How to create a transport company from scratch. Freight forwarding company: how to start a business from scratch

  • 16.10.2019

Studying the business areas in which one can actively develop today, aspiring entrepreneurs should pay attention to the field of cargo transportation. This industry is directly dependent on the growth of the industrial sector, as well as on the general economic situation in the state. Planning to open transport company, a novice businessman must first of all monitor the local market, realistically assess his ability to compete, and also draw up a competent financial plan.

registration

After making the final decision regarding the opening of a transport company, the businessman must go through the state registration procedure. To do this, he needs to determine in what status will be carried out commercial activity:

  1. Individual entrepreneur.
  2. Closed or Open Joint Stock Company.
  3. Limited Liability Company

Important! Experts in the field of economics and law recommend that Russian citizens who decide to develop a cargo transportation business choose as a form of business. Its main advantage is that the founders and directors of the company are not subject to legal liability. In the event of problems with regulatory authorities, the Limited Liability Company will only be liable for personal property and assets on the balance sheet.

Having studied this video, aspiring entrepreneurs will be able to learn how to properly organize the workflow in a transport company:

If novice entrepreneurs have chosen LLC as their legal form, then for them the best option there will be a transition to the UTII tax regime (see also). In this case, they will be able to use up to 20 trucks in their work. For individual entrepreneurs more suitable form of taxation 3 personal income tax. Before starting work, the managers of the company should definitely open current accounts in any banking institution, since very often cargo transportation is ordered both small and large companies who need to document their costs.

Attention! Today, Russian citizens can apply to legal offices, whose specialists open turnkey transport companies in record time. They can also purchase a ready-made company with an open bank account and complete set registration documentation.

Selection of premises

After the completion of registration activities, business entities planning to work in the field of cargo transportation need to find an office space and a protected area for the vehicle fleet. When looking for premises in which clients will be served, you can choose large business centers in which offices are rented. When choosing a territory for a cargo vehicle fleet, you should pay attention to those places that have fences and a nearby traffic intersection. Today, many companies lease their warehouses and hangars, as well as management buildings, which can accommodate offices of management and personnel.

Important! For the operation of a transport company, you need to purchase computers, printers, a scanner, a fax and a telephone, which are necessary for working with clients and registering cargo transportation. Ordinary office furniture is suitable for arranging offices.

If a novice entrepreneur has a large start-up capital, he can purchase an office space. In this case, he will be able to extract profit from such real estate (lease), even if there is no development in the field of transport services. The transport company must have its own garage in which mechanics will repair cars and take them Maintenance... It is also recommended to equip a warehouse in which customers' goods will be temporarily stored.

The subject of entrepreneurial activity should approach the issue of personnel selection with all responsibility, since from qualifications and decency employees the financial result and prosperity of the company will ultimately depend. When hiring drivers, you need to pay attention to their experience and work experience in this area. The number of such employees should match (or better exceed) the number of trucks. If the company will work every day, then 2-3 drivers need to be installed on one truck. For them, a schedule of work shifts is drawn up, which provides for days off.

If truck drivers have the opportunity to independently carry out maintenance and repair of cars, then they can save on the position of a mechanic (otherwise, such a unit should be introduced into the state). It is imperative to hire qualified and non-drinking loaders who can carry out loading and unloading operations either manually or with the help of specialized equipment.

To work in the office, you will need to involve an accountant, cleaners, security guards and a secretary, a trade manager, a dispatcher-logistician (the number of these employees depends on the size of the vehicle fleet), who will place orders. The staff of a large logistics company should have a lawyer who can also deal with the registration of insurance. If the manager cannot find suitable specialists for the positions of lawyer and accountant, he can contact an outsourcing company and use the services of its employees. Today, many transport organizations maintain full-time doctors who examine drivers before each departure on the route.

Important! A business entity can save money by hiring drivers with personal trucks.

  • Expansion of activities. LLC registration is a long-term solution. If the plans include access to other regions, it is advisable to become a legal entity.

How to open an IP for cargo transportation? Before opening an individual entrepreneur for cargo transportation, you must submit the following documents to the registration authority:

  • statement;
  • passport and TIN with photocopies;
  • a receipt for payment of the state fee.

