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Transport & logistics

Transport and logistics for businesses

Deliver, relocate, handle or store: describe your need once and compare quotes from hauliers and logistics providers.

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Delivering to your customers, relocating your premises, moving a machine or outsourcing stock: a company’s transport and logistics needs are varied, often one-off and sometimes urgent. Covering them with your own resources means vehicles, equipment, premises and qualified staff; turning to a professional lets you pay for the service when you need it.

On Meaflow, you post a free request describing your need. Hauliers, business removal firms, handling companies and warehouse operators read it, ask you questions through the messaging system and send you their quotes. You compare prices and terms, then choose. Meaflow is reserved for businesses and checks the SIRET number (the French company registration number) of registered companies; it does not verify their insurance or authorisations, which you should request directly from the supplier.

This page presents the three main areas of business logistics and the points to watch in each. Each trade has its own detailed page: services, equipment, price factors, advice on writing your request and frequently asked questions. Meaflow also covers industrial manufacturing, building and maintenance trades.

All trades

Each page details the services, what drives the price and advice for making your request a success.

Choosing a haulier: register, insurance, lead times and tracking

Freight transport covers very different realities: full loads, pallet groupage, express, urgent courier runs, light vehicles or HGVs. Start by describing the shipment precisely (nature, dimensions, weight, addresses, time slots), because that determines the type of haulier and the price.

Then check four points:

  • Registration on the register of hauliers (France): it is required for road haulage for hire and reward, including with light vehicles. Ask for the number and the certificate.
  • Insurance: professional liability and cover for goods in transit. The haulier’s liability is limited, hence the value of a declaration of value or dedicated insurance.
  • Lead times: is the lead time guaranteed or indicative, and is a delivery slot possible?
  • Tracking: tracking number, proof of delivery, consignment note kept on file.

Some shipments call for precautions: dangerous goods (ADR regulations), temperature control, oversize loads requiring an abnormal-load permit. Flag them in your request, as they limit the choice of haulier and affect the price. On delivery, check the packages and write precise reservations in case of shortage or breakage.

For international shipments, specify the Incoterm agreed with your customer or supplier.

Preparing a business relocation

A business relocation is planned weeks or even months ahead. First set the date you receive the keys and appoint a project manager. Then ask for a technical visit to both sites: it lets the supplier record volumes, access and constraints, and give you a precise quote rather than an estimate.

Draw up an inventory: workstations, archives, IT equipment, machines with their weights and dimensions. It is used for pricing, labelling, tracking progress and supporting any claim. Plan for business continuity: transfer in waves, work in the evening or at weekends, a fallback plan.

Moving archives and machines calls for particular attention: inventory, traceability and confidentiality for the former; a lifting study, isolation of energy supplies, wedging and recommissioning trials for the latter. Say so in your request so that the supplier comes with the right resources.

Finally, think about your insurance and the removal firm’s, change-of-address formalities and, for machines, the lifting study and recommissioning. A written specification lets you compare quotes on an identical basis.

Outsourcing your storage

Outsourcing storage and handling saves you investing in floor space, equipment and staff, and gives flexibility at peak times. The scope is up to you: simple pallet warehousing, or fully outsourced logistics with receiving, order picking, dispatch and returns management.

Outsourced storage makes sense when your space is full, your business is seasonal, you are opening a new sales channel or you prefer to focus your teams on your core business. Compare the full cost of an in-house solution with that of an outsourced service, taking into account the flexibility gained.

To choose, compare the capacity and storage conditions (temperature, security, dangerous products), the stock-tracking tools, the commitments on picking lead times and safety: operators trained to drive equipment, equipment inspections, a safety protocol for loading and unloading.

Read the contract carefully: liability in the event of loss or breakage, insurance of the goods, stocktakes, term and notice, return of stock and data at the end of the contract. The goods remain your property. For custom packaging, see the packaging page.

Other trades on Meaflow

One platform for your manufacturing, construction, maintenance, logistics and business services needs.

Frequently asked questions

A question not answered here? Visit the help centre or write to us.

Is Meaflow reserved for businesses?

Yes. Meaflow is for companies and professionals; private individuals are not accepted. To post a transport, relocation or storage request, you act on behalf of your business. Posting a request is free, and Meaflow checks the SIRET number of registered companies.

How do you find a reliable haulier?

Check registration on the register of hauliers (in France), ask for insurance certificates (professional liability and goods in transit), compare lead times and delivery terms, and find out about shipment tracking. Meaflow does not check insurance or authorisations: request these documents directly from the supplier before confirming.

Which type of transport should I choose for my shipment?

For a load of several tonnes or sensitive goods, full-load haulage limits handling. For pallets or parcels, groupage is often more suitable. For a critical part or an urgent delivery, a dedicated courier run delivers direct. State weight, dimensions, addresses and lead times in your request: hauliers will propose the suitable solution.

When should I start the request for a business relocation?

As soon as the date you receive the keys is known: several months ahead for a head office or industrial site, at least a few weeks for a small office. This lead time allows a technical visit, an inventory, a comparison of quotes and the booking of crews and lifting equipment.

Can I outsource just the storage, without order picking?

Yes. You can hand over only pallet warehousing, or add receiving, order picking, dispatch and returns management. State in your request the services expected, your volumes, your storage conditions and the duration of the need, so that quotes can be compared.

Something to outsource?

Describe it in a few minutes and compare quotes from hauliers and logistics providers. It’s free.

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