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Rolling out QuoteCloud on the freight desk

Your rate calculator rebuilt as a block, your lane, schedule and 3PL templates converted, approvals set and the pricing desk trained, in a few weeks.

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A QuoteCloud rollout for a freight business: import or rebuild the rate spreadsheet as a Spreadsheet block, convert the lane quote, rate schedule and 3PL templates, load accessorials into the product library, set approval rules (Business), connect Stripe, Zapier or the MCP service, and train the desk. Onboarding and professional services are available.

Last reviewed by the QuoteCloud team

A fictional carrier's lane calculator rebuilt as a QuoteCloud Spreadsheet block: the Quote tab from chargeable weight down, 2,700 kg chargeable on the Northgate to Port Ellery lane, Long-haul zone at $0.31 a kg with a $160 minimum, linehaul $837.00 and fuel surcharge $154.85 in cells connected to price lines, the quote total $1,165.84 back from the price table, and $194.31 a pallet.

Five weeks from trial to every quote on QuoteCloud

A sample plan for a fictional carrier with a pricing desk of three, eight account managers and a warehouse team. The desk keeps quoting the old way until the calculator matches to the cent. Timings are for planning, not promises.

  1. Phase 1, Week 1

    Rebuild the rate calculator

    You bring
    Your rate spreadsheet: zones, minimums, cubic conversion, fuel surcharge and accessorials.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    A Spreadsheet block from your .xlsx, with the linehaul and fuel cells connected to their price lines.
    Done when
    A lane quote prices itself from the sheet.

    Spreadsheet: Essentials and up

    Rate calculators

  2. Phase 2, Week 1

    Convert your lane quote template

    You bring
    Your current quote and conditions of carriage.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    One template converted free during the trial (Essentials, Business, Enterprise), with the calculator inside.
    Done when
    The pricing desk can send a branded lane quote.
    Logistics templates

  3. Phase 3, Week 2

    Run both in parallel

    You bring
    A week of real requests, priced in the old sheet as usual.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    The same requests priced in QuoteCloud, side by side.
    Done when
    Every quote matches the old sheet to the cent.

  4. Phase 4, Week 3

    Add schedules, 3PL and reports

    You bring
    Your rate schedule, warehousing proposal and service review.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Templates for each, with content library blocks for profile, safety and terms.
    Done when
    Account managers can send a schedule and a 3PL proposal.
    Rate schedules

  5. Phase 5, Week 4

    Set roles, approvals and connections

    You bring
    Who prices, who approves, your discount limits, and the systems to connect.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Roles and approval rules (Business); Stripe, Zapier, Make, the API or the MCP service set up.
    Done when
    A quote 6% below the card goes In Review.
    Integrations

  6. Phase 6, Week 5

    Train the desk and go live

    You bring
    The pricing desk and account managers for one session.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    A 45-minute training session on paid plans; more sessions are a paid add-on.
    Done when
    Every new quote goes out from QuoteCloud.

A sample plan with fictional data. Your timing depends on how many templates, calculators and systems you bring.

Help from the QuoteCloud team along the way

You don't have to rebuild everything yourselves. These are the ways QuoteCloud helps a freight business get set up.

  • Template conversion

    One of your templates converted free during the Essentials, Business or Enterprise trial.

  • Training session

    A 45-minute session for your team on paid plans; more sessions are a paid add-on.

  • Onboarding services

    Guided set-up for teams moving a full template set.

    Onboarding services

  • Professional services

    Consultancy and integration setup from the QuoteCloud team: calculators, the API, Zapier or the MCP service.

    Professional services

  • Premium support

    A paid add-on with a dedicated expert and priority channels, for desks that quote all day.

    Premium support

  • User guide

    Step-by-step articles on spreadsheet formulas, approval workflows and the Expiring Soon filter.

Your price book imported once, with costs only your team sees

Accessorials, warehousing charges and fixed services go into the Product Library from a CSV: export your current price list, map each column to a field (code to SKU, charge to name, basis to unit, sell and cost to price and cost) and check the validation before anything changes.

Linehaul and fuel stay in the lane calculator's cells, where your zone rates and fuel surcharge live. Next year the desk exports the price book, changes the prices and imports it again.

