What you’ll learn
- Choose a model that fits your demand and capital.
- Separate vehicle ownership from responsibility for freight.
- Identify the minimum records for your first service.
Useful terms
- FTL
- Full truck load: a dedicated vehicle movement, even when its physical capacity is not full.
- PTL
- Part truck load: several consignments share capacity and may change vehicles.
- Broker
- A party arranging transport; its contractual role determines responsibilities.
Step-by-step operating routine
Define the customer promise
Write the origin, destination, goods, pickup window, delivery commitment and evidence you will supply. Decide whether you sell vehicle capacity, package movement or managed logistics. Avoid promising a network you have not secured.
Record or confirm- Service mode
- Target goods
- Pickup area
- Delivery area
- Service promise
Choose how capacity is sourced
Compare owned, leased and hired vehicles. Ownership adds financing, readiness and utilisation work; hiring adds verification and settlement work. Neither removes your need to know who accepted the freight.
Record or confirm- Capacity source
- Contracting carrier
- Vehicle class
- Availability evidence
Map every custody handoff
Draw pickup, loading, intermediate warehouse, partner transfer and delivery. For FTL without intermediate handling, keep the map short. For PTL, identify who counts packages at each transfer and who investigates a shortage.
Record or confirm- Custody points
- Handoff owner
- Quantity unit
- Exception contact
Set boundaries on specialist work
Temperature-controlled goods, hazardous materials, oversized loads, international movements and food or pharmaceutical transport may need additional competence and permissions. Record exclusions until a qualified operating process is established.
Record or confirm- Accepted goods
- Restricted goods
- Special handling
- Qualified partner
Validate with a representative job
Walk one ordinary shipment and one damaged or refused shipment through your proposed model. Ask who pays, who holds the goods, who contacts the customer and how outstanding quantities are visible.
Record or confirm- Example booking
- Failure scenario
- Payment responsibility
- Closure evidence
One company, two operating patterns
A company carries a dedicated hired truck from Pune to Bengaluru and also sells carton transport through two branches. The first job needs a hire agreement and trip evidence. The second needs carton labels and transfer counts. Both use the same customer identity, but one completed truck journey cannot close cartons still held at a branch.
- Document each model separately.
- Use a shared customer identity with distinct commercial terms.
- Keep job and package completion separate.
Exceptions and mistakes to avoid
- Do not create a fictional owned vehicle to record a market truck.
- Do not treat brokerage commission as the entire freight amount without checking the contract and accounting treatment.
- Do not call a full vehicle PTL merely because it contains many packages; the sold service and consignments matter.
Business model decision sheet
Write one row per proposed service, then remove any promise for which no responsible operating partner exists.
| Service | Customer promise | Capacity source | Custody points | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated Pune–Bengaluru | Dedicated vehicle with signed delivery evidence | Verified hired carrier | Pickup / receiver | Carrier readiness and payment timing |
Includes the illustrative row and blank rows. This is a planning worksheet, not a HiVAM import format. Keep your completed copy private; do not add credentials.
Check your understanding
Try answering first, then open the explanation. Use the worksheet and source records to practise the task.
Can a hybrid operator use one customer directory?
Yes. Preserve a common party identity while keeping service contracts, booking types, payer roles and custody histories distinct.
Must an FTL operator create a warehouse?
Only when its real workflow needs one. A point-to-point hired-truck job should not require an invented facility.
Put it to work with HiVAM
Use these connections to explore the relevant product workflows. Confirm access in your deployed release; API capabilities require an integration or an available interface.
Guided setup around your business
Choose the operating pattern and add resources needed for the first job.
Hired trucks, brokers and partner crossings
Keep hired carriers and partner movements tied to their source work.
Keep your learning moving.
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Try the workflow with your team.
Bring a representative job and an exception to a HiVAM demonstration. Review saved records, permissions and handoffs alongside the interface.