Guides › Trades & Field Services
Set clear expectations for a new haulage partner
Get a plain-English service brief for a new carrier or subcontractor covering what good looks like, how you'll measure it and who to call.
When to use it
When onboarding a new carrier, warehouse or subcontractor
Step by step
List what matters
Note the lanes or work involved, delivery windows, how you want updates, paperwork needed, damage and delay rules and your main contacts.
Ask for a service brief
Paste your notes into your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copyDraft a service expectations brief for a new [carrier or subcontractor] handling [work, e.g. next-day pallet deliveries across the North West]. Use these details: [notes]. Sections: scope of work; service standards (for example on-time delivery, proof of delivery, damage reporting) with how each is measured; communication rules (when and how to update us, what counts as urgent); paperwork required; what happens when a standard is missed; contacts and escalation path; review schedule. Write in plain, friendly but firm language, no more than two pages. Mark anything I should confirm with our contract team with [CHECK].Line it up with the contract
Check the brief against your signed agreement so the standards match. The contract always wins if they differ.
Walk them through it
Share the brief before the first job and go through it on a short call, so questions come up early rather than on a bad day.
What you get
Service standard: 97% of deliveries within the booked 2-hour window, measured weekly from POD times. Damage: photo and report within 2 hours of delivery. Escalation: Ops desk first, then Duty Manager on 0000 000000 after 30 minutes.
Tips
- This brief explains expectations; it isn't a contract. Have anything legally binding checked by whoever handles contracts.