Steplane
For small and medium freight forwarding and transport companies

Map your freight processes. Find where money leaks.

Answer simple questions about how your company works today. Steplane draws your process step by step, gives every step an owner, shows where you lose money, and hands you the templates to fix it.

Free. No sign-up. Works even if nothing is written down yet.

Example
€2,340/ month, found in 3 places
Waiting time at loading not billedDriver lane · step 5
€1,180
Quotes sent without exclusionsSales lane · step 2
€740
Invoices sent 9 days after deliveryBilling lane · step 7
€420

Example result. Your estimates use your own loads, rates and payment terms.

Why freight companies use Steplane

Stop losing money

Find unbilled waiting time and storage, late invoices and quotes that leave extras open, with an estimate of what each costs you.

Get audit-ready

ISO 9001, AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) and customer or insurer audits ask for documented processes with clear owners and records. Steplane writes that structure for you.

Stop depending on one person

When the process lives in one head, holidays and new hires hurt. Get a clear step-by-step procedure the whole team can follow.

How do you create a process for a freight forwarding company?

Start from what triggers the work, write each step in order, give every step one owner, and name the record each step leaves behind. Then check it with the people who do the work. In practice it takes five steps:

  1. List your core processes. For most freight companies: quote to invoice, carrier onboarding, shipment exceptions, damage and claims, new customer setup, month-end billing.
  2. Write the steps in order, starting from the trigger, such as "customer asks for a price".
  3. Give each step one owner, a role rather than a name: sales, operations, billing, drivers, warehouse.
  4. Name the record each step leaves: the quote, the job record, the proof of delivery, the invoice. Auditors check these.
  5. Review it with the team and check it every six months, or when something changes.

Steplane does steps 2 to 4 for you from a short questionnaire, starting with quote to invoice.

How it works

1

Answer simple questions

About your team, your trucks and warehouse, quoting, extra costs, invoicing and getting paid. Pick the answer closest to how it works today.

2

Get your process, drawn and written

Every step in its lane with an owner, a trigger and a record, plus the places money slips through and what each one costs you.

3

Fix it with ready templates

Get the quote template, extras log, invoice checklist and reminder emails that close those leaks, plus a plan to roll them out.

Every step in its lane

One load, from the first price request to the paid invoice. This is what your map looks like, with the leaks marked.

What you get in the quote-to-invoice kit

Free

Process map and procedure

Every step from price request to payment, by role, plus a written procedure with owners and records for audits and training.

Free

Money leaks, priced

Each leak with why it happens, how to fix it, and an estimate in your currency.

In the kit

4 ready templates

  • Quote with exclusions block
  • Extras log (Excel)
  • Invoice checklist
  • Payment reminder emails
In the kit

5-step rollout plan

Five checks to make the team actually follow the new way: why, owners, training, first two weeks, 30-day review.

In the kit

Your process as a PDF

Your own process as a ready PDF document for audits: document control, process map, written procedure, records list and revision history.

Created in your browser from your answers, so make it on the same device where you did the check.

Templates come in a European version (€, VAT, CMR) and a US version ($, sales tax, bill of lading). Word and Excel, fully editable.

Six process kits for freight and transport companies

Each kit is a written process with owners and records, a rollout plan and editable Word and Excel templates, in EU and US versions.

Built from experience

"I've spent over 13 years in logistics, including at some of the biggest freight forwarders in the world, working inside their processes and designing them. Steplane is what I'd hand a small or medium freight company: the same discipline, without the software project."

Paul, Founder, Steplane · About Steplane
13+ yrs
in logistics and process design

Free quote-to-invoice check

Question 1 of 16
Quote to invoice check

Tell us about your company

Filled with example answers so you can see how it works. Change them to match your company.

Pricing

Free check

€0

Your quote-to-invoice process map, the money leaks and the estimates.

Start the free check

One process kit

€49

Editable Word and Excel templates and a rollout plan for one process. Quote-to-invoice also includes your process as a ready PDF document for audits.

Any 3 processes

€99

Pick the three processes that cost you most.

Choose 3 processes

Choose 3.

Best value

All 6 processes

€199

Every core process of a freight or transport company, documented the same way.

    Already have a process? Get it reviewed

    Send the procedure, flowchart or spreadsheets you use today. We check owners, triggers and records, find where money leaks and what an auditor would question, and send you a written review with prioritised fixes within 5 working days. Done remotely, no calls needed. We confirm the fixed price by email before you pay.

    Small

    €149

    One process, up to about 15 steps.

    Medium

    €349

    Up to 3 connected processes or about 40 steps.

    Large

    from €690

    More processes or several branches.

    Send your process for review

    Several branches or merging with another company?

    When each branch, or each company after a deal, quotes, books and invoices its own way, money leaks multiply and audits get harder. We help you agree one way of working and make it stick. All done remotely: online workshops and shared documents.

    Make branches work the same way

    • Collect each branch's current process
    • Compare them: what matches, what differs, where money leaks
    • Agree one way of working with you
    • Written procedures, templates and training
    • Rollout plan and a 30-day review

    Bringing two companies together after a merger or purchase

    • Map both companies' current processes
    • Compare them and list the risks for money, compliance and customers
    • Design the new process together
    • Describe it, train the team
    • Support the rollout with reviews after 30, 60 and 90 days

    Tell us about your companies

    From €990, fixed price agreed by email after we see your request.

    We use these details only to reply to you. See the privacy policy.

    Free templates, checklists and calculators

    All guides: SOP template, booking, carrier onboarding, claims, unbilled extras, ISO 9001 and AEO.

    Questions

    Who is Steplane for?

    Small and medium freight forwarding, transport, courier and warehouse companies, from a handful of people to around a hundred, where processes live in people's heads, email and spreadsheets.

    Do I need my processes written down first?

    No. The questions walk you through how the work happens today and draw the process from your answers. Many companies start with nothing on paper.

    Can I use it for ISO 9001 or AEO?

    Yes, as the starting point. Both expect documented processes with clear responsibilities and records. Steplane gives you that structure for quote to invoice: steps, owners, triggers and records. You still need to follow it and keep the records, and the certification body or customs authority makes the final assessment.

    Do I need to install anything?

    No. The check runs in your browser. The kit is Word and Excel files you open with what you already use.

    Does it work for the US and for Europe?

    Yes. Prices show in dollars or euros, and the templates come in a US version and a European version with the right terms, units and tax wording.

    What happens to my answers?

    Your answers stay in your browser. We count anonymous results (number of leaks and estimates, never your company name) to improve the check. If you leave your email, we keep it with your result summary to send you the kit. See the privacy policy.

    Can I get my process PDF on another computer?

    Your process PDF is created in the browser where you did the check, from the answers saved there. We do not keep your answers. If you open the PDF link on another computer or phone, you will need to answer the questions again there (about 10 minutes); the link then creates the PDF on that device. You can also save the PDF once and share the file.

    Do you help companies with several branches, or after a merger?

    Yes, remotely. We collect each branch's or each company's current process, compare them, agree one way of working with you, write the procedures, train the team and support the rollout through online workshops and shared documents. You send a short request and we agree a fixed price by email after we see it, from €990. See branches and mergers.

    Can you review the process we already have?

    Yes. Send your procedure, flowchart or spreadsheets on the process review page. Prices depend on size: €149 for one process, €349 for up to three connected processes, from €690 for larger or multi-branch reviews. We confirm the fixed price by email before you pay, and the written review arrives within 5 working days.

    How accurate are the money estimates?

    They are estimates from your own answers, not your accounts. The report shows exactly how each figure is worked out so you can check it against your numbers.