Guide · Quote factors
What influences your freight quote
The eight factors that determine a Spain-origin road freight quote: service mode, lane, LDM and weight, commodity, customs complexity, timing, fuel, and Incoterm. Plain explanation, no guesswork.
Every quote is the output of the same eight inputs. We've left prices out — they move too often and depend on the exact lane — but each factor below is a real operational lever that moves the number.
Service mode (LTL Groupage / FTL / Express FTL)
LTL Groupage shares a trailer across consignors; you pay for your portion, transit is typically a day or two longer because of the consolidation hub stop. FTL gives you the whole trailer and the direct route — faster transit, priced per truck, so cost-per-pallet drops as you fill the deck. Express FTL adds a two-driver team or a tighter departure window when transit has to beat the standard schedule. The cheapest-per-kg option isn't always the best — a half-empty FTL on a lane with daily departures can beat LTL both on price and on transit.
Compare LTL vs FTL →Lane distance and routing
Total route kilometres are the biggest input, but they aren't the only one. A 2,200 km lane with predictable daily departures prices differently from a 2,200 km lane served weekly; toll costs and seasonal factors (Alpine chain regulations, summer driving bans in Germany/Italy/France, Sunday/holiday bans) also move the number. Round-trip balance matters too: lanes with return loads available price better than empty-return lanes. Our strongest lanes — Spain → Romania, Spain → UK, Spain → Germany, Spain → France — are priced to reflect that running density.
Weight, volume, LDM and stackability
European road freight bills on the greater of actual weight and chargeable weight. A dense metal pallet at 1,200 kg bills on weight; a light-but-bulky pallet at 120 kg bills on volume (using an LDM or volumetric-weight calculation). Non-stackable pallets block the vertical slot above them and typically bill at double the LDM of a stackable equivalent. If a single pallet is over 1,200 kg, access becomes a factor too — not every dock can unload it.
See LDM and pallet definitions →Commodity type (ADR, temperature-controlled, oversize)
Standard packaged general cargo prices at the base rate. ADR dangerous goods carry a specific-risk surcharge for driver certification, compliant equipment, and documentation — quoted openly, not hidden. Temperature-controlled freight needs reefer equipment and fuel for the unit. Oversize or out-of-gauge freight may require specialist trailers, permits, or a route survey. For ADR specifically, the class and UN number matter: some classes can't groupage with certain other classes or with non-ADR general cargo, which can force an FTL quote when an LTL would otherwise fit.
ADR service details →Customs complexity (intra-EU vs UK / Switzerland)
Intra-EU lanes have no customs step — Spain to Romania, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, etc. moves under free-circulation rules with just a CMR, invoice, and packing list. UK and Switzerland are customs-managed: Spanish export declaration filed in-house, destination import coordinated through our licensed broker partners. Customs work is priced as a line item on customs-managed quotes — separate from the base freight — so you see exactly what you're paying for versus the transport itself.
How customs-managed corridors work →Timing (scheduled departure vs urgent vs waiting / detention)
A load booked onto a scheduled departure prices at the standard rate for that lane. An urgent same-day or next-day pickup, especially outside normal scheduled cycles, carries an uplift because it disrupts dispatch planning. Waiting time at loading or unloading is billed as detention once the free period (typically two hours) is exceeded — a stationary truck earns nothing, so this isn't negotiable. Conversely, a flexible ready-date gives us room to consolidate you onto the most efficient departure.
Fuel surcharge (BAF)
The Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) is a variable surcharge added to the base freight rate to reflect current diesel prices. It's expressed as a percentage of the base rate and indexed to a published diesel benchmark, updated monthly. Quoting fuel separately protects both sides from short-term price volatility without having to renegotiate the base rate every time oil moves. The BAF is shown as a distinct line on every written quote — not absorbed silently into the base.
Incoterm and who pays what
The Incoterm written on the commercial invoice defines which costs sit on the seller versus the buyer — freight, insurance, export clearance, import clearance, duty and VAT. DAP (Delivered at Place) is the most common for EU-to-UK and EU-to-Switzerland B2B lanes: seller pays transport and export, buyer pays import clearance, duty and VAT. DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) puts the entire landed cost on the seller — higher on the quote, simpler for the buyer. EXW (Ex Works) flips both: the buyer organizes and pays for everything from the seller's door onwards. The Incoterm choice can move the headline quote by the value of import duty and VAT, so it's worth getting right before you RFQ.
See Incoterm definitions →Ready for your actual number?
The eight factors above are the whole list. We don't add mystery fees after the fact — the written quote is what we book at.