Wholesale Logistics: Customer Orders Delivered Today by Direct Drive
Maxmove takes picked goods from your warehouse straight to your customer's workshop, office or plant – when your own route is full or an order cannot wait until tomorrow.
- Instant price before booking
- Live tracking on every drive
- Insured transports
Wholesale deliveries: the orders that fall between your routes
Whether you supply industrial parts, packaging, office or workshop consumables, most wholesale deliveries run on fixed routes: ordered by the day before, picked in the evening, delivered the next morning. The hard part is the orders in between – the maintenance team whose pump is down for want of a seal, the caterer who is short of packaging for tonight, the shortfall from this morning's route. Each of them costs you either an extra driver or the customer.
Maxmove runs these orders as a direct drive: one vehicle, one route from your warehouse to the recipient, with no depot and no transhipment. Goods stay packed and labelled exactly as they left your picking area, and the delivery note travels with them. You see the instant price and the earliest pickup window before you book.
In practice the drive itself rarely goes wrong – the handover does: goods-in already closed, no dock for the pallet, a plant gate that requires registration. That is why receiving hours, contact person and unloading options belong on the order. The driver sees them in the app, and the digital proof of delivery records recipient, time and photos of the unloaded goods.
What wholesalers send by direct drive
Typical consignments from industrial, packaging, office and workshop supply that cannot wait for the next scheduled route.
- Spare parts for plant maintenance
- Seals, bearings and drive belts
- Fixings in cartons and small load carriers
- Packaging and corrugated cartons
- Disposable tableware and catering non-food
- Copier paper and office supplies
- Workwear and PPE
- Picked mixed pallets
- Shortfalls from the morning route
Three rush orders from wholesale warehouses in the Rhineland
What typical drives between Cologne, Leverkusen and Bonn look like – and what the recipient needs to prepare.
A seal for a pump at Chempark Leverkusen
An industrial wholesaler in Cologne-Porz has the mechanical seal for a stalled pump at Chempark Leverkusen in stock. It is fastest when the customer's contact on site registers the delivery with plant security; checking in at the gate without pre-registration is possible but takes longer. The driver needs an official ID in the original and a reference such as the delivery note or order number. The carton travels in a compact van, with gate, building and contact person on the order.
Packaging for a caterer in Bonn
A packaging wholesaler in Cologne-Niehl delivers meal trays, disposable tableware and transport boxes to a caterer in Bonn-Beuel who is equipping an event that evening. The goods are light but bulky, so load volume, not weight, is the limit. Instead of two runs in a small van, a Sprinter L2 with around 10 m³ of load space does the job. The caterer records the yard entrance, the time from which the kitchen is staffed, and that the cartons will be unloaded by hand.
A morning-route shortfall in Cologne
A workshop-supplies wholesaler's morning route was two mixed pallets short for a metalworking business in Cologne-Braunsfeld. The top-up goes out the same day in a van that takes up to three Euro pallets. The customer has a forklift in the yard – that is on the order, as is the agreement that no empty pallets will be exchanged. The proof of delivery with photos of both pallets goes to the sales office, which closes the shortfall with it.
Local courier service:KölnLeverkusenBonn
Who prepares what for wholesale deliveries
The duties under German freight law and the points where wholesale deliveries get stuck in practice.
Packing and loading: the sender's job
Under Section 411 of the German Commercial Code (HGB), the sender must pack goods so they are protected against loss and damage. Section 412 HGB requires the sender to load, stow and secure them safely for transport unless circumstances or custom say otherwise; the carrier is responsible for operationally safe loading. For your warehouse that means pallets wrapped and strapped, cartons stackable, heavy items at the bottom. Before setting off, the driver checks that the load is secured as Section 22 of the German road traffic regulations (StVO) requires.
Euro pallets and pallet exchange
The EPAL Euro pallet measures 1,200 × 800 mm, weighs around 25 kg empty and carries up to 1,500 kg. German freight law does not oblige the carrier to exchange or return pallets – an exchange has to be agreed. Widely used are the 'Bonn' and 'Cologne' pallet-exchange clauses recommended by the shippers' and transport associations. Agree with your customer whether pallets are exchanged, note it on the order and record number and condition on a pallet note.
