Open a shipping company. The working staff of the company

The forwarding business is developing dynamically. The traffic flow is constantly growing. There is a need for coordination of actions and timely delivery of goods. The link between the consignor and the consignee is the freight forwarding company. Competently organizing logistics is the primary task of the company's employees. The reputation and profit of the enterprise depend on the quality of the services provided and the fulfillment of the obligations assumed.

The forwarding business is associated with many risks, as there are several stakeholders involved in the process. It is easiest to engage in forwarding activities for entrepreneurs who have experience in the transport sector, who know the law, who are able to competently draw up accompanying documentation and resolve issues that arise at the border or in places of storage of goods.

Direction of activity

Before you open a transport company, decide which of the work schemes suits you best:

1. Creation of own transport company with a fleet of trucks of various tonnage. The financial costs will be significant. You will need funds to rent or purchase cars, pay for qualified personnel (drivers, dispatchers, accountants, managers).
2. Establishment of a forwarding company. You will play the role of freight dispatchers and look for carriers on the side. You don't need your own car park. For intermediary services, companies charge for 1 freight from 5 to 10% of the total cost of transportation. Investments will be minimal, and profits will be quite large.

A reputable transport company often provides additional services related to the delivered cargo:

• consolidation;
• warehousing;
• security;
• insurance.

It is desirable for a newly created company to start working with the organization of transportation by road. After getting acquainted with the nuances and developing a client base, you can move on to more serious types of transportation:

• using railway transport;
• air transport;
• mixed modes of transport.

Where to begin

If you decide that you have enough knowledge and funds to open a transport company, register the chosen form of legal activity of your enterprise. Entrepreneurs prefer open () and closed () joint-stock companies. The best option is a limited liability company. The risks of absorption by competitors are minimized, the interests of each shareholder are protected, regardless of what percentage of the shares they own.

Your actions:

1. Draw up the decision and the agreement of the founders on the creation of the LLC.
2. Form the 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 No. 11001).
5. Pay the state duty (4000 rubles).
6. Attach to the application a receipt of payment of the state duty and copies of constituent documents.
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 to the state registration authorities.

Financial expenses

To engage in forwarding services, you will need a fairly impressive start-up capital. Minimum 250 thousand rubles. you must have. What does this amount consist of:

The one-time cost of opening will be:

• LLC registration - 35 thousand rubles;
• purchase of office equipment, consumables, furniture, Internet connection - 100 thousand rubles.

In addition, every month you will spend on:

• lease of a 20 sq. m - from 8 to 30 thousand rubles;
• utilities - up to 5 thousand rubles;
• salary for employees (with a staff of 2-3 people) - from 50 thousand rubles;
• advertising - up to 30 thousand rubles. As the company develops, this amount may decrease due to the establishment of personal contacts and the acquisition of a worthy reputation of your company;
• commercial expenses - up to 3 thousand rubles.

If you plan to engage in forwarding activities, you will have to rent or purchase vehicles, organize storage facilities, hire drivers and expand the staff of hired workers. Additional costs depend on:

• brand and carrying capacity of selected vehicles;
• warehouse space;
• the number of personnel;
• office size and location;
• advertising costs;
• utility bills.

Freight forwarding services are among the activities where there is a high margin. The average profitability fluctuates at the level of 25-40%. By investing 250 thousand rubles, you will recoup the costs in a year.

A business plan for opening a transport company, drawn up by a competent economist, will allow you to calculate the costs specifically in your case, taking into account all aspects of the activity. Get ready for the fact that at first you will work at a loss. Based on a study of the work of transport companies, experts usually predict that the company will be unprofitable for the first three months. With the right approach, an increase in the number of orders and an expansion of the client base, the first profit may appear in six months. Income will increase from 600 thousand rubles in the first month to 3 million rubles in the sixth month of work.

Office opening

The location of the office depends on the availability of funds. For the prestige of the company and the convenience of potential customers, rent a room in the city center. You can open an office on the outskirts. Rental price for 1 sq. m will decrease from 2 thousand rubles in the center to 400 rubles. in a remote area. This option is more convenient for carriers (a place near the highway).

The number of employees depends on the expected volume of business. If there is no client base, and at first you will be engaged in dispatching services, 1 dispatcher and you performing all other functions (director, accountant, manager) will be enough.

