Transport Quotation Format: Freight Rates, Sample and Terms

A transport quotation is a transporter's written price for moving a specific load on a specific route, with the vehicle, rate basis, extra charges and terms spelled out. Shippers use it to compare carriers and to approve freight budgets, so the transport quotation format you use needs to make the rate easy to read and leave no doubt about what is extra. Below you will find the fields to include, a filled-in sample for a full truckload, and the clauses that prevent most freight disputes.

Key fields in a transport quotation

Header

• Transporter name, address, phone and tax or registration numbers
• Quotation number, date and validity date
• Customer name and contact person

Shipment details

• Origin and destination: full loading and delivery addresses, with distance in km or miles
• Goods: description, packaging, number of packages, weight and volume, and whether anything is fragile, hazardous or temperature controlled
• Vehicle: type and capacity, for example 32 ft container truck, 9-ton open body, refrigerated van or 53 ft dry van
• Load type: full truckload (FTL) or part load (LTL)
• Planned dates: loading date and expected transit time

Rates and charges

The basic freight on a stated basis (per trip, per km, per ton, per pallet or per mile), followed by separate lines for loading and unloading labor, tolls, permits, insurance if offered, and conditional charges such as detention and multi-drop fees.

Terms

Payment terms, free loading and unloading time, detention rate, liability limits, fuel adjustment, cancellation, and validity. Our guide to quotation validity explains why freight quotes usually have short validity.

Transport quotation format: filled sample

The sample is a full truckload in India, priced in rupees. The numbers are illustrative.

Quotation No: TQ/26-27/0142   Date: 12 Nov 2026   Valid till: 22 Nov 2026
Route: Pune (Chakan MIDC) to Bengaluru (Peenya), approx. 840 km
Goods: Packed machine parts on 14 pallets, approx. 11.5 tons, non-hazardous
Vehicle: 32 ft multi-axle closed container, 15-ton capacity, FTL

#	Description	Basis	Qty	Rate (INR)	Amount (INR)
1	Freight, Pune to Bengaluru, 32 ft container	Per trip	1	58,000	58,000
2	Loading labor at origin	Per trip	1	2,500	2,500
3	Unloading labor at destination	Per trip	1	2,500	2,500
4	Toll charges (as per route estimate)	Actuals, est.	1	6,200	6,200
	Total freight and charges				69,200
	GST, if applicable (see note)				As applicable

Conditional charges (billed only if they occur):

• Detention beyond 24 hours free time at either end: Rs 3,000 per 24 hours or part
• Additional delivery point within Bengaluru city: Rs 2,500 per drop
• Cancellation after vehicle placement: Rs 5,000

Freight per km check: 58,000 / 840 = about Rs 69 per km for the base freight. With all charges, 69,200 / 840 = about Rs 82 per km. Per ton, 69,200 / 11.5 = about Rs 6,017 per ton. Showing one of these unit rates helps the shipper compare quotes that use different bases.

Payment terms: 80% advance on vehicle placement, balance within 7 days of proof of delivery.
Documents: consignment note (LR/bilty) issued at loading; e-way bill to be generated by consignor where required.

Note on tax

In India, GST on road transport depends on whether the supplier is a goods transport agency, who the recipient is, and which option the transporter has chosen, and in some cases the recipient pays under reverse charge. Check the current position on the CBIC GST portal or with your tax adviser rather than copying a rate from another transporter's quote. For goods above the value limit, an e-way bill is also needed; see our e-way bill guide. This is general information, not tax advice.

How to calculate a transport quote

1. Get exact addresses and load details. Weight and volume decide the vehicle; access restrictions (narrow lanes, city entry timings) can decide it too.
2. Work out the trip cost. Example: 840 km at 4 km per liter is 210 liters of diesel. At Rs 90 per liter that is Rs 18,900. Add driver and helper wages and allowances, tolls, and a per-km share of tyres, maintenance, insurance and EMI.
3. Factor the return leg. If you have no return load, the customer's quote may need to cover part of the empty run.
4. Check market rates on the lane so you are not far above or below.
5. List conditional charges so they are agreed before the trip.
6. Set validity and fuel terms and send the quote as a PDF.