Chilled goods and dangerous goods only after review
Chilled food only travels once it has been confirmed that a suitably equipped vehicle is available. For dangerous goods, Section 410 HGB applies: the sender must inform the carrier in good time and in text form of the exact nature of the hazard and any precautions needed. In a wholesale range, aerosol cans, solvent-based adhesives, corrosive cleaners or lithium batteries can all be dangerous goods under ADR. Standard bookings must not contain undeclared dangerous goods – declare such items before booking.
Settle receiving arrangements in advance
Industrial parks control access through gatehouses. At Chempark, for instance, deliveries are only possible on working days between 6 am and 8 pm, and passengers who are not part of the driving crew are not allowed on site. Office buildings and shops, on the other hand, often have no dock and no forklift, so a pallet can only be unloaded from a van carton by carton. If you need a tail lift, say so when booking – it is available depending on the vehicle.
Which vehicle suits which wholesale consignment
Single spare parts and cartons go by car or compact van (up to 400 kg, two Euro pallets). The van takes up to three Euro pallets or 900 kg, the Sprinter L2 four pallets – and with around 10 m³ it is also the right choice for bulky, light goods. Heavy mixed pallets up to 1,200 kg and, depending on the body, five to eight Euro pallets belong in the 3.5-tonne box van, up to 3,000 kg and 12 to 15 Euro pallets in the 7.5-tonne truck; anything beyond that is a [special transport](/sonderfahrten) on request.
| Vehicle | Maks. težina | Euro palete | Maks. dimenzije tereta | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarStane npr. Moving boxes, small furniture, classifieds pickups | 100 kg | – | 100 × 70 × 50 cm | from €79.86Base fare €18.90 | Book |
| Small VanStane npr. Washing machine, armchair, moving boxes | 400 kg | 1–2 | 160 × 120 × 120 cm | from €94.05Base fare €29.90 | Book |
| VanStane npr. Sofa, 1–2 room move, moving boxes | 900 kg | 2–3 | 270 × 160 × 130 cm | from €112.95Base fare €44.90 | Book |
| Large VanStane npr. Wardrobe, 2–3 room move, bulky furniture | 1000 kg | 3–4 | 330 × 180 × 170 cm | from €130.05Base fare €54.90 | Book |
| 3.5t Box LorryStane npr. Retail goods, tail lift, large furniture | 1200 kg | 6–8 | 430 × 210 × 210 cm | from €211.24Base fare €129 | Book |
| 7.5t LorryStane npr. Full house move, bulky retail goods, site material | 3000 kg | 12–15 | 610 × 245 × 240 cm | from €366.72Base fare €249 | Book |
Published examples for Köln → Düsseldorf, weekdays at 10:00 (Berlin time). The binding price for your addresses is shown before booking.
Bigger, open-bed or heavier than 3 t? On request as a special run
How a wholesale delivery with Maxmove works
- 01
Create the order
Enter warehouse address, recipient, receiving hours and delivery-note number, plus each package with dimensions and weight. You see the instant price and earliest pickup window before booking; business customers can also book via API.
- 02
Collection at dispatch
The driver reports to the dock with the order number. Your warehouse loads the goods safely for transport, and the driver checks the load securing before leaving.
- 03
Direct drive to the customer
No depot, no transhipment. Your sales office and the customer follow the vehicle in live tracking and can get goods-in ready.
- 04
Handover with proof
The recipient signs digitally and the driver photographs the unloaded goods. File the time-stamped proof of delivery with the delivery note.
Why Maxmove for Wholesale
Rush orders without an extra driver of your own
Shortfalls, top-ups and orders after route cut-off go by direct drive, instead of sending a warehouse worker out in a car or asking the customer to wait until tomorrow. You only book the drives your own route cannot cover.
Fixed price, invoicing, fixed routes
You see the instant price before every booking, based on route and vehicle class. A [business account](/business) lets you book on invoice, and recurring routes – such as a daily afternoon round to regular customers – can be set up as standing orders.
Proof that matches the delivery note
Signature, time stamp and photos of the unloaded goods are available digitally after every delivery. When a customer reports a shortfall or transport damage, your sales office has the evidence to hand straight away.