Be sure to equip your office:

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

Buy quality software that allows you to:

• register contracts;
• consider applications;
• calculate the cost of services, the cost and profitability of services for each client;
• automate supply chain management;
• write out primary documentation quickly and accurately;
• generate reports;
• generate an extract at the request of the customer.

Staff

Look for workers with experience. It is desirable that the manager has his own client base. So you will quickly get on your feet, and will be provided with orders. For uninterrupted work, you will need only competent managers for the organization of transportation. Their tasks:

• development of transport schemes;
• determination of the most profitable directions of traffic flows;
• communication with customers;
• coordination of actions of counterparties;
• prompt response to problems that have arisen and informing management if the competence and authority of the manager do not allow them to be eliminated.

The logistics manager must be:

• punctual;
• proactive;
• literate;
• sociable.

The salary of a transportation manager is from 20 thousand rubles. monthly (rate + percentage of profit). For the first time, use the services of a visiting accountant. They will cost you 10 thousand rubles.

As your business develops, expand your staff, purchase additional office equipment. For a clear separation of functions, organize 2 departments:

1. Commercial. Specialists will accept applications, issue invoices, draw up waybills, and inform customers about the delivery of goods. Their responsibilities will include cargo insurance and the search for new contractors. 2-3 competent specialists will be enough.
2. Forwarding. Specialists control the condition of the rolling stock, the terms of maintenance, carry out work on the dispatch of cargo and its delivery. They are also engaged in the provision of additional services involving various modes of transport. At least 3 people will be required on this site.

Remember: reducing the number of staff and forcing an employee to perform duties of which he has a vague idea, can lead to fatal consequences for the business. The logistics of amateurism does not forgive and hits the pocket with a ruble. Penalties, fines, tarnished reputation - the result of any miscalculations or incompetence, both staff and management. Cargo transportation as a business requires maximum control over all stages of work.

How to attract customers

To get your first customers, you need to take certain actions:

• advertise in the newspaper;
• print promotional products: business cards, booklets with a story about your company;
• place information on banners along busy highways and in the central part of the city;
• create a website on the Internet with a list of services provided and contact details;
• call the maximum possible number of contractors and express your interest in cooperation. Tell us about your benefits. Interested parties will definitely be found;
• connect personal connections to find the first customers.

Tip: be sure to conclude client agreements with carriers and agreements for forwarding cargo escort. Never rely on the word. Oral agreements are void of legal force. Cases of deceit and fraud in the absence of concluded contracts are not uncommon. If you do not want to document your relationship, refuse to cooperate and remove the unreliable client from your database.

Opening time

Trucking is a seasonal business. Peak season is autumn and spring. Experts recommend that the formation of a forwarding business be carried out in the summer. By the hot season, you should already have a work scheme debugged, the first customers have been found, and discrepancies that arise at first have been taken into account and corrected.

To open a transport company, you will need the necessary knowledge, a well-thought-out business plan, the desire to work 24 hours a day and the desire for dialogue with all stakeholders.

The transport business today is one of the fastest growing, the demand for services in this area always remains stable, but the competition with the risk is also high. Opening a transport company is easier if you have the appropriate experience.

Every year new carriers appear on the market, most often logistics departments that separated from trading organizations start their business, having mastered the transportation of goods, the sale of which their company specialized in.

• a P11001 application;
• the decision to form an LLC;
• (2 copies);
• details of the bank where the account is opened;
• minutes of the meeting or decision of the founder;
• photocopies of passports.

Expenses:

• authorized capital from 10,000 rubles, paid in money or property, at the time of registration, 50% of the amount must be paid, the balance is paid within the next 12 months;
• state duty 4000 rubles;
• printing from 600 rubles.

When processing documents, it must be taken into account that if there are errors, a refusal may follow and 4,000 thousand rubles will be lost. When choosing a form of taxation, it is necessary to take into account the types of transportation and the scale of the future company.

Types of taxation

When registering a company, you can choose from several taxation options:

• - involves the payment of 6-15% of the total income of the company, minus expenses;
• the general system involves the payment of all taxes, which can be ruinous for a small firm;
• a single tax is applicable only if there are more than twenty cars in the fleet.

Buying cars

Business begins with the purchase of a car, when choosing a transport, it is necessary to determine the goals and compare them with the means.

Used foreign-made vehicles are considered more convenient to use, but Russian ones are cheaper, although they break down more often. The choice of car also depends on the characteristics of the area; for transportation within the city, it is recommended to buy Gazelles, they consume less fuel and are economical in maintenance.

