. The shipper sends its loads to carriers it selects, or to the carriers on the platform, and receives prices. Many shippers use it for regular lanes under a contract. The shipper still chooses the carrier and signs the order.

Some platforms do both. The group on the list follows what the platform says it mainly does. Our guide on freight exchanges explains how a load moves on an exchange, step by step.

How to choose a freight exchange

Choose a freight exchange by your lanes first. A truck needs loads where it unloads. Search the lanes you run on the platform before you pay. If the platform has a free plan or a free trial, use it for this search.

Then check who can join, the languages of the users on your lanes, and how the platform checks companies. Read the price page on the platform’s own website, because plans change. You can also use two platforms: one pan-European exchange and one regional exchange for your home lanes.

Before you register on a freight exchange

Most freight exchanges ask for company documents before an account opens. On the exchanges we use, a company sends its registration documents and its licences first. A carrier that carries goods for hire between EU countries needs an EU Community licence (Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009).

Read the terms of use before you post. They say what you may post, how many messages you may send and when the platform can restrict an account. Use a company email address on your own domain, so other users can match it to your company.

1. 1

   Pick one or two platforms

   Choose by your lanes, the users you need and your language.

2. 2

   Try before you pay

   Use a free plan or a free trial, if the platform has one, and search your lanes.

3. 3

   Prepare the documents

   Company register extract, VAT number and, for a carrier, the transport licence.

4. 4

   Complete your profile

   Company name, address, phone, contact person and the lanes you run.

5. 5

   Check every new partner

   Register entry, EU licence, insurance certificate and the platform rating.

Freight exchange or forwarder

Use a freight exchange when your team can check carriers, agree prices and follow each truck. Book a forwarder when you want one contact person and one invoice, with the carrier check done for you. Both options can use the same trucks.

RNJ Transport uses freight exchanges regularly to find extra trucks. We check every carrier before every load. We do not give your load to a second company without telling you. Our guide on how to check a freight forwarder lists each check and where to run it.

Checklist before you pay for a freight exchange

Answer each line with yes before you sign a subscription.

• The platform has loads or trucks on the lanes you run, and you searched them yourself.
• The companies you need can join: carriers, forwarders or shippers.
• The platform checks companies before their accounts open.
• Profiles show ratings, reviews or payment records.
• You read the price page and the terms of use on the platform’s own website.
• Your team has time to check each new partner before every first load.