Variations

Part load and courier-style quotes

LTL quotes are usually per kg or per ton with a minimum charge, for example Rs 9 per kg with a 100 kg minimum, plus door pickup and delivery fees. State the chargeable weight rule (actual or volumetric, whichever is higher).

US trucking

Carriers and brokers typically quote per mile or as an all-in line-haul rate with a fuel surcharge, plus accessorials such as detention after two free hours, lumper fees and layovers. A shipper-facing quote often becomes a rate confirmation once accepted. For a deeper template focused on freight, see our freight quote template, and for billing after delivery our trucking invoice template.

Passenger and vehicle hire

Bus, coach or car hire quotations usually show a per-day or per-km rate with a minimum km per day, driver allowance, night halt charges, parking and tolls. Make sure "km counted garage to garage" or "point to point" is written down.

Contract rates

For regular lanes, quote a rate card valid for a month or quarter with a fuel adjustment clause, for example: rates revised by 1% for every 3% change in diesel price from the base price of Rs 90 per liter.

Terms to include on every transport quote

Freight disputes usually come from things nobody wrote down. Add these lines below the price table:

• Free time: "Free loading and unloading time of 24 hours at each end. Detention charged thereafter at the rate above."
• Liability: "Goods carried at owner's risk. Transit insurance to be arranged by the consignor unless requested and charged separately." If you offer insurance, quote it as a percentage of declared value.
• Overloading and declared weight: "Rate valid for declared weight up to 15 tons. Any excess or penalties due to incorrect declaration will be charged to the consignor."
• Documents: who generates the e-way bill or other required documents, and that the vehicle will not move without them.
• Fuel: for contract rates, the base diesel price and the adjustment formula.
• Payment: advance percentage, balance due date, and whether proof of delivery must be attached to the invoice.
• Cancellation: the charge if the shipper cancels after the vehicle is placed.

Showing a comparison-friendly rate

Shippers compare quotes in different formats: some quote per trip, some per ton, some per km. Adding a line such as "Equivalent to approx. Rs 82 per km or Rs 6,017 per ton, all charges included" saves the shipper the calculation and shows that your figure is all-inclusive. If a competitor's lower rate leaves tolls and loading outside the price, this line makes the difference visible.

Multi-drop and return loads

For routes with several delivery points, list each drop with its address and the charge per extra drop. If the shipper can offer a return load, you can quote a combined round-trip rate, usually lower than two one-way trips, but state that the discount applies only if the return load is ready within the agreed time.

Quoting in Excel

Many transporters keep a lane sheet in Excel with distance, vehicle type, cost per km and margin for each route, then copy the result into a quotation. If you do this, keep the cost build-up (fuel, driver, tolls, fixed costs) on a separate internal tab and send the customer only the clean quotation as a PDF.

Common mistakes on transport quotations

• No free time or detention rate. The single largest source of freight disputes.
• Tolls "extra" with no estimate. Give an estimate and say whether actuals will be billed.
• Vehicle type not specified. A 20 ft truck and a 32 ft container are very different prices.
• No liability statement. State whether goods are carried at owner's risk and whether transit insurance is the customer's responsibility.
• Wrong document names. Know the difference between a consignment note, waybill and bill of lading; our waybill vs bill of lading guide explains each.

After the trip: invoicing

Once the goods are delivered, bill the accepted freight plus any conditional charges that actually occurred, attaching proof of delivery and toll receipts where you bill actuals. Our transport invoice template shows the layout.

Our free invoice generator works for the quotation too: retitle it "Transport Quotation", enter the freight and charge lines, add your terms in the notes, and download a PDF to send the shipper. No registration is required.