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Email templates · Freight and trucking

Email template to request a freight shipping quote

You have something too big for a parcel service: a pallet of tile, a piece of furniture, a machine, a crated motorcycle. It will go as LTL freight, meaning less than truckload, where your pallet shares a trailer with other shipments. Freight pricing depends on size, weight, how dense and fragile the item is (its freight class), whether each end has a loading dock, and extras such as a liftgate (a platform on the truck that lowers the pallet to the ground where there is no dock) or delivery to a home. A phone quote from a rough description tends to be wrong at invoice time, when the carrier reweighs the pallet and adds fees. Writing the details out means the quote matches the shipment.

Before you send

  • Exact dimensions and weight of the packed shipment, measured after it is wrapped and including the pallet or crate. Round up, not down; carriers reweigh.
  • What the item is and how it is packed. The carrier can assign the freight class from that; do not guess a class yourself.
  • Both addresses and what kind of place each is: a business with a loading dock, a business without one, or a residence. Residential delivery and liftgate service are separate charges.
  • The date the shipment is ready and any date it must arrive by, and whether the receiver needs a delivery appointment.
  • The item's value. A carrier's standard liability for damage is limited and often far below what the item is worth, so know the number you would want covered.
Subject Freight quote request: [number] pallet(s), [origin zip code] to [destination zip code] 
Hi [company name],

I'd like a quote to ship [describe the item, e.g. one pallet of boxed ceramic tile] from [origin city, state, zip code] to [destination city, state, zip code].

Shipment details:

- [Number] pallet(s), each [length x width x height in inches], [weight] lbs including the pallet
- Packed [shrink-wrapped on a standard pallet / in a wooden crate]
- Pickup location: [business with a loading dock / business without a dock, liftgate needed / residence]
- Delivery location: [business with a loading dock / residence, liftgate needed]
- Ready to ship [date]; needs to arrive by [date, or "no hard deadline"]

Could you send the all-in price including fuel surcharge and any liftgate, residential or appointment fees, the expected transit time, the freight class you're quoting at, and what your liability covers if the shipment is damaged? If declared-value coverage is available, please quote it for $[item value] as well.

I'll book with whoever gives me the clearest quote by [date].

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A good quote is itemized: base rate, fuel surcharge, each extra service, the class, and a transit estimate. If you get one number marked "subject to reweigh," ask what it would cost if the weight or class turns out different.
  • A bad answer is a per-pound rate with no mention of extras. Liftgate and residential fees added at delivery can nearly double a small shipment's bill.
  • When you book, ask for the quote number and have it written on the bill of lading, the shipping document the driver signs at pickup, so the invoice can be matched to the quote.
  • Walk away if the company will not quote in writing or will not say which carrier will actually haul it.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get me freight quotes for a shipment 
Hi StandIn,

Please get me written freight quotes for a shipment and tell me which one to book.

What's shipping: [item description and how it's packed].
Size and weight: [dimensions in inches and weight in lbs per pallet or crate, and how many].
From: [address or zip code, and whether it has a loading dock or is a residence].
To: [address or zip code, dock or residence].
Dates: [ready date, must-arrive-by date if any].
Value for insurance: [amount].

Get quotes from three or four carriers or freight brokers, make sure each is all-in with liftgate and residential fees included, ask about damage coverage, follow up as needed, and bring me a comparison.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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