Fees and the Fixed-Quote Process
One fee, agreed in writing before any work starts, covering the work described in the quote. This page sets out how that figure is arrived at so you can see roughly where you will land before you ask.
Always Included
These are not extras and they are not billed separately.
- The quote itself, and the conversation that produces it.
- A written scope: what is included, what is not, and the dates the work has to be finished by.
- The deadlines tracked forward, so filing dates arrive as reminders rather than as penalties.
- Being told when you do not need something you asked for.
- A proper handover if you leave, to whoever picks the work up.
What Moves the Price
Seven factors account for most of the difference between one haulage quote and another.
| Factor | Effect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Number of vehicles | Up | More vehicles means more fuel, more maintenance, more coding and, where you want it, per-vehicle reporting. |
| Drivers on the payroll | Up | Payroll is a monthly cycle with reporting attached, and driver allowances need handling correctly rather than as a line on a payslip. |
| VAT registration | Up | Quarterly returns, fuel reconciliation and, on international work, a place of supply question on each customer. |
| Limited company rather than sole trader | Up | Statutory accounts, Corporation Tax and a confirmation statement, rather than a single return. |
| Records already in a bookkeeping system | Down | A year of statements that has to be built into a set of books is the largest variable in any haulage quote. |
| Fuel cards and sales posting automatically | Down | The two highest-volume document types in haulage. Once they post themselves, the monthly cycle is short. |
| Work already late | Up | Late work has to be done to a deadline that has already passed, usually alongside penalty correspondence. |
How to Pay Us Less
The largest single variable in a haulage fee is not the size of the operation. It is whether the records exist in a usable form or have to be rebuilt from statements.
Three habits do most of the work: fuel card statements posted monthly, self-bills reconciled against your own job log, and a business bank account that is genuinely separate from the personal one.
All three also happen to be what Making Tax Digital will require, and what makes a per-truck cost figure possible. There is no version of this where doing them is not worth it.
Common Questions
Why is there no price list?
Because the range is too wide for a headline number to be honest. A driver's Self Assessment return and a five-vehicle fleet with payroll, quarterly VAT and per-truck reporting are not the same product at different sizes. A starting-from figure that almost nobody pays tells you nothing useful.
Is the quote really fixed?
Yes, for the work described in it. If something turns up that was not in the scope, for example a year of records that was described as complete and is not, we tell you before doing the extra work and quote it separately. You are never sent a bill larger than the quote without having agreed it first.
Do you charge a percentage of a tax refund?
No. Fees are fixed and agreed up front, and we do not ask you to assign a repayment so that it comes to us first. Any repayment from HMRC goes to you.
What if the answer is that I do not need you?
We say so. An employed driver whose employer already pays night-out money free of tax and provides workwear often has nothing to claim, and telling them that costs us a job and saves them a fee.
Do you charge for the initial quote?
No. There is no charge for the enquiry, the quote or the conversation that produces it.
A Fixed Quote for the Truck or the Fleet
Tell us how many vehicles you run, whether you are a sole trader or a limited company, and what is outstanding. We reply by email with a fixed price and the dates the work has to be finished by.
- A fixed fee agreed before any work starts
- Nothing charged until you accept the quote
- We tell you if you do not need what you asked for
Rather read first? How it works sets out what happens after you send this.
Tell Us About Your Truck or Fleet
A few lines is enough to start. Nothing is charged until you agree the quote, and we only use your details to answer this enquiry.