How to open an LLC? To open an LLC, submit to the tax authority:

  • statement;
  • company name certified by Rospatent;
  • constituent documents;
  • certificate of opening a current account;
  • a receipt for payment of the state duty.

Choosing a taxation system and opening an account The optimal form of taxation for a transport company is UTII. In this case, you can work simultaneously on 20 vehicles.

How to open a freight transport company

Attention

The company rents a box and a parking lot with a total area of ​​500 sq. meters in an industrial area. One-time costs:

  • purchase of transport - 19 million rubles;
  • purchase of equipment - 550 thous.

R.;
  • repair and equipping of the parking lot - 450 thousand rubles;
  • registration - 80 thousand rubles;
  • advertising - 40 thousand rubles;
  • website creation - 50 thousand rubles.
  • Info

    The total amount of one-time costs that are required to open a logistics company for cargo transportation is 20 million rubles. If you take used cars, costs will be reduced to 11 million rubles.


    Fixed costs:
    • rent - 600 thousand rubles;
    • utility bills - 50 thousand rubles;
    • salary - 12 million rubles;
    • overhead costs - 2 million rubles;
    • tax contributions - 2 million rubles.

    Total expenses per year will amount to 17 million rubles. With an annual income of 20 million rubles, the net profit will be 5.5 million rubles.

    Business idea number 75: how to open a logistics company for the transportation of goods?

    Net income will amount to 5,220,000 - 3,060,000 = 2,160,000 rubles. The return on investment in a transport company and a stable monthly profit is 1-2 years.


    Advantages and features of the transport business When planning to develop a business in the field of cargo transportation, each business entity should learn about its advantages and "pitfalls":

    • no need to issue a license;
    • fierce competition in this business sector;
    • problems with personnel (it is difficult to find conscientious and "clean on hand" employees);
    • the need for large start-up capital;
    • frequent breakdowns road transport(the costs of repairs and the purchase of spare parts are increasing);
    • constant advertising of transport services;
    • the opportunity to reduce the amount of start-up investments by attracting rented cars to cooperation, etc.

    Business ideas from scratch

    Your actions:

    1. Draw up the decision and the agreement of the founders on the establishment of the LLC.
    2. Form authorized capital(at least 10 thousand rubles or property equivalent to this amount).
    3. Develop the Articles of Association of the LLC.
    4. Fill out an application for state registration of your company (form number 11001).
    5. Pay the state fee (4000 rubles).
    6. Attach a receipt for payment of state duty and copies of constituent documents to the application.
    7. If there are foreign citizens among the founders, an extract from the register of foreign legal entities of the Russian Federation will be required.
    8. Submit the package of documents to the state registration authorities.

    Financial costs To engage in expeditionary services, you will need a fairly impressive start-up capital. At least 250 thousand rubles. you must have.

    How to open a transport company: organizing a logistics business

    If there is no client base, and at first you will be engaged in dispatching services, 1 dispatcher will be enough and you performing all other functions (director, accountant, manager). Be sure to equip your office:

    • a work desk with a computer with Internet access;
    • telephone with multichannel communication;
    • office equipment: MFP, fax.

    Buy quality software allowing:

    • register contracts;
    • take into account applications;
    • calculate the cost of services, the cost price and profitability of services for each of the clients;
    • automate supply chain management;
    • quickly and accurately write out the primary documentation;
    • generate reports;
    • generate a statement at the request of the customer.

    Personnel Look for employees with experience.

    How to open a transport company: business features, costs and profits

    The undoubted advantages in transport business are:

    • no need to obtain a license;
    • "Start" and the initial stages of business development will not require too large financial investments;
    • "Buoyancy" and "fortress";
    • according to statistics, among transport companies the percentage of bankruptcy is one of the lowest, since after the first and second waves of the crisis, representatives of this market segment recovered very quickly.

    Opening a transport company from scratch - what do the owners of such a business say? The video below presents the answer. Company registration Most transport companies are registered as CJSC (closed joint-stock companies), LLC, OJSC, as well as PBOYUL (entrepreneur without the formation of a legal entity).
    Each of these organizational and legal forms is endowed with its own disadvantages and advantages.

