Plan your transport
Good reasons for a dedicated direct run are a fixed appointment, a particularly delicate or confidential item that should not be reloaded, or high value at low weight. If your time window is flexible and the goods are well packed, a combined tour can be the more economical choice. Ask for the quotation to itemise which parts of the journey, waiting time and services are included rather than charging a flat outbound and return. We check which options are possible for your job when you send your request.
Direct run and combined tour compared
Direct run: one collection, one delivery, no transhipment, no groupage, arrival time easy to plan. Combined tour: your shipment shares the vehicle with other jobs, the order of stops determines the arrival time, costs are shared. For delicate one-off items with a fixed date, the direct run is often the better choice; for well-packed goods with leeway, the tour.
What a direct-run quotation should include
Make sure the quotation clearly shows the route, agreed collection and delivery times, loading and unloading times, a waiting-time rule and, where applicable, the vehicle’s return journey. That makes clear what the premium over a tour pays for.
What matters
- State specific reasons for a dedicated run
- Say openly how flexible your time window is
- Explicitly exclude reloading if required