Back to Laneworks

Freight quote request checklist: the 12 details you need to price it

7 November 2026 · By the Laneworks team · All articles

In short: Most requests miss two or three of these 12 details. Price on a stated assumption and ask for the rest in the same reply, instead of sending a question with no price.

A freight quote request checklist saves a round of emails on most requests. Customers rarely send everything a forwarder needs, and every "can you confirm..." email without a price gives them time to book with someone else. Here are the 12 details, what each one changes in the price, and a reply you can copy when some are missing.

The 12 details

  1. Origin: port or airport, or the pickup address if you're collecting. Changes origin charges and pickup.
  2. Destination: port or airport, and the delivery postcode for door delivery. Changes destination charges and the delivery zone.
  3. Mode: FCL, LCL, air or road. Changes everything after this point.
  4. Equipment or size: container sizes and number for FCL; weight and volume for LCL; pieces, dimensions and weight for air, so you can work out chargeable weight.
  5. Incoterm: decides which charges are yours to quote. FOB and EXW quotes look very different.
  6. Commodity: what it is, for clearance, insurance and any restrictions.
  7. Dangerous goods: class and UN number if yes. DG changes carriers, surcharges and paperwork; see the DG quote checklist.
  8. Cargo ready date: decides which rate is valid on the sailing or flight date.
  9. Packing: cartons, pallets or crates, and whether stackable. Changes volume, handling and delivery equipment.
  10. Clearance: do they need customs clearance, and do they hold any permits.
  11. Delivery conditions: tailgate or side-loader, forklift on site, delivery hours.
  12. Insurance: wanted or not, and the cargo value if yes.

Don't send a question without a price

If the Incoterm, ready date or delivery conditions are missing, price on the most common assumption, say so on the quote, and ask in the same reply. The customer gets a number to compare today, and you still get the details.

Copy-paste reply for missing details

Thanks for the request. Below is our price based on the details provided, with two assumptions marked:

[priced lines and totals]

Assumed: FOB terms, general cargo (not dangerous goods).
To firm this up, could you confirm:
- the Incoterm
- the commodity, and whether any of it is dangerous goods
- delivery conditions (tailgate needed?)

Valid until [date]. Duty, taxes, storage, detention and demurrage excluded.

Give customers the checklist up front

Put the 12 details on your website quote form and in your email signature as "what we need to quote". Fewer requests arrive incomplete, and the ones that do are faster to fix. A quote form answered within minutes is covered in website quote form replies.

Done for you on every request

Laneworks reads each request for these details, prices what it can from your own rate sheet, marks every assumption, and writes the questions for the missing details into the same draft. Forward one to try@getlaneworks.com to see it on your own email. How a Laneworks quote is priced

Forward a quote request