How do subcontractors find regular routes?

Directly from freight forwarders, parcel companies and shippers, through job portals, or through Maxmove. With us you register once as a fleet, submit your documents and then receive the tenders that match your vehicles and area.

What is a regular route?

A recurring transport task with a fixed pattern: the same route or area, fixed days and times, an agreed price. Unlike a one-off job it runs for weeks or months.

What is the difference between a regular route and a line run?

Every line run is a regular route, but not the other way round. A line run follows a timetable between fixed points, such as a night line between two depots. A regular route can also be an area with stops that change daily.

Are there regular routes for vans up to 3.5 t?

Yes. Many routes for spare parts, wholesale and branch deliveries run with large vans or box vans up to 3.5 t. Up to that limit you need no German haulage licence; see transport jobs up to 3.5 tonnes.

What does a regular route pay?

That depends on vehicle, kilometres, stops and operating time. In our tenders you name the price at which you can run the route. Base it on your costs for driver, fuel, vehicle and toll, for example with the truck toll calculator.

Which documents do I need for regular routes?

Business registration or commercial register extract, tax number or VAT ID, proof of carrier liability insurance and the vehicle documents. Above 3.5 t gross vehicle weight you also need the German haulage licence (§ 3 GüKG) or an EU licence.

How long does a regular route run?

The duration is stated in the tender. Some routes are planned for a few weeks, for example as seasonal support, others run open-ended with an agreed notice period.

Are there regular routes for small vans?

Yes. Courier and spare-parts routes with many stops in town often run with a small van or estate car. Every tender states the vehicle size a route needs. One-off jobs for the same vehicle class are under transport jobs for small vans.

Where are regular routes for subcontractors in NRW?

Most of our routes are around Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen and the Ruhr area. State your operating area when you register and you receive the tenders for your region.

← Find courier and delivery work in NRW

Regular routes for subcontractors with vans and trucks

Looking for regular routes instead of one-off jobs? We award recurring routes and scheduled line runs for business customers to transport companies – route, operating days and price are fixed before you commit.

No subscription or lead fees
See route, times and conditions upfront
One contact instead of a freight exchange

Maxmove car, van and box truck on the Rhine bank in front of Cologne Cathedral

A regular route is a run that repeats: the same customers, the same route or area, on fixed days and at fixed times. For transport companies it is the most predictable kind of work, because vehicle and driver are booked for weeks and months.

Maxmove works as a freight forwarder for retailers, wholesalers and industrial customers who ship regularly. We do not drive these routes ourselves; we award them to subcontractors with a suitable vehicle. We handle the customer, planning and billing, you provide vehicle and driver.

We put new routes out to tender: you receive the documents, name your price and learn whether you won the route. How that works is explained under transport tenders. If you also want one-off jobs for free days, see transport jobs up to 3.5 tonnes and subcontractors with trucks.

Regular routes for vans and trucks

Which route fits depends on your vehicle. Load space, payload and equipment such as a tail lift are listed with every route.

Small vans and estate cars: courier and spare-parts routes with many stops in town
Large vans and box vans up to 3.5 t: daily deliveries to branches, workshops and construction sites
7.5 t to 18 t: pallet routes between warehouse, wholesaler and customers
Articulated lorry (40 t): full loads on fixed lanes

Line runs, night lines and shuttles

A line run follows a timetable between fixed points, for example every evening from the warehouse to the depot and back. Punctuality matters most here, because goods are transferred onward at the destination.

Line run: fixed departure and arrival times between two or more sites
Night line: departure in the evening, arrival before the shift starts at the destination
Shuttle: several round trips a day between plant, warehouse or depot
Area route: changing stops within a fixed area, such as a postcode zone

How we award regular routes

Every new route goes out as a tender to vetted transport companies. It states the area or route, operating days, times, vehicle requirements and duration. You submit your price, we compare the bids and award the route. Details are under transport tenders.

Pay: per route, per day or per hour

How a route is billed is stated in the tender before you bid.

Price per route, as a day rate, per hour, per kilometre or per month, depending on the route
Toll and fuel: every route states whether they are included in the price
Payment term and billing method are part of the tender conditions
No subscription or lead fees

Regular routes in NRW and across Germany

Most routes are in North Rhine-Westphalia around Cologne, Düsseldorf and the Ruhr area. Full loads on fixed lanes are awarded across Germany as well. State your operating area and vehicles when you register so you receive the tenders that fit.

What do I need to qualify for transport orders?

Anyone carrying goods commercially for third parties in Germany needs different credentials depending on vehicle weight. Up to 3.5 t, a business registration, driving licence and goods-in-transit liability insurance are enough; above that you also need the permit under § 3 GüKG.

Permitted gross weight	Permit	Note
up to 3.5 t	Business registration, no road haulage permit	The entry point for courier and light transport – workable as a one-person business
above 3.5 t	Permit under § 3 GüKG or an EU licence	Requires professional competence, financial standing and good repute
all classes	Goods-in-transit liability insurance	No order is released without a valid policy

This overview is not legal advice. The GüKG and the conditions set by your competent authority govern – when in doubt, ask your chamber of commerce or the BALM.

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