How to choose a freight forwarder: comparing quotes and building a shortlist

A quote request that gives comparable offers

Quotes are comparable only when every forwarder gets the same request. State the route, the dates, the load size and type, the loading conditions, the documents and the payment term you need. If one forwarder gets more details than another, that price can cover different work.

Send the request to two or three forwarders that run your route, on the same day. Prices change with the free trucks, so quotes from the same day compare best. For regular loads, add the three lines below. The twelve load details are in the booking brief template in our guide to booking mistakes.

• How often and for how long: for example, two trucks a week from January to June
• How long the price must stay valid, and for which volume
• A price line by line, as in the comparison template at the end of this guide

What a road freight price includes

A road freight price covers more than the kilometres. It can include road tolls, fuel, a ferry, waiting time, extra stops and urgent delivery. One forwarder puts these lines inside the price, and another adds them separately. The table shows each line and the question to ask before you compare the totals.

Since 1 February 2026, Poland’s e-TOLL covers more roads, about 5,869 km, with new rates. Since 1 July 2026, the Netherlands charges trucks over 3.5 tonnes per kilometre on almost all motorways and some other roads. From 1 January 2027, Lithuania replaces vignettes with Via Toll, a charge per kilometre. If a contract lasts into 2027, agree in writing how the price covers Via Toll. Our posts on Via Toll and the Dutch truck toll give the rates.

For regular loads, some forwarders add a diesel clause, so the price moves with the diesel price. Our fuel surcharge calculator shows what such a clause adds, so you can compare it with a fixed price.

Under the CMR Convention, the carrier pays at most 8.33 SDR per kilogram of gross weight, about 10 EUR. Our guide to CMR insurance explains the limit and cargo cover.

Five questions about the service

Two equal prices can mean different service. Before you choose, ask each forwarder the five questions below. Ask for the answers in writing and put them in the comparison template next to the price lines. After the test load, you can check each answer against what happened.

Check the company itself before the first load, as in our guide to checking a freight forwarder.

• Contact person: does one person follow the load from order to invoice? Who answers when that person is away?
• Truck details: when do you get the truck and trailer numbers? How do you hear about a change before it happens?
• Documents: how many days after delivery does the signed CMR copy arrive? Do you get one invoice per load?
• Carrier checks: how does the forwarder check the carrier before loading? Does it tell you before another company moves your load?
• Experience on your route: how often does the forwarder run your route, and with which goods?

Test load and a scorecard after each load

A test load shows how a forwarder works on your route. Choose a usual load with flexible dates, so the forwarder can plan a fitting truck. After delivery, score the loading and delivery times, the truck details, notice of changes, the documents and the invoice. Score every later load the same way.

After five or ten loads, the scores show how each forwarder works on your route. Share them with the forwarder once a quarter, so both sides see the same numbers.

From single loads to a regular forwarder

A regular forwarder comes after a few loads that scored well. Then agree four things in writing: how you share volume, how you send orders, the price terms and who takes a load when the main forwarder has no truck. You then book from two or three forwarders that know your route and goods.

In interim Ti survey figures (26 March 2026), nearly 44% of respondents rely mainly on preferred-supplier lists for capacity, and 30% on tenders.

• Volume: tell the forwarder next week’s or next month’s loads as soon as you know them, so it can plan the trucks earlier.
• Orders: agree who sends the written transport order, to which email address and in which format. Send one order per load. Complete the supplier file before the first regular load. Our company data is on the “Supplier documents” page.
• Price: ask for a fixed price for a set period and volume, and whether a diesel clause applies.
• Backup: send the second forwarder some loads too. When the main forwarder has no free truck, the second one already knows your goods and conditions.

How RNJ Transport works with regular customers

RNJ Transport gives every load one contact person and one invoice, also when a partner carrier moves it. We check every partner carrier before every load. You get the truck and trailer numbers before loading, and a copy of the signed CMR consignment note after delivery. Road tolls and ferries are in the one price for the load.

Our own 2 MAN TGX trucks with curtainsider trailers mostly run full loads between Lithuania and Sweden. Checked partner carriers run our other lanes, such as the Netherlands and Belgium to Lithuania and Latvia. Trucks we find on freight exchanges pass the same check.

A regular customer can call us with next week’s volume, for example several trucks, and we arrange all of them. If anything changes, we call you. Our transport management system keeps every order, CMR and invoice, so we can trace any load. We agree payment terms before the first order.

Quote comparison template

Copy the table and write each forwarder’s answers in its column. If a forwarder did not mention a line, ask about it before you compare the totals.