A completed route record for two pallets

Illustrative job DEMO-ES-24 runs from a Barcelona-area warehouse to a Madrid-area warehouse. The businesses, site labels, references, slots and replies in this example are invented; “Demo BCN Transfer” is not a real terminal.

Working version: R3, kept with the accepted offer. It replaces the initial container-only proposal.

Packed cargo: P1 and P2, each 120 × 80 × 110 cm and 220 kg gross; two pallets, 440 kg total.

Collection: Carrier C takes P1 and P2 from Warehouse S in the Barcelona area. Day 1, 09:00–10:00 local time; collection reference COL-24.

First leg ends: Demo BCN Transfer, Bay B. Depot Team D accepts the two described pallets under handover reference HUB-24, Day 1, 11:00–12:00.

Transfer: Team D provides the unloading and loading stated in R3. Its HUB-24 record links Carrier C’s C-24 reference to Carrier E’s E-24 reference.

Onward leg starts: Carrier E collects those same two pallets from Demo BCN Transfer, Bay B, using E-24 linked to HUB-24.

Final handover: Warehouse R in the Madrid area; Receiver Team R. Day 2, 14:00–15:00 local time; delivery reference DEL-24.

Accepted scope: R3 covers collection, the stated transfer handling and final warehouse delivery at the accepted price and conditions. The provider and receiving sites have supplied the appointments above.

You can now give each team the relevant point, units and reference. The first leg ends at the same bay where the onward leg begins; the different carrier references are linked by the hub’s handover reference. The slots come from the example replies, not from a distance calculation or corridor map.

How the initial offer became R3

The first proposal said “Barcelona–Madrid, container terminal-to-terminal”. The sender’s job was two packed pallets between warehouses. That wording leaves a scope and unit gap: the proposal names a container service without saying how it accepts those pallets, and neither warehouse leg is included.

The sender can identify that mismatch before contacting anyone, then send a focused correction:

For DEMO-ES-24, we have two packed pallets, each 120 × 80 × 110 cm and 220 kg gross, from Warehouse S to Warehouse R. Your proposal describes a container terminal-to-terminal service. Please revise it to accept these two pallets and include collection and final warehouse delivery, naming the transfer point and the operators, or confirm that you cannot offer this job.

Illustrative reply R2: the provider replaces the container-only proposal with road collection, a transfer at Demo BCN Transfer, Bay B, and onward road delivery. It accepts the stated pallet measurements and names Carrier C, Team D and Carrier E. Appointment references are still awaiting confirmation.

R2 resolves the unit and route gaps. The sender keeps the route on hold while the appointments remain open, rather than inventing times from a map.

Illustrative final reply R3: collection is COL-24 on Day 1 at 09:00–10:00; transfer is HUB-24 at Bay B at 11:00–12:00; delivery is DEL-24 on Day 2 at 14:00–15:00. Team D confirms how C-24 and E-24 link to HUB-24, and the provider includes the stated handling and both warehouse legs in the revised offer.

The sender copies those answers into the completed record above, retains the accepted R3 offer and gives the updated instructions to the collection team, carriers and receiver. If a provider cannot offer the two-pallet service, the sender can request another complete road offer instead of trying to fit the cargo into the original container-only proposal.

Name the Spanish facility, not just the city

A public directory helps you identify a facility. The gate, access reference, cargo acceptance and appointment still come from the parties arranging your actual handover.

Valencia: keep the authority, port and terminal separate

Valenciaport covers Valencia, Sagunto and Gandia. An offer that says only “Valenciaport” has not selected your individual port or terminal.

In the container directory, find the group for the Port of Valencia. It lists CSP Iberian Terminal Valencia, MSC Terminal Valencia and APM Terminals Valencia. If your offer names the last of these, copy Port: Valencia; terminal: APM Terminals Valencia into your record and keep the directory link beside it. Add the actual gate and appointment from the handover instructions; the directory entry does not supply a booking for your pallets.

Barcelona: use the facility named in the offer

The Port of Barcelona directory identifies APM Terminals Barcelona and Hutchison Ports BEST as container terminals, and Bergé as a multipurpose terminal that also handles containers. Copy the specified facility name, rather than replacing it with “Barcelona port”. A container-terminal listing does not establish that an uncontainerised pallet can arrive there under your proposal.

Madrid area: distinguish an inland terminal from the final warehouse

CSP Spain identifies Conterail as the operator of the intermodal terminal at Puerto Seco de Coslada. If that is the offered transfer point, record it as a separate handover. It is not the same field as your Madrid-area receiver’s warehouse: show the onward leg between them.

Join the legs on your own record

Write the collection point, each transfer and the final receiving point in order. Under each leg, copy the provider’s sending and receiving facility, operator and accepted cargo unit.

Put the end of one leg beside the start of the next. “Barcelona” on both lines is too broad to establish a match. Use the exact facility and handover point. Where references differ, record the connection confirmed by the receiving operator; do not replace several real references with one guessed number.

Compare the offered unit with your packed inventory. Pallets can travel inside a container, but a container-port name does not explain how your two pallets enter that service. If repacking, containerisation or a shared-container service is proposed, record who performs the work, the revised unit and the warehouse legs before accepting that change.

Keep the last accepted record with the shipment file and unit inventory. Use the carrier and handover responsibilities guide for the wider agreement about who performs each job.

A worker checks packed cartons on a pallet beside weighing and handling equipment
Carry the same packed-unit record through every leg. AI-assisted conceptual illustration; not a photograph of a named Spanish terminal. About our images.

Choose the action from the answer

Connected route and accepted units: copy the confirmed places, handling and references into one current record, as in R3. Share its version with the teams who use it and keep the accepted offer beside it.

Incompatible unit or missing leg: identify the exact mismatch, as in the original container-only offer. Ask for a revised complete service or seek another offer. A well-known hub name does not close that gap.

Acceptance or appointment unresolved: keep that handover on hold and ask for the specific missing answer. For example: “For HUB-24, please confirm the receiving bay, who accepts P1/P2 and the appointment reference linked to Carrier E’s E-24.” Put the answer into the same record; do not treat an estimate or unanswered item as confirmed.

If units, a facility or a slot change, update the affected legs and send the new version to their operators. For the commercial comparison, compare the complete price of matching offers once the same work is covered.

Request the service for your actual cargo

Start with your packed units and the real collection and final delivery addresses. Use the freight request example for those details. Copy the relevant route and handling requirements into the request; keep the fuller handover record for the provider’s reply.

Request transport offers for your packed units and both handover points. For an ordinary pallet shipment, you can ask for complete road collection and delivery without prescribing a port or rail hub. If a provider proposes a transfer, use the same record to see what it adds and how the goods reach your receiver.