Cargo transportation business plan: a sample with calculations

One of the most profitable niches among private businesses has always been trucking. The business plan usually promises to businessmen a good profit, however many with care approach to this undertaking. As in any other direction, there are a lot of pitfalls in the trucking of entrepreneurs. Therefore, the business plan should be as close to reality as possible. This article will help beginners start their business correctly and tell you how to compile a detailed business plan for cargo transportation.

For whom this business?

Most often, people are transported by freight, which in the past had nothing to do with this area. Even without fully understanding the nuances of this matter, you can build a successful business.

People choose cargo transportation as a way of investing for several reasons. The main ones are the high potential and good profitability of the case. However, a simple hard worker to survive in this path without a good business plan will be quite difficult.

The business plan for cargo transportation allows you to outline a clear path to the implementation and development of business. In addition, if an entrepreneur does not have enough money to implement his idea, he will have to look for creditors or investors. Neither one nor the other will give out money without getting acquainted with the business plan.

The conclusion is that having a good business plan, the PI can be opened for freight by everyone: a person with experience and without, an entrepreneur with and without initial capital.

Objectives

The concept of "cargo transportation" is very extensive. Therefore, before starting to create a business plan, it is necessary to decide what exactly the firm will do. To date, there are several samples of a business plan for cargo transportation, depending on the company's objectives. The common goals of freight forwarding companies include:

• Escort of private and legal persons' travel;
• Provision of personnel for loading and unloading operations;
• Moving of goods of international destination;
• Transportation of large loads within the country;
• Cargo transportation of commercial products;
• Storage of goods.

Not having an accurate idea of what the firm plans to do, it is impossible to draw up a business plan. Cargo transportation in all this direction is distinguished by staff, cost and size of equipment, initial investment and others.

In addition, it is not necessary to dwell on one of the represented types of cargo transportation. All directions can be combined with each other. Moreover, the more services a freight company can offer, the more customers it will be able to purchase.

Marketing - an important part of the business plan

Since cargo transportation is a very cost-effective enterprise, the level of competition there is simply off scale. Marketing strategy will allow to properly and quickly untwist the company and, accordingly, in the shortest possible time to achieve profitability of the company.

In the good business plan for cargo transportation, the "Marketing" section is given special attention. This is especially true for companies that are engaged in private transportation of goods. Without quality and extensive advertising, customers simply can not find the right company. It will simply get lost among competitors.

In advertising, it's worth emphasizing the accuracy and speed of moving loads. Those who have at least once moved know that damage to property during the transportation of things from point A to point B is not uncommon. Therefore, most potential customers will give their preference to firms that guarantee the safety of cargo.

Advantages over competitors

It is very difficult to develop your business, especially when a young company is in fact nothing different from many others. Before making a business plan for the company on freight, you should think that it can offer customers that they choose it. The obvious advantages that a young company can attract customers include:

• Large car park;
• The possibility of servicing both individuals and legal entities;
• Payment by bank transfer;
• Availability of bonuses and discounts;
• The ability to track cargo through special services;
• Round-the-clock mode of operation;
• Additional services except freight.

If at the initial stage, not everyone can boast of a large fleet of vehicles, then emphasis should be placed on more accessible ways to attract customers. For example, in the business plan for shipping, you can include several additional staff units that will handle loading and unloading operations. This attitude to customers will make the company a good reputation and will bring additional revenue.

How to advertise a company for cargo transportation?

In order to make the "Marketing" section correctly, you need to represent the real cost of advertising. The advertising budget depends on the ways of placing advertisements and their effectiveness. The more attractive the offer looks, the faster the company will work out the first clients.

In order to competently create an advertising campaign, you need to clearly represent your target audience. For example, for premium-class transportation, ads in a local newspaper are throwing money away. For an advertising campaign to pay off and give good results, you need to work in a complex way in several ways.

Ways of advertising services for cargo transportation:

• Distribution of business cards;
• Development of the official website of the company;
• Contextual advertising on Yandex platforms, Google;
• Targeted advertising in social networks;
• Groups and communities in social networks;
• Distribution of leaflets, flyers in places of large concentrations of people.

Sarafan radio also should not be excluded from the ways of advertising the company for cargo transportation. Of course, you will not include such a point in the business plan. But since the company's appearance in the services market, one should cherish its reputation. Fame spreads faster than good.

Plan for opening a company

If an entrepreneur wants to receive a business plan for cargo transportation for free, he will have to compile it on his own. For this, it is necessary to understand what this document represents.

The business plan contains two parts: theoretical and practical. In the theoretical part, the analysis of the initial data is performed. The theory should smoothly lead to practical calculations. The practical part contains all the necessary calculations, which, according to the result, should answer two main questions: how profitable investments are and how long the investment returns.

The person who first opened a business plan, as a result of his reading, there should be no questions and doubts. The fact is that investors and creditors very carefully analyze the forthcoming costs. Therefore, the business plan should assure them that they will not lose their investments.

Business Registration

For start-ups, it is most appropriate to carry out freight transportation services as individual entrepreneurs. Firstly, a minimum package of documents is required to register an IP, and secondly, a simple taxation mechanism operates for IP.

To register an IP, you need to apply to the tax office at your place of residence, write an application and provide a passport. Moreover, if an entrepreneur can not independently register his business, he can do it through trusted intermediaries.

Before registering a company, you must first choose a tax option. Today, there are three available options for IP:

• Simplified system;
• single tax;
• Common system.

If the future entrepreneur can not decide on a choice, you can consult a tax adviser before registering the IP.

Office room

If you seriously approach the organization of business, then, of course, the company can not do without the office. Of course, you can accept applications without leaving home, but this can put the director of the company in an awkward situation, when the client will need to come personally to sign the necessary documents.

A good example of a business plan for cargo transportation will never include the cost of buying a room. The company's office can be rented, and the money that would be needed to purchase square meters can be put in a more proper direction.

Equipment costs

Equipment costs are the most costly part of a business plan. It is worth investing most of the available funds, and the savings here are inappropriate. The minimum list of necessary equipment includes:

• car;
• A stationary computer or laptop;
• Office equipment (printer, scanner, etc.);
• Landline and mobile phone.

The car will cost the entrepreneur the most. It is not necessary to take huge credits and buy a foreign car. You can create a business plan for cargo transportation to the "Gazelle", and in due course to supplement and improve the fleet.

Financial plan

The financial plan is a practical part of the business plan. There you can find all the necessary calculations. To make it easier to understand how to create a business plan independently, we will list all necessary calculations.

The financial plan contains:

• Calculation of capital investments;
• Analysis of sources of cash inflows;
• Calculations of expected revenue;
• Calculations of current costs;
• Calculation of profit and profitability.

Without economic education, it will be difficult to create a business plan independently. To calculate correctly, you need to competently compare all the expected costs and revenues. The costs are collected in the operating expenses table . There are: the cost of wages and deductions, fuel, depreciation, car maintenance, advertising and so on.

As revenue, potential revenue is considered based on the firm's production capacity. The calculation takes the number of cars and the number of flights that they can make. The business plan does not include possible force majeure circumstances. However, at the end of the business plan, it is necessary to make a risk analysis, which can give a clear idea of the likely success of the company.