Any Questions?

1. JOINING FREIGHT ALERTS
2. NEED A COURIER? - POSTING A LOAD
3. POSTING REGULAR WORK
4. OUR MOBILE APP

1. JOINING FREIGHT ALERTS

Question:
Who are Freight Alerts?
Answer: Freight Alerts are a membership based website that has been providing a service to Couriers and Hauliers since 2006. If you need further reassurance, we are members of the Freight Transport Association Membership number 199130.

Question: Who should become a member of Freight Alerts? 
Answer: Any self employed couriers, owner drivers, light haulage contractors or courier companies operating vehicles up to 7.5 tons wanting to bring extra work into their business.

Question: How much does it cost to use the Freight Alerts service?
Answer: It is free to add postings (loads or regular work) to Freight Alerts. But if you wish to view postings, post your vehicle or receive regular emails of new postings (loads, vehicles or regular work), the current charge for this service is £60 plus vat every six months or £100 plus vat every 12 months. Our fees are fixed and work out at less than £2.75 per week, we do not charge any commission on any of the work thereafter.

Question: How do I pay?
Answer: When you register to use the service, you will be requested to enter details of a Credit Card or Debit Card. Our online credit card clearance is run in conjunction with WorldPay, the leading online payment processor. All credit card processing is conducted in the WorldPay secure area and your card details are never seen by us.

Question: What commitment do I have to using Freight Alerts?
Answer: None. Your membership will renew automatically at the end of the membership period, however you may cancel it at any time by contacting us – just send an email to enquiries@freightalerts.co.uk, or simply by cancelling the applicable agreement in your WorldPay account.

Question: How much work can I expect from Freight Alerts?
Answer:  We recommend you use Freight Alerts to provide your business with additional loads alongside other contracts you may have. We would expect you to get a very good return on your membership fee, bear in mind that it costs less than £2.75 per week.

Question: I have seen other websites where the work goes to the lowest bid resulting in impossibly low rates, does Freight Alerts work in the same way?
Answer:  No, absolutely not. Most users of Freight Alerts are looking to place their work quickly and at a reasonable rate. If a member responds early with an acceptable rate, this will secure the work.

Question: Can I deal direct with customers?
Answer:  Yes, no problem. If you are looking to build up your customer base, then consider joining as you gain customers as well as work from the site. This is particularly important for any customers based near to you that may have future opportunities.

Question: Can I join Freight Alerts using my car?
Answer: We do get work suitable for a car, however you may be limiting the amount of work you can take from the website by not having a van.

Question: How will I receive the latest work postings?
Answer: Members can access details of the latest work on the website or choose to receive email alerts listing the latest loads with the customer contact details. Members follow up opportunities directly with the customer. 

2. NEED A COURIER? POSTING A LOAD

Question: Why use Freight Alerts to make my delivery?
Answer: By taking advantage of our international network of members to deliver your goods, you will receive extremely competitive delivery quotes and help to reduce the number of empty vans and lorries travelling on our roads.  

Question: What is a “load” posting?
Answer: A “Load” posting covers anything that you need to have moved.

Question: How do I post a load on the website and receive quotes for delivery?
Answer: We recommend that you leave “HTML” as the format for the email alerts as this is more user friendly and easier to read. Only choose “Plain Text” if you have difficulty opening the emails that we send.

Question: Do I have to receive emails to find out what loads have been posted?
Answer: To get a quote from our courier and light haulage members please enter your requirements into the form here, this will enable our members to match your delivery requirement to their available vehicles resulting in extremely competitive delivery rates.

Question: What is the difference between a Courier Load and a Haulage Load?
Answer: Haulage Loads (larger truck loads) are sent to our members that have suitable vehicles whereas Courier Loads (white van type loads) are sent to members that offer this service. By separating out loads in this way, you will be contacted by the most appropriate transport businesses for your load. To receive a quote for a haulage load, enter your requirements into our sister haulage website here.

Question: How will I receive a quote for a load.
Answer: This will be done in a variety of ways such as by telephone or email in the same way that you do business now. As always, you should ensure that any verbal prices are backed up by written confirmation.

Question: What if I want the load collected as soon as possible.
Answer: Do not enter anything into the “Collect” date boxes, and it will be posted as collect “ASAP”.

Question: What if I want the load delivered as soon as possible.
Answer: Do not enter anything into the “Deliver” date boxes, and it will be posted as deliver “ASAP”.

Question: What should I enter into the “Details” box.
Answer: Enter as much information as possible on the load so that our members can see if it is of interest (i.e. they have a suitable vehicle) and also as much information regarding size, weight, special loading/unloading requirements etc. But don’t worry if you don’t have the information, this can be discussed later before agreeing a price.

Question: Can I edit my load posting?
Answer: Once your load is posted, it is emailed out to all of the relevant Freight Alerts members, so it is not possible to edit a load. If you have to change any details, please remove that load, (by clicking on the link within the confirmation email that we send you when you add the posting) and then create a new posting.