    Logistics as a business

    Important

    The cost of the "truck" is several million rubles, it is profitable to use it for long-distance flights, and at the initial stage they will be too much of a risk for you. 2 Start doing business with "dispatchers" - forwarding companies that select private carriers to fulfill their orders. The cost of cargo delivery offered by the customer company and the profit that you will receive from intermediary forwarders are very different, but large customers do not work directly with "private traders".


    Therefore, if you want to receive profitable orders for yourself, work with as many "dispatchers" as possible, get into their databases as a conscientious and responsible executor. 3 Invest as much as you can in expanding your fleet of cars - this means that having saved up money for a second car, you need to try to save money for a third.

    How to open a transport company

    Only having eight trucks at your disposal can you consider yourself a serious company. The services of transport companies offer a much wider range of possibilities than assistance when moving to a new office or to a country cottage.

    It is necessary to strive, of course, to obtain tenders for freight forwarding to other regions of the country. 4 Develop for yourself, as much as possible, a system of selection of drivers, who can be trusted with equipment and high-value goods. Finding a good driver for a "truck" is not always an easy task, especially when you consider that the cost of delivery of goods sometimes amounts to not one hundred thousand rubles.
    You can check the "past" of candidates with the help of collection firms or individuals providing similar services. It is possible that the driver's personnel in the transport business does not solve absolutely everything, but without proven drivers you definitely will not "go" far.

    Open a logistics company from scratch. transport logistics + video

    So you will avoid unwanted mistakes, fuss, conflict situations queuing up. Before choosing such an assistant company, make sure of its decency, experience and competence.

    Among other things, you will be required to deposit start-up capital and open a company account in a bank. Selection of premises Office space will not only be the legal address of the company (in this connection, it will be necessary to conclude a lease agreement between the owner of the area and the newly formed company), but it will also be the “face” of your company, which should not be forgotten.

    It is not necessary, even desirable, that the office is "drowned in luxury", but it should look decent: a simple renovation and new office equipment, as well as an impressive plasma or projector in the presentation room - this is the minimum necessary.

    Studying the business areas in which one can actively develop today, aspiring entrepreneurs should pay attention to the field of cargo transportation. This industry is directly dependent on the growth of the industrial sector, as well as on the general economic situation in the state.

    When planning to open a transport company, a novice businessman must first of all monitor the local market, realistically assess his ability to compete, and also draw up a competent financial plan. Registration After making the final decision regarding the opening of a transport company, the businessman must go through the state registration procedure.

    By the way, the beginning of the work of an organization can do without a loader at all, especially if there are no enterprises with bulky cargo among potential customers. But you can't do without small inventory at all. Reliability is important in the transportation of goods, therefore, stocks of stretch tape and working tape should not run out even for the day of the enterprise.

    Personnel At the very beginning, the owner will try to get by with a minimum set of employees, paying a little more for their work, but also loading them with a lot of responsibilities. The owner himself will most likely do the work of an accountant and responsible for relations with clients.

    Remember that a cargo transportation project is quite exhausting, and therefore it is not worth keeping some employees in several positions for a long time, this will reduce their productivity.

    How to open a logistics company from scratch without transport

    Refrigerators are needed to transport food (including perishable ones). The costs look like this:

    • refrigerator truck (2 units) - 10 million rubles;
    • cargo GAZ 3307 (5 units) - 5.8 million rubles;
    • Gazelle GAZ 3302 (5 units) - 3.3 million rubles.

    Buy used cars to keep costs down.

    Or start with a part of the vehicle fleet, leasing or renting the rest of the equipment. Note! It is much cheaper to start a transport company without cars from scratch.

    Equipment is required only for the control room. There is no need to purchase a vehicle and equip repair boxes. Personnel for a freight forwarding company Before opening a freight forwarding company, it is necessary to enroll in the staff of drivers, specialists in the commercial department and car mechanics. Drivers 2-3 drivers must be assigned to each vehicle.

    How to open a transport company - features of doing business + step by step process project implementation + financial plan + how to attract clients.

    Capital investments: from 9,340,000 rubles
    Payback period: 3 years

    Now in many areas there is a rather tough competition, which forces many entrepreneurs to look for new directions for investing their own funds.

    But it is important to find a stable and demanded niche that will not let you down even in times of crisis.

    And a striking example of this is our own.

    This area is relevant at any time, since many manufacturers and consumers need to transport and deliver goods for various purposes.

