GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 24, 2026

Haulage Contractor

When a freight forwarder needs a truck from Hamburg to Rotterdam, they call a haulage contractor.

Quick Answer

Last updated: 24 June 2026Published: 19 June 2025

Source: https://cscmp.org/CSCMP/Educate/SCM_Definitions_and_Glossary_of_Terms.aspx

Category

Incoterms 2020 Simulator: Who bears costs & risk?

Reading time

1 min

Words

Mentioned in

–

Definition & Explanation

When a freight forwarder needs a truck from Hamburg to Rotterdam, they call a haulage contractor. This type of company operates under a specific transport contract, providing vehicles, drivers, and operational resources to move goods along defined routes. Responsibility is limited to the physical delivery of cargo; customs formalities, warehousing, packaging, and ancillary services remain with the shipper or freight forwarder. This focused scope is what sets the haulage contractor apart from full-service logistics providers and from freight forwarders, who organise and coordinate transport without necessarily owning any vehicles.

Next steps

Tools that match this term

Calculate customs valueWork out import duties and customs valueOpen Compare IncotermsClarify duties, cost and riskOpen Find HS codeDetermine the tariff number for customsOpen Calculate transit timeEstimate duration per transport modeOpen

Related Terms

You might also be interested in these terms

Independent Contractor Logistics

Independent contractor logistics is an operating model in which carriers or logistics providers assign transport work to self-empl…

Learn more

customer-supplied items

A car component supplier ships its own steel blanks to a toll processor for further manufacturing—those materials are customer-sup…

Learn more

external contractor

An external contractor delivers specialized services or tasks for a principal without being a direct employee of that principal's …

Learn more

Cartage Contractor Logistics

Outsourcing short-haul freight movement to specialist carriers – rather than running a proprietary fleet – is the core principle b…

Learn more

liability for the result (strict performance liability)

Liability for the result places the contractor at risk the moment the contractually promised outcome fails to materialise, regardl…

Learn more

Contract for Transport Services

In transport law, a work contract differs from a service contract in that the contractor assumes liability for achieving a specifi…

Learn more

⚖️ ICC Incoterms 2020

Incoterms 2020 Simulator: Who bears costs & risk?

Analyze all 11 Incoterms 2020: cost matrix, risk timeline, insurance gap detector and customs responsibility – free, no login required.

Incoterms Simulator →

Logistics knowledge straight to your inbox

Weekly: Top news, industry facts and insights from the world of logistics – free.

Haulage Contractor

Next steps

Related Terms

Independent Contractor Logistics

customer-supplied items

external contractor

Cartage Contractor Logistics

liability for the result (strict performance liability)

Contract for Transport Services

Incoterms 2020 Simulator: Who bears costs & risk?

Logistics knowledge straight to your inbox

Community Questions & Answers