Question: How do I remove a load posting?
Answer: You can remove a posting by clicking on the link within the confirmation email that we send you when you add the posting. It is the responsibility of the person advertising the work to remove a posting once it has been fulfilled. Unfortunately sometimes this gets overlooked, please advise us of any fulfilled postings by email to enquiries@freightalerts.co.uk, and we will remove them.

Question: What is a “Vehicle Available” posting?
Answer: A “Vehicle” posting is used to send details to other Freight Alerts members on available vehicles that you might have. This facililty is only available to members of Freight Alerts.

3. POSTING REGULAR WORK

Question: What is a “Regular Work” posting?
Answer: A “Regular Work” posting is used to send details to other Freight Alerts members on regular work contracts that you might have. e.g. Regular daily loads for vans between London and Glasgow.

Question: What is the difference between a Courier Regular Work Posting and a Haulage Regular Work Posting?
Answer: Haulage Regular Work (suitable for larger trucks) is sent to our members that have suitable vehicles whereas Courier Regular Work (suitable for white vans etc) is sent to members that offer this service. By separating out postings in this way, you will be contacted by the most appropriate transport businesses for your regular work postings.   

Question: What should I enter into the “Details” box.
Answer: Enter as much information as possible on the load so that our members can see if it is of interest (i.e. they have a suitable vehicle) and also as much information regarding size, weight, special loading/unloading requirements etc. But don’t worry if you don’t have the information, this can be discussed later before agreeing a price.

Question: What if I can’t find the answer to my question here?
Answer: Please contact us with any other queries via our contact page.

4. MOBILE APP Back

Question: What is the benefit of using the App?
Answer: The App enables members to display their vehicle location and availability for work on the Freight Alerts website, whilst out on the road. So if a member has just completed a delivery and is available to undertake work, their location and status appears on the Freight Alerts website for other users to view and contact directly if they have suitable work.

Question: How much is the App?
Answer: The App is free to Freight Alerts members.

Question: Can I use the App to enable my own customers and contacts to track my position?
Answer: Yes, you can provide your contacts with a link to your unique Tracking Page, which displays your current location and status. Your link is www.freightalerts.co.uk/track-member.php?email="Your Freight Alerts Email Address", for example www.freightalerts.co.uk/track-member.php?email=johnsmith@yahoo.com so it should be easy to remember. You can also check your link here with a facility to email the link to your contacts.

Question: Which mobile phones can use the App?
Answer: At present the App can be used on iPhones, Android phones and BlackBerry Phones. In addition the phone needs to have the GPS feature to enable the App to work.

Question: Where can I get the App?
Answer:The best way is to go to the iPhone App Store, Google Play AppStore or BlackBerry App World on your phone and search for "Freight Alerts", you can then download and install the App directly to your phone.

Question: How do I use the App?
Answer: The App is very easy to use. Open the App on your phone, login with your Freight Alerts email address and password, click on the "Tracking" button and tick the "Track Me" and "Available" boxes (leave the tracking "Interval" set at 5 minutes), then click "Save & Exit" to exit the App. The App will track your location every five minutes and put the details on the Freight Alerts website.

Question: How do I switch off Tracking?
Answer: Just login to the App, go to the Tracking screen and untick the "Track Me" box.

Question: Where is my location displayed?
Answer: Your location is displayed on the Freight Alerts website at www.freightalerts.co.uk/track-member.php?email="Your Freight Alerts Email Address", for example www.freightalerts.co.uk/track-member.php?email=johnsmith@yahoo.com so it should be easy to remember. You can also check your link here with a facility to email the link to your contacts.

Question: Can other users of Freight Alerts find me?
Answer: Other users of Freight Alerts can find you by searching for nearest available vehicle in the Directory, this search returns the closest available vehicles to an entered postcode, place etc.

Question: What does the "Available" setting in the App mean?
Answer: This setting controls how you appear on your tracking page, either available for work or not available so that your contacts can view your current status. In addition, if you are "Available" users of the Freight Alerts website can find you when searching for the nearest available vehicle in the Directory.

Question: Can I use the App abroad?
Answer: Yes, the App can be used abroad but you will need to activate data roaming. The App uses very little data each day, less than 300KB. Check with your mobile provider on data costs abroad if you are concerned.

Question: Does the App use a lot of phone battery power?
Answer: The App has been designed to be a light user of battery power but most smartphones require charging frequently and we advise users to use phone chargers when on the move. We also display a message when exiting the App to remind users.

Question: Why are my tracking details not displaying on the Freight Alerts website?
Answer: This could be for a number of reasons, please check below:
1. Login to your App and make sure that the "Track Me" box is ticked, your GPS status is on and there is some "Longitude" and "Latitude" information displayed.
2. Make sure that your phone is connected to the Internet. Try and go to a website. If there is a problem check your phone is set up to connect to the internet. Check with your phone provider if you are unsure about this setting.
3. Make sure that GPS is enabled on your phone. Check with your phone provider if you are unsure about this setting.