Isothermal vans or refrigerators are perfect for perishable products, for office moving and transportation of furniture you can’t do without Zil-Bychok, which will perfectly pass in yards where there is nowhere for a large truck to turn around.

It is worth noting that to provide the full range of services, an appropriate fleet of vehicles is required. With a shortage of funds for the purchase of different types of transport, it is worth focusing on one particular service, cooperating with other companies.

Expenses: the purchase of one car will cost 900,000 -1,100,000 rubles.

In the absence of funds to purchase vehicles for the first time, the company can engage in intermediary activities, look for vehicles for customers. If there are regular orders, prices are kept low enough to stay afloat with virtually no cost.

Very often, transport companies cooperate with other enterprises using their transport. At first, there may be a certain amount of distrust, the client may have doubts about the quality of work, the safety of delivery of goods, etc. To remove doubts, it is recommended to provide complete information about suppliers, carrier, warehouse.

It should be borne in mind that the timely delivery and safety of the cargo are very important for the client, all these nuances should be taken into account when drawing up the contract. The freight forwarder must always know what is happening with the car and cargo, inform the client in a timely manner.

In the future, it is possible to provide the service of processing documents for shipment, for this it is necessary to have the necessary number of expeditions in the places of departure of goods, knowledge of the legislation on the movement of transit and export goods is very important.

Room selection

Office space is required for placement of the dispatch service, before the final choice, it is worth considering several options.

Difficulties with finding premises depend on the region; when drawing up an agreement with the landlord, it is necessary to focus on the fact that the office will be indicated as the legal address of the enterprise. In the absence of financial resources to rent a full-fledged room, you can rent an office in a call center; 20 sq. m.

Rental costs: 10-18 thousand rubles

Office equipment:

• 2 tables;
• 2 chairs;
• 2 computers;
• two telephone lines;
• Printer;
• scanner;
• walkie-talkie for negotiations with drivers.

Equipment and furniture expenses: 40-60 thousand rubles

Recruitment

Opening a transport company from scratch involves the selection of the following categories of employees:

• dispatcher (1 or 2 people);
• driver;
• accountant;
• marketer.

Dispatcher

Requirements: when choosing personnel, it is recommended to pay attention to diction, they must have a good memory, be sociable and be able to think logically. Employees do not have to have similar work experience; if necessary, they can be trained in everything.

Functional: attracting clients, searching for applications, searching for transport, paperwork, coordinating the work of drivers, work is mainly carried out by phone.

1. Salary (12000 -30000 thousand);
2. Salary + % from sales (8000 + %);
3. % from sales.

At the initial stage, the second and third options are most often used.

For bookkeeping, it is recommended to hire a professional accountant; at the initial stage, he can work remotely. You can also contact a specialized company, the cost depends on the volume of services provided.

Expenses: from 6000 thousand

Marketer

Advertising plays an important role in the beginning of activity, it is recommended to provide information about services gradually, because if the advertising works, the company may not have time to process all requests.

Marketing functionality: Mass mailing of ads, reviews, notes on websites and social networks. As the company develops, you can create your own website, publish ads in print media, distribute handouts at exhibitions.

For the first time from 2000 per week.

Time

It is best to open a transport company in the summer, closer to autumn, when the demand for transport increases sharply. In this case, it is very important to calculate the time so as not to miss the profit and cope with the volume of work.

In the spring, it is not recommended to open a transport company, since in summer the demand for transportation drops sharply.

Peculiarities

At first, many tasks will have to be performed independently; experience, knowledge of the law and a customer base will help to avoid trouble.

The main feature of cargo transportation is the need to constantly adapt to the needs of the client, defending the interests of the carrier and his own. When cooperating with unscrupulous carriers, there may be problems with the timing, it is recommended to agree on all conditions in advance in the contract.

The dispatcher in this case is an intermediary who solves all problems that arise between the client and the carrier.

How to open a transport company? Watch the video:

Indeed, it is no secret that any enterprise is constantly faced with the need to transport various commodity values, however, the maintenance of staff who would be engaged in driving cars is extremely expensive. In addition, vehicles are constantly in need of additional maintenance.