    It is best to start such a business if you have experience in a similar area, as well as if you have and are willing to invest large sums of money.

    If you are interested in implementing such an idea, then let's find out.

    Let's consider the main nuances of doing such a business and calculate how much investment needs to be prepared.

    Features of conducting a transport business

    To organize a competitive and profitable business, you need to plunge into the idea with your head.

    Here, as in any other direction of entrepreneurship, it is important to have certain knowledge.

    First of all, the activity is connected with logistics, that is, with the construction of the optimal route for the movement of goods.

    And for this it is necessary that these 6 indicators are reunited:

    • cargo;
    • time;
    • place;
    • number;
    • quality;
    • minimum transportation costs.

    For this reason, any transport company should have a forwarding department whose specialists can build a route and then track it.

    Also worth highlighting key points related to how to open a transport company:

    • first of all, it should be said that the chosen area of ​​activity does not fall under licensing;
    • among the companies operating in this area, the smallest number of bankrupts is observed;
    • when choosing a forwarding scheme, capital investments will be relatively small;
    • business is associated with many risks and force majeure - weather conditions, traffic accidents, possible breakdowns transport.

    Types of transport companies


    At the first stage of how to open a transport company, you need to decide on its type.

    And only then, depending on the chosen format of activity, it is necessary and.

    So, you can provide cargo transportation:

      for individuals.

      Most often they operate within the same settlement and suburb, and work with medium and small loads;

      for legal entities.

      Such companies serve wholesale companies and deliver goods within the entire country and even neighboring countries;

      for various manufacturers.

      They work with the industrial sector, therefore they must have a specialized vehicle fleet with dump trucks and tractors;

      specialized direction.

      Some carriers may only transport food, water, building materials or something else;

      groupage cargo.

      This direction involves the joint dispatch of several goods, which should be received by different addressees.

      As a rule, transportation is carried out over long distances and may go outside the country.

    Choosing a work scheme for a transport company

    Regardless of what type of cargo transportation is chosen, transport companies can act according to two schemes:

      have your own vehicle fleet

      You can organize work by buying a truck or taking it on a long-term lease.

      To realize this idea, you need to have large sums of money.

      offer forwarding services

      The point of doing such a business is to be an intermediary between the customer and the transport drivers.

      For the provision of dispatcher services, the company takes its own percentage, from which the profit is formed.

      This option can be implemented with minimal investment, because you don't need to buy cars.

    Which one to choose?

    The first option is suitable for those who do not want to depend on anyone: you have your own cars and hire drivers, thereby dictating the working conditions yourself.

    It is advisable to implement the second option if there are connections with drivers who have personal vehicles.

    But in this case, it will be necessary to adapt both to the customers and to the owners of the trucks themselves.

    Step-by-step process of how to open a transport company


    Now you can proceed to the answer to the question of how to open a transport company.

    In this case, a clear sequence of actions must be followed.

    First of all, you need to take care to come up with a memorable name for the future company and properly arrange the business.

    At the same stage, it is worth deciding on the scheme of work, because both directions are fundamentally different from each other.

    When deciding to have your own vehicle fleet, you need to purchase freight vehicles and equip a garage.

    For the sake of solidity, it is worth renting an office where you can receive clients wishing to conclude long-term contracts.

    Then you need to select personnel who will take orders and build traffic routes.

    An important stage is the search for clients, because without them the business will simply "burn out". The larger the customer base, the higher the income. In addition, over time, this will allow it to expand.

    Business registration and registration


    The choice of the organizational and legal form in which you can open a transport company is influenced by many factors:

    • format of work: IP is suitable for creating a dispatch service, if you have your own vehicle fleet;
    • number of founders: Individual entrepreneur for one person, and LLC - for several;
    • provision of services for individuals or legal entities: in the first case, an individual entrepreneur is suitable, and in the second - an LLC, since organizations want to cooperate with VAT payers;
    • desire to expand< : if it is not there, then it is enough to open the IP, and if there is, then only the creation legal entity.

    I would also like to draw your attention to drawing up a unique name.

    It is important that it contains something that will indicate the transport company: "auto", "express", "trans" and the like.

