When speed is crucial, express transport seems like the ideal solution. A pallet that needs to reach the customer before the end of the day, a late order that still needs to go out, or a critical delivery to prevent production downtime. But speed comes at a price. And not just in the transport rate.
In this blog, we’ll show you which costs often don’t appear on the invoice but do impact your margins.
Express Transport: more than just an Expensive Ride
Express transport is usually deployed outside regular planning. This means improvisation. A courier is called immediately, a vehicle runs specially for one shipment, and there’s little to no room for efficiency or consolidation during transit.
The direct costs seem straightforward: a higher price per kilometer, an express surcharge, or weekend rates. But the indirect impact often becomes apparent later.
The Five Main Hidden Costs
1. Inefficient Use of Space
Express transport usually operates as a dedicated journey. While regular shipments are combined with other goods (groupage), express deliveries often travel with half-empty vans or trucks. You’re paying for unused space without getting any added value.
2. Loss of Control and Overview
Express delivery is often the result of ad-hoc decisions. And the more frequently this happens, the harder it becomes to maintain oversight of your supply chain. Think about different carriers, alternative procedures, and manual corrections in your systems.
3. Additional Internal Work Pressure
Express means rushing the preparation: order picking, labeling, documentation. Employees need to switch tasks, processes are interrupted, and errors become more likely. Incorrect data or missing documents can lead to fines, delays, or return shipments.
4. Missed Economies of Scale
Planning multiple shipments allows for bundling and beneficial rates. With express transport, the opposite applies: you miss out on bundle discounts, plan inefficiently, and lose the ability to optimize routes. Over a year, this can add up significantly.
5. Impact on Customer Relationships and Reputation
Express delivery may sound service-oriented, but structural express deliveries can actually cause unease or uncertainty among customers. They experience it as “irregular” or “last minute”. Moreover, when it fails once, the disappointment is even greater.
When is Express Transport a Smart Choice?
Sometimes express is the only right option. Consider:
- Just-in-time production schedules
- Medical or perishable goods
- Support during emergencies or machine downtime
- International express shipments with strict deadlines
In these cases, speed is essential. It’s crucial to work with a partner who knows your processes, can act quickly, and thinks in solutions without surprises.
What Can You Do to Limit Express Transport?
The art is not to manage express transport but to prevent it. This starts with a stable logistics chain and clear agreements with your carrier.
At Van der Helm, we look at:
- Smart forecast models
- Structural capacity per week
- Clear time windows with margin for flexibility
- Alternative routes or modalities (e.g., groupage or night distribution)
Express transport thus becomes not a risk, but a planned component of your logistics strategy.
Choose Control Instead of Surprises
Speed can be important, but it shouldn’t be a surprise. By identifying the hidden costs of express transport and offering structural solutions in advance, you prevent ad-hoc decisions that cost your organization money.
On-time delivery starts with choosing certainty
Whether you ship pallets daily or occasionally have an urgent shipment: you want to stay ahead of delays and hidden costs. With Van der Helm, you choose overview, structure, and reliability. Want to know more about our approach to transport? Check out our page about transport.