Features of the transport business

Consequently, many entrepreneurs quite reasonably decide to open their own transport company, which will provide freight transportation services. With such an investment of money, the business, in fact, can subsequently bring good profits. At the same time, it is necessary to be prepared for the fact that a novice entrepreneur will certainly need:

• availability of documentation confirming the registration of the entrepreneur;
• availability of office space;
• availability of carriers;
• availability of qualified employees;
• quality organization of advertising.

Stages of creating a transport company

1. As in any other type of commercial activity, it is impossible to start a transport business without a well-developed business plan. It is necessary to calculate all the financial resources that the entrepreneur will have to invest in his own transport business. In this case, it is imperative to take into account the occurrence of not only all fixed, but also variable costs. In addition, it is necessary to carefully calculate the turnover of the future enterprise and its possible profits.

2. After that, you can safely proceed to register a legal entity with the local tax service. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that there is always the possibility of registering an individual business, but in this case it is difficult to be sure that the search for regular customers who will use the services of freight transportation will be crowned with success. In addition, the most acceptable option is to choose a general taxation system. This is due to the fact that large producers are interested in the return of value added tax, and this is only possible under a common tax system. Therefore, otherwise, finding customers for cargo transportation will be even more problematic.

3. Of course, office space is also required. At the same time, there are no specific and special requirements for such an office, so its choice is almost unlimited. You just need to be able to connect a landline phone, as well as use the worldwide Internet.

4. The business of freight transportation provides for the need to use road transport, which does not necessarily have to be owned by the enterprise. The fact is that not every novice entrepreneur can afford the purchase of expensive vehicles, as well as the maintenance of a staff of drivers and the additional costs associated with car maintenance. Therefore, it is advisable to use the services of third-party carriers. At the same time, it is extremely important that all necessary permits and registration documentation be available.

5. Particular attention should be paid to the selection of qualified employees who will perform the full range of office work. At the same time, specialists should be able to sell transport services, as well as be well versed in all the subtleties and nuances that are typical for the logistics industry. Of course, finding such employees is not as easy as it might seem at first glance, so you need to be prepared for the fact that their training will be required, which will provide advanced training for specialists.

6. Finally, high-quality advertising of your services is of great importance. Therefore, the entrepreneur will have to use all the possibilities of advertising. For example, you will need to create your own website, through which a transport company will talk about its services. In addition, you will have to put up ads, as well as publish advertisements in the media.

A transport company is the most profitable and reliable business. The demand for cargo transportation services is constantly growing, so it will bring high stable profits. Before opening a transport company from scratch, a novice entrepreneur must carefully study this area and familiarize himself with all the nuances of this business.

Company types

Before you draw up a business plan for a transport company and proceed with its implementation, you must first determine the direction of activity.

There are several types of transport companies:

• Organizations that deliver small loads within the same city;
• Companies that deliver goods to warehouses, stores, etc. At the same time, they can transport goods both on the territory of our country and in the near abroad;
• Groupage cargo transportation. For these purposes, road trains are used that carry out cargo transportation to different countries;
• Companies that work with industrial enterprises. They transport different types of goods within the country. For this, dump trucks, tractors and other equipment are used;
• intermediary firms. Since such organizations do not have their own transport, they are looking for a carrier company, processing all the necessary accompanying documents and the financial component.

Activity registration

If we talk about the form of taxation, the best option is UTII. Its main advantage is that in this case you can connect up to 20 cars to work. For an individual entrepreneur, the most profitable form of taxation is ZNDFL. Intermediaries, it is better to choose a simplified tax. Before you open a transport company and make a final decision on the form of doing business, carefully consider all the features of its future activities.

Another important point is this bank account. This is especially true for those entrepreneurs who open a company for the long term. Many clients prefer to work by bank transfer, so without a bank account, you can lose large customers.

Business Advantages and Disadvantages

Some newcomers are trying to increase the profitability of the business at the stage of formation, through dumping, that is, they greatly reduce the prices for services. Of course, their demand immediately increases, since it is much more profitable for customers to work with a new company than with its competitors. But in this case, financial costs increase significantly, and this can lead the company to bankruptcy.

To reduce the cost of transportation, the following actions should be taken:

1. Replace light vehicles with heavy vehicles;
2. Set limits on the purchase of fuels and lubricants;
3. Do not send half-empty cars on a flight;
4. Buy your own forklift to avoid downtime.

Clear control of spending money and competent organization of all business processes of a transport company will help you significantly reduce the cost of services. This will significantly increase the profitability of the business.