Winning a new customer is welcome news for any haulage business. However, before accepting the first load, operators should establish exactly what the work involves, how it will be priced and what is required to secure payment.

A few straightforward checks at the outset can help prevent delivery problems, disputed charges and unnecessary administration.

1. Establish who is booking and paying

Confirm the customer’s full business name, billing address and accounts contact. If the business placing the order differs from the company paying the invoice, clarify the arrangement before work begins.

Agree payment terms, consider an appropriate credit check and establish a credit limit suited to the potential exposure.

Ask whether invoices require a purchase-order number, booking reference or submission through a particular portal. Missing information can delay payment even when the transport job has been completed successfully.

2. Get an accurate description of the load

“Ten pallets” tells the transport office relatively little without further detail.

Confirm the goods, total weight, dimensions, packaging and whether pallets can be stacked. Establish whether the consignment needs temperature control, specialist equipment or particular handling arrangements.

Where dangerous goods or other specialist loads are involved, obtain the relevant information and confirm that the business can meet the requirements before accepting the booking.

The vehicle and equipment allocated should reflect the actual load.

3. Check collection and delivery arrangements

Obtain the full addresses, Eircodes where applicable, booking references and working contact numbers for both ends of the journey.

Check opening hours, appointment times and any restrictions on vehicle size or access. Establish how loading and unloading will take place, who will provide the equipment and whether any driver involvement is expected.

A customer’s postal address may differ from the goods entrance. Clear arrival instructions can save the driver an unnecessary detour or a difficult approach.

Any proposed schedule should allow the work to be completed safely and within the applicable driving and working-time requirements.

4. Put the price and scope in writing

The quotation should describe the service being supplied and the assumptions behind the rate.

Clarify arrangements for additional drops, changes of destination, pallet exchanges, cancellations, failed deliveries and goods that must be returned.

Agree how loading and unloading delays will be handled, including any time allowance and additional charges. Where fuel adjustments or other variable charges apply, explain how they will be calculated.

Confirm the agreed terms before dispatch. An unexpected charge is harder to resolve once the job is finished.

5. Agree the paperwork needed for payment

Ask what constitutes acceptable proof of delivery and how quickly it must be submitted.

Does the customer require a signed delivery docket, an electronic record, a named recipient or supporting photographs? Must original documents follow?

Drivers should know how to record shortages, damage or a refusal to accept goods and when to contact the transport office.

A completed delivery should trigger a clear process for checking documents and issuing the invoice promptly.

6. Give drivers a clear escalation route

Identify who can authorise changes to the job and approve additional costs.

If the goods differ from the booking, access is unsuitable or the delivery cannot proceed, the driver needs a reliable transport-office contact. The office, in turn, needs someone at the customer’s business who can make a decision.

Record revised instructions and approvals in writing wherever practicable. Drivers should not be left to negotiate commercial arrangements at the delivery point.

7. Review the first few jobs

Compare the work performed with the original quotation.

Were the load details accurate? Did the delivery arrangements work? Were documents accepted and invoices paid as agreed?

Use those findings to correct instructions, adjust the service or discuss pricing before problems become routine.

A simple customer setup form gives the transport office, driver and accounts team a shared reference. Completing it before the first load helps establish a working relationship that can deliver reliable service and a worthwhile return.