  • CSV import with column mapping and validation
  • Price and cost per item; margins hidden from customers
  • Linehaul and fuel priced by the calculator, not the list

Product Library: Essentials and up

Cost and margin in the price book
Product LibraryWexmoor Freight & Logistics Sample data
price-book-2027.csv15 rows · 6 columns Map columns
Column in your fileCatalogue fieldFirst row
CodeSKUACC-TAIL
ChargeNameTail-lift delivery
GroupCategoryAccessorials
BasisUnitper consignment
Sell 2027Price$68.00
Cost 2027Cost$41.00

14 items updated, 1 marked inactiveAll 15 rows passed validation

Linehaul and fuel aren't in the price book: they come from the lane calculator's cells. Next year, export, change the prices and import again.

Start the rollout with your own rate sheet

Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your calculator and current quote, and we'll convert one template during the trial.

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Matched to the cent before anyone switches

A pricing desk won't trust a new calculator until it gives the same answer as the old one. For a week, price real requests in both: the old spreadsheet as usual, and the lane quote template in QuoteCloud.

A simple check sheet lists each request, the old sheet's total and the total of the same request priced in QuoteCloud. When five of five match, the desk switches.

  • Real requests, priced both ways
  • Each quote's total also comes back into its own sheet
  • Differences found before customers see them
How the calculator works
Wexmoor Freight & LogisticsLane quote WF-Q-4821 Sample · fictional business

Parallel run check

Parallel run · lane calculatorSpreadsheet block
E7 =SUM(E2:E6)

Check tab

RowABCDE
1 Quote Load Old sheet QuoteCloud Diff.
2 Q-4790 2 plt Riverside $131.40 $131.40 $0.00
3 Q-4802 10 plt Lakeview $1,876.97 $1,876.97 $0.00
4 Q-4809 4 plt Ashcombe $1,426.27 $1,426.27 $0.00
5 Q-4815 14 plt Port Ellery $2,400.22 $2,400.22 $0.00
6 Q-4821 6 plt Port Ellery $1,165.84 $1,165.84 $0.00
7 Checked 5 of 5 match $0.00
Check

What the freight desk gets once it's rolled out

The jobs a pricing desk and account team do every day, before and after QuoteCloud.

The jobBeforeWith QuoteCloud
Pricing a request Work it out in the spreadsheet, then retype the figures into a quote. The calculator sits in the quote; connected cells set the lines.
Changing the fuel surcharge Every saved quote template updated by hand. One cell on the Rates tab of the template.
Discounts An email to the pricing lead, if someone remembers. Approval rules on discount % or total value (Business).
Contract customers Rate letters in Word, chased by phone. Rate schedules with expiry dates, bulk sent and signed online.
Knowing where a quote stands "Did you get my quote?" Opened, accepted and signed, in the document's activity.

What to have ready

The rollout moves fastest when the pricing desk brings these on day one. None of it has to be tidy: the point of the first week is to rebuild it once, properly.

  • Your current rate spreadsheet (.xlsx), with a few recent requests and their totals for the parallel run
  • Your lane quote, rate schedule and warehousing proposal as you send them today
  • Conditions of carriage, fuel surcharge clause, insurance and safety wording
  • Your discount limits and who approves above them
  • The systems you want to connect: booking form, transport management system, CRM, accounts, payments

Rollout questions

Can QuoteCloud convert our quote template during the trial?

Yes. On the Essentials, Business and Enterprise trials QuoteCloud converts one of your templates for free, and paid plans include a 45-minute training session. Onboarding and professional services are available for larger rollouts. Additional conversions are a paid add-on, billed per template.

Can we import our existing rate spreadsheet?

Yes. The Spreadsheet block (Essentials and up) imports .xlsx files and supports formulas such as MAX, ROUND and XLOOKUP, and tabs with cross-tab references. Check the results against your old sheet with a few real requests before the desk switches. The Spreadsheet block is on Essentials and up.

How long does a freight rollout take?

It depends on how many calculators, templates and systems you bring. A sample plan for a carrier with one lane calculator, a rate schedule and a warehousing proposal runs about five weeks, including a week of parallel pricing. Treat that as planning, not a promise.

Can QuoteCloud help set up our integrations or MCP service?

Professional services cover consultancy and integration setup from the QuoteCloud team, for example connecting a booking form through Zapier or the API, or setting up the MCP service so your AI assistant drafts quotes for review. Prices aren't published: contact QuoteCloud for a quote.

Do we have to stop quoting while we switch?

No. Keep quoting from your old sheet while the calculator and templates are rebuilt, then price real requests both ways for a week. Switch once the totals match. The trial gives you 14 days to rebuild the calculator and convert a template before you decide.

More questions from freight and 3PL teams

More for freight & 3PL teams

Every page of the logistics guide, from the first lane quote to the quarterly review.

Your freight desk on QuoteCloud

Free for 14 days. No credit card required.

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