The Logistics and Delivery Handbook
Operations and Product · Nº 87
The Logistics and Delivery Handbook
Shipping, Lead Times, and Routes to Deliver on the Promised Day, without Shipping Costs Eating Your Margin
Your truck is on the road. So why do customers keep calling to ask where it is?
24 tools and a spreadsheet to see what each delivery really costs, promise a day you can keep, load without mistakes, and build a route that drives less, worked through on one distributor.
You get 24 tools to measure cost per kilometer and per stop, find the customers who cost you money, set delivery days and a cutoff time, pick and check before loading, plan the route, and close out each delivery. Plus a spreadsheet with 6 working tabs.
A book explains the method. This handbook puts it to work: the tool, a worked example, and a spreadsheet with your numbers.
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
The truck leaves late, crosses town twice, and comes back with goods the customer refused. The phone rings all morning with the same question: what time will it get here? Tuesday's delivery turns into Wednesday's, an order arrives short, and the driver's day runs into overtime again. Then the fuel bill comes in higher, and nobody can tell you what one delivery costs or which customer you lose money on every time the truck stops there.
THE SPREADSHEET
Logistics and delivery spreadsheet
Use the completed example as a reference and enter your business data in the marked fields. Check the instructions and the calculations before you make a decision.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Three situations this handbook solves
A new customer, far out of town
Before you say yes to a weekly delivery out there, you price the trip with your own cost per kilometer and per route hour, get quotes from two or three haulers, and decide who serves that area with the numbers side by side.
6 p.m., the orders are in
The cutoff has passed, so the list is closed. You build each route by window first and distance second, print the picking list in aisle order, and send the day-before message before anyone has to call.
Monday afternoon, four numbers
You open the weekly dashboard: perfect orders, cost per delivery, utilization, and incidents. You pick the one that got worse, find the cause in the logbook, and leave with one action, one owner, and one date.
INSIDE
What you'll find in each tool
Five parts, in the order you'll use them. The delivery snapshot: the map, cost per kilometer and per stop, cost to serve, and the perfect order. Lead times and promises