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Simplify Your Pricing

Pricing is at the heart of running a successful transport business. With factors like weight, volume, trailer numbers, and distance all affecting costs, pricing can quickly become complicated. Add discounts for regular customers, and the pricing structure can become overwhelming. Many business owners start by managing all this information in their heads, but as the business grows, delegating the task of pricing freight becomes essential. To delegate effectively, it is critical to have an accessible, single-source-of-truth pricing structure to ensure consistency, efficiency, and accuracy.
ConNote’s pricelist feature offers the perfect solution – a centralized system that simplifies pricing, making it easier to manage your growing business. Whether you use standard pricing for all customers or offer bespoke pricing for individual clients, ConNote’s flexible system can handle it all with ease.

Building Your Pricelist: Routes and Destinations

At the core of ConNote’s pricing system is the concept of routes between destinations. The first step in setting up your pricing structure is to list all the areas your business services. From this list, you can create routes between any two destinations. For instance, if you service ten destinations, each one can have up to nine routes connecting it to the others. This setup allows you to differentiate between route directions – some routes may be more cost-effective in one direction than the other, and your pricing can reflect these differences.

ConNote Workstation - Pricelist Window: Setting up destinations for rates

Freight Types and Weight Breakpoints

Once your routes are established, the next step is to categorize your freight. ConNote allows you to create different freight types – such as general, refrigerated, or bulk items, depending on your business needs. Each route must have at least one freight type assigned to it, which will serve as the foundation for calculating pricing.

ConNote Workstation - Pricelist Window: Adding freight category (rate type)

Weight breakpoints further refine your pricing by introducing tiers based on the weight or volume of the freight. For example, you might charge $0.25 per kilogram for shipments up to one tonne, and then offer a lower rate of $0.20 for shipments up to five tonnes. These breakpoints are set based on the route origin, giving you flexibility to optimize pricing for different scenarios.

ConNote Workstation - Pricelist Window: Setting up weight breakpoints

Setting Rates: Where Pricing Comes Together

With your routes, freight types, and weight breakpoints defined, the next step is to set rates. A rate is essentially the dollar value tied to each weight breakpoint for a given freight type on a specific route. For each rate, you can define additional charges, including:

• Consignment minimum: The minimum charge to transport a shipment, ensuring small consignments are still profitable.
• Basic charge: A flat fee added to the cost of the freight.
• Cubic weight equivalent: This feature adjusts pricing based on the volume of freight rather than its actual weight. For example, shipping a tonne of feathers takes up more space than a tonne of bricks. The cubic weight equivalent helps ensure that you charge appropriately for bulkier items, preventing revenue loss on high-volume but low-weight shipments.

ConNote Workstation - Pricelist Window: Entering prices for different rates

Fixed Prices and Surcharges: Adding Flexibility

In addition to standard rates, ConNote’s pricelist allows you to set fixed prices for specific services through the price-per-item (PPI) feature. This is perfect for services like weekend surcharges, flat fees for transporting a trailer or container, or additional services such as trailer hire.
The pricelist also includes several default charges, such as:

• Fuel levy: A percentage added to the freight cost to account for fluctuating fuel prices.
• Dangerous goods surcharge: An additional fee, either a percentage or a flat rate, for transporting hazardous materials.
• Demurrage: A per-hour fee charged when a truck is delayed during unloading beyond a certain period.
• Pickup and delivery charges: These can be set using weight-based pricing or as flat fees.
• Forklift charges: Fixed fees for pickup or delivery services that require a forklift.

These features allow you to fully customize your pricing model, ensuring that no cost is overlooked while giving you the flexibility to adapt to different customer needs.

Easy Integration with Your Workflow

Despite its depth, ConNote’s pricelist feature is straightforward to use. When creating a quote or consignment, simply enter the relevant details – pricelist name, route, freight type, and services required – and the system will automatically calculate the appropriate charges. This automation not only saves time but also ensures consistency and accuracy, allowing your team to focus on growing the business while the system handles the complexity of pricing.
Want to see how ConNote’s pricelist feature can simplify your pricing workflow? Request a demo today and experience it firsthand!