Want it filled in for you? Use the free freight quote template generator: enter the route and charges, copy the finished email.
In short: A reusable reply structure, the six questions that cover most missing details, and tone tips that get quotes approved instead of queried.
Two emails do most of the work in quoting: the quote itself, and the "we need a bit more information" email that often has to come first. Both tend to be written from scratch, in a hurry, by whoever picked up the request. Here's a structure for each that you can save and reuse, and a few rules about tone that separate a quote that gets approved from one that gets forwarded to the accountant with "what does this mean?".
An importer reading a quote wants four things, in this order: what you're quoting, what it costs, what isn't included, and what happens next. Give them exactly that, in the body of the email, not in an attachment.
Subject: RE: [their subject] - 1 x 40HC FOB Ningbo to Melbourne Hi [first name], Thanks for the enquiry. Please see our quote for 1 x 40HC, FOB Ningbo to Melbourne, delivered to [suburb] [state] [postcode]. Ocean freight 1 x 40HC .................................. AUD 0,000.00 Destination terminal handling & docs 1 x 40HC ............. AUD 000.00 Customs clearance & biosecurity lodgement ................. AUD 000.00 Door delivery 1 x 40HC ([zone]) ........................... AUD 000.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Total ................................................... AUD 0,000.00 Valid to [date]. Local charges plus GST where applicable. Excludes import duty, import GST, storage, detention, inspection or treatment if directed, and waiting time. To book, we'll need your supplier's contact details, the cargo ready date, and a copy of the commercial invoice and packing list. Kind regards, [Name] - [direct phone] [Company]
Why each part is there. The subject line repeats their words so the reply lands in their thread. The first sentence confirms the lane, the term, the equipment and the delivery point, so a wrong assumption is caught before anyone reads the numbers. Each line has one price and says what it's for: itemised quotes get approved, "all-in" totals get queried. Validity is a date. Exclusions are one sentence, not a page. The last paragraph tells them what to do next. The sign-off has a person and a direct number, not a shared inbox.
If you want the long version of what each line should contain for an Australian import, there's a line-by-line guide to a complete FCL quote from China to Australia.
Ask all of them in one email, numbered, and say what you'll assume if you don't hear back. One question at a time costs a day per question.
1. Container size and quantity. "How many containers, and are they 20GP, 40GP or 40HC?" If they don't know, ask for total volume and weight and whether the supplier has said what it fits in. For LCL, ask for dimensions per piece.
2. Weight and dimensions. Gross weight per container decides whether it can go on a standard trailer. Volume decides FCL or LCL. Ask for both even when you think you know.
3. Incoterm. "Has your supplier quoted FOB, EXW or something else?" This decides whether supplier pickup, export clearance and origin terminal charges are in your quote or theirs. Many importers won't know the term; ask them to check what the supplier's quote says.
4. Delivery address and postcode. Cartage is priced by zone, so the postcode matters more than the suburb. Ask whether it's a warehouse with a dock, a business without a forklift, or a residence, because that decides the truck.
5. Whether they need customs clearance. Some importers have their own broker. If they need you to clear it, ask for the commodity and whether they've imported it before, so you can check import conditions early rather than at the wharf.
6. Supplier pickup address, for EXW. You can't price an EXW quote without knowing where the goods are. Ask for the supplier's address and a contact name, and the cargo ready date while you're there.
Finish with a default: "If I don't hear back by tomorrow I'll quote FOB, 1 x 40HC, port to door, and we can adjust from there." A quote with stated assumptions beats a question that never gets answered.
Short sentences. Numbers in the body, not only in a PDF; attachments are for the terms and conditions. One price per line. Write out an acronym the first time you use it, because your customer may not know what THC or BICON means. Use the customer's words: if they said "container", don't reply with "FEU". Don't apologise for the price and don't pad the email with how competitive it is. Put the exclusions where they'll be seen, not in a footer. End with what happens next and who to call. If you'd be comfortable reading the email aloud to the customer on the phone, it's about right.
This is the structure Laneworks drafts use. You forward a customer's quote request to your Laneworks address, and about two minutes later a draft comes back: the reply in this format, priced from your own rate sheet, with a note of what it read from the email and the rate-sheet row behind every number. If the request is missing something, the draft is the questions email instead, numbered, with everything else already filled in. You check it and send it from your own mailbox. Nothing goes to the customer unless you send it. There's a full example on the site.
Forward one real quote request to try@getlaneworks.com and see the draft come back, priced from a sample tariff. Send your rate sheet and it uses your rates.
Forward a quote request