COST-TO-SERVE BENCHMARK NOTE
Know what delivery should cost, quarter by quarter
A quarterly reference for owner-managed Northern Ireland shippers. See what good freight cost looks like, what has moved between quarters, and how your own delivery performance compares.
Q4 2026 edition. Free for NI shippers.
Q4 2026 edition: figures pending verification
This edition currently carries placeholder benchmark figures and source details while the data is being verified. Treat the numbers as indicative until the confirmed release.
BENCHMARK SCOPE
Built for NI shippers turning over £5m to £50m
The note benchmarks owner-managed manufacturing, distribution and food businesses in Northern Ireland. It focuses on the freight movements and surcharge areas that shape real delivery cost, so you compare like for like against businesses of a similar size and shape.
Size and sector
NI businesses with £5m to £50m turnover, across manufacturing, distribution and food.
Freight movements
Pallet and parcel movements across GB, ROI and NI lanes, plus dedicated and groupage runs.
Surcharge areas
Fuel, remote-area, customs handling and re-delivery surcharges that inflate the headline rate.
Quarter on quarter
What carrier rates and cost per drop have done since the previous edition.
TRUE DELIVERY COST
Work out what a drop really costs you
The headline carrier rate is rarely the real number. The note walks you through building a true cost per delivery so your comparison against the benchmark is honest.
1. Start with the base rate
Take last month’s total freight spend, not a quoted tariff, so nothing is missed.
2. Add the surcharges
Layer in fuel, remote-area, customs handling and re-delivery charges that sit off the headline rate.
3. Add the internal cost
Include picking, loading, admin and the returns handling that each delivery actually triggers.
4. Divide by real drops
Split the all-in cost across genuine deliveries to get a true cost per drop you can benchmark.
ACCOUNT SCORING
Spot the accounts that may be costing you money
Score each major account 0 to 2 across four factors. Low totals flag customers whose delivery profile may be quietly unprofitable, before you reprice or renegotiate.
Drop size
Large, full drops score 2. Frequent small drops that never fill a run score 0.
Distance and frequency
Close, planned deliveries score 2. Far-flung or ad hoc runs that break the schedule score 0.
Returns
Clean deliveries score 2. Regular returns, re-deliveries and failed drops score 0.
Payment terms
Terms paid on time score 2. Stretched terms that fund the customer at your expense score 0.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Below, within, or above the benchmark
Below range
Protect the advantage
You are shipping cheaper than the benchmark. Confirm it is not costing service, then document how you do it so the gain survives a busy quarter.
Within range
Trim at the edges
You are in line with peers. Look at your lowest-scoring accounts and surcharge lines for the small wins that move you toward the better end of the range.
Above range
Find the leak
You are paying more than the benchmark. Start with your zero-scoring accounts and surcharges, then test carrier rates against the market before you renegotiate.
RELATED NEXT STEP
Want the leaks found for you? Book a Blind Spot Audit
90 minutes on site, then a two-page Findings Note within five days. Three principal findings, an annual £ range for each, and one no-cost action you can take that week.
Next edition: Q1 2027. Eight audit places per month.