    To open a transport company in the form of an individual entrepreneur, you will need to provide the following documents:

    • statement;
    • the passport;

    But you will have to tinker with the creation of a legal entity:

    • statement;
    • name confirmed by Rospatent;
    • constituent documents;
    • copies of the documents of the founders;
    • certificate of opening a bank account;
    • a receipt confirming that the state fee has been paid.

    To open a transport company engaged in international transport, you need to obtain a license.

    If the traffic routes will be carried out within the country, then this is not necessary.

    Otherwise, you will need to provide:

    • documents for vehicles that will travel abroad;
    • drivers' documents - driving licenses and health books;
    • a document confirming the registration of a business;
    • car maintenance contract;
    • the presence of its own parking lot.

    If a decision is made to open a transport company based on its own motor depot, you will have to purchase several trucks.

    Of course, many start small, and at first you can provide services for individuals and have in your "arsenal" only a couple Vehicle.

    But if there is a desire to compete with such organizations, you will have to spend money.

    To get started, you can purchase the following trucks:


    Vehicle nameQtyCost of one vehicle, rub.Total cost, rub.
    Total:7 RUB 8,280,000
    GAZelle with a carrying capacity of 3 tons
    2 740 000 1 480 000
    GAZelle with a carrying capacity of 8 tons
    2 1 400 000 2 800 000
    Lawn
    1 1 600 000 1 600 000
    Refrigerator
    2 1 200 000 2 400 000

    To service the carpool, you also need special equipment:

    Premises for office and car park

    Recruitment of personnel for opening a transport company


    The cargo transportation service is provided not only by the vehicle fleet, but also by the numerous personnel.

    It can be conditionally divided into three categories:

    • drivers;
    • office workers;
    • serving transport.

    Moreover, all of them must interact with each other, because the success of the business will depend on how they work together.

      Drivers

      To ensure the smooth operation of a transport company, it is necessary to have 2-3 drivers per car.

      Two people can travel long distances in one vehicle at once, who will replace each other.

      If the transportation will be carried out locally, then there is no need to have too large a staff of drivers.

      Sales department

      Such specialists should work here, each of whom should perform their functions:

      • dispatcher - takes orders and sends drivers on a flight;
      • logistician (forwarders) - develops the optimal route of movement and calculates its cost;
      • marketer - engaged in attracting customers;
      • accountant - keeps records and prepares reports;
      • administrator - he is entrusted with the functions of management and control (at first, the owner of the transport company can do this himself).

      It is not worth saving on personnel in this category, because if one specialist combines the performance of several duties, this will lead, at best, to a decrease in efficiency, at worst, to improper performance of work.

      As a rule, the office work schedule is 6 days, with a day off on Sunday.

      Transport service


      For a garage, two auto mechanics are enough, who must carry out diagnostics and repair and maintenance work.

      Also, it will not be superfluous to hire two security guards who will look after the vehicle fleet.

      Thus, personnel costs are a significant cost item when opening a full-cycle transport company.

    Labor costs will look like this:

    PositionQtySalary, rub.Payroll, rub.
    Total:17 - RUB 254,000
    Drivers9 15 000 135 000
    Dispatcher1 15 000 15 000
    Logistician1 20 000 20 000
    Marketer1 18 000 18 000
    Accountant1 18 000 18 000
    Mechanic2 15 000 30 000
    Security guard2 9 000 18 000

    How to look for clients for a transport company?


    Advertising is a mandatory expense item when deciding to open a transport company.

    For any chosen format of work, you need to use the following advertising tools:

    • creation of a website and pages in social networks;
    • outdoor advertising;
    • Internet advertising;
    • posting information on their own cars;
    • mailing to construction, industrial, food companies;
    • offer of cooperation to online stores.

    If a decision is made to open a transport company that will individuals, you can also do the following work:

    • post advertisements around the city;
    • distribute flyers;
    • place advertisements on social networks of your city;
    • order advertisements on local radio.

    If the transport company is focused on working with legal entities, in addition to the above, it is necessary:

    • engage in direct mailing with a proposal for cooperation to manufacturers and wholesale buyers;
    • participate in tenders.

    Note: do not enter into verbal agreements with customers, they have no legal effect. In the contract, write down all the conditions of carriage, as well as actions in the event of force majeure.

    How much does it cost to open a transport company?

    "As a rule, sustainable success is achieved not through a desperate (" hanging on the laces ") one-time (" now or never! ") Jerk or feat, but as a result of everyday decision-making and implementation."
    Stephen Covey

    After a detailed study of how to open a transport company, you can proceed to the calculation of capital investments.

    So, starting investments in order to work according to the first scheme will be presented in the form:

    For the operation of a cargo transportation company according to the second scheme, the costs will be reduced to registration, advertising and office equipment, and will amount to approximately 240-260,000 rubles.

    Monthly expenses will consist of:

    Payment for services can be hourly or per mileage.

    On average, when transporting a cargo weighing 3 tons, the cost of one hour is 600-700 rubles, 8 tons - 800-900 rubles, 10 tons - 900-1000 rubles.

    Thus, when deciding to open a transport company, you can get revenue in the amount of 700-800,000 rubles.

    To do this, you need to organize work when cars will make at least 20 flights a month lasting 7-8 hours.

    We deduct expenses and get a profit before tax of 240,000 rubles.

    With such indicators, the business will pay for itself in 3 years.

    This period can be reduced to two years, if cars are always on flights, and for this you need to actively engage with the customer base.

    Several tips for the successful operation of a transport company are voiced in the video:

    Possible problems when opening a transport company


    There is no business that is not exposed to risks. And transport companies are no exception.

    Therefore, in the end I would like to talk about possible problems, for the occurrence of which you need to be prepared:

      The emergence of theft.

      The human factor in such a business plays an important role, so you must always control the entire process: installation of CCTV cameras and alarms, drawing up and submitting reports at the beginning and end of the journey.

      Bad service.

      Again, the main focus is on the human factor, as well as on the occurrence of unforeseen situations.

      Low-quality cargo transportation.

      During the delivery process, the cargo may be beaten or hit.

      To prevent this from happening, it must be packed according to all the rules, and not overload vehicles.

      You can also set a limit on the "fight", and if it is exceeded, the drivers must pay a fine.

      Failure to resolve conflicts and compensate for damage.

      As mentioned above, you need to conclude contracts only on paper, where all the conditions of cooperation are written.

    The last point that concerns how to open a transport company, this is the time of her start of work.

    Thus, we can say that the transportation business is a rather demanded and profitable business that requires huge capital investments, and throughout the entire activity.

    If successful, you can open new points and expand, reaching the regional and even the state level, which also requires additional costs in the form of purchasing new vehicles and equipping the vehicle fleet.

    And if you succeed, then you can claim to be the leader in this industry.

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    If you decide to open a transport company, you should have a little experience in the market for these services and know which strategy to choose. Here we will consider the question of how to open a transport company, a business plan for opening it, what is needed to organize this case.

    The increase in the volume of imports and exports, as well as the flow of passengers, creates a demand in this area. Therefore, transport and forwarding companies are constantly opening on the market. But the birth of forwarding and freight companies entails the disappearance of transport companies. Carrier companies solve the lack of their own transport by attracting a neighbor's cars. This is how a new forwarding department or some other department is being organized. You should start opening such a business with registration.

    Business plan

    If you decide to open an enterprise that will provide types of services (transportation of passengers, goods, etc.) in this area, then you can download a ready-made example of a transport company business plan for free, which will help you in calculating all costs when organizing this case ...

    If you do not want to provide something, then simply delete the items with the costs and incomes for this service.

    How to open a transport company

    So, we will consider the points of information on how to open a transport company that provides forwarding services.

    Company registration

    Most transport companies give preference to such organizational and legal forms as CJSC (closed joint stock company), OJSC (open joint stock company), LLC (limited liability company), PBOYUL (entrepreneur without a legal entity). But it is worth noting that many transport companies refuse to work with unincorporated business because of the value added tax. Joint-stock company are a more suitable form when creating a business, however, registration of a CJSC is a rather complicated process and consists of a number of difficult procedures. Therefore, the best option for opening a freight forwarding company will be the "LLC" form.

    To register a legal entity, it is beneficial to contact organizations that provide legal support in order to avoid mistakes, fuss, conflict situations. There is the option of acquiring a ready-made transport company, but in this case you will have to be content with the already existing name of the company. To register, you will need to deposit the initial capital (about 10 thousand rubles) and open a bank account.

    Premises for office and staff

    The premises for the office of the transport company will be the legal address of the company, so you will have to conclude a lease agreement between the owner of the premises and your company.

    At first, you can limit yourself to the recruitment of personnel, combining the functions of several positions. However, this approach will significantly slow down the work process of the transport company. It is quite difficult to find an experienced, narrow specialist without guaranteeing him a high salary, so it makes sense to hire a capable worker without experience in this area and train him. As for the accounting department, a qualified specialist is needed here. Since the responsibility for wages will now lie with you, it is better not to take risks and use the services of an audit company.

    Pros and cons of this business

    The undoubted advantage of the transport and forwarding business is a small investment to start. And also the fact that you do not need a license for forwarding activities. But the lack of a license entails the dishonest work of dispatchers of private transport companies, and this fact, of course, is a disadvantage in this profession.

    Beginning of work

    To avoid mistrust between the client and the supplier, it will be necessary to acquaint the suppliers of your transport company with complete information concerning the carrier, warehouse, broker, etc. And there is no need to worry that you will be removed from this chain, since client companies, for the most part, do not have logisticians on their staff. Besides, by contacting the broker directly, to the warehouse, to the carrier ... they have no guarantee of receiving the same rate that the forwarder receives.

    To start providing transport services, you need to sign a freight forwarding agreement with a client, and a client agreement with a translator. But the work of the forwarder is not limited to this. Tracking the car on the way, solving problems, clear idea about what is being transported, bringing the client up to date - this is the essence of a competent auto forwarder. The obvious simplicity of a transport company is fraught with pitfalls. This knowledge of the laws of movement of transit and export goods, correct paperwork, availability a large number expeditions at points of dispatch of goods.

    Peculiarities

    On the initial stages you will have to do all the main work yourself. In addition, you will need experience in the field of the expedition, so as not to overwhelm the work at the very beginning of the activity. The first steps should be taken with caution, because the activity of the forwarder is to satisfy the interests of the clients of the transport company, to possess information, since there are times when only the forwarder can resolve the situation between the carrier and the cargo owner.

    Advertise your services

    At the first stages of work, you should not get carried away with advertising a transport company, since the advertising resonance can entail a lot of orders that, as a start-up company, you will not be able to cope with. And this will entail negative publicity, which will not the best way will affect the company's reputation. Start with small advertisements on special sites on the Internet. Subsequently, you can create your own page for publication advertisements, articles, etc.

    When is the best time to open?

    Autumn and spring are considered the "hottest" seasons for transport companies. You need to prepare for them in advance, otherwise, you will miss out on profits and ruin your reputation. It is best to start a transport company during a "quiet" period, which is summer. You will have time to get comfortable, to do everything preparatory work and start active activity by the fall.

    Always consider your mistakes

    The freight forwarder is the link between the service provider and the customer. It follows that the freight forwarder will have to defend the rights of both parties. Therefore, one of the ways to avoid costs is insurance activities. However, there are times when this does not help either. For example, imported cargo goes to Russia. The car was delivered on time, at the client's warehouse it was loaded in accordance with the documents, the customs of a foreign country gave the go-ahead, but Russian border due to the discrepancy in weight, the question arose of the inaccuracy of the declaration. Russian customs officers are conducting proceedings, but it is impossible to prove anything. During this time, the driver is issued a contract for loading and unloading services, the cost of which, depending on the weight, ranges from 600 to 1000 US dollars. Logically, the transport company should pay for the warehouse services. However, it will be possible to prove their guilt only after the car arrives at the place of delivery, the control weighing of the cargo and the car will take place. But without paying for warehouse services, the track will not be released. The freight forwarder will have to deal with this problem. The costs will have to be covered, in the hope of recovering damages after an investigation.

    Similar situations can lie in wait for your company at any stage, so you need to have the material stock, the right contacts and have practical knowledge.

    You can use the most developed directions and methods of transportation. The profit of the transport company in this case will be less, but the risk will be minimized. In the course of work, relying on the main customers, it is possible to introduce auxiliary services, such as consolidation at transit warehouses, assistance in customs clearance, and processing of related documents.

    The desire to develop, the desire to open a transport company, self-confidence - these are the ingredients for starting your own business. Successful business- this is, first of all, creativity, and not a struggle for survival.

    Prepared based on material www.openbusiness.ru by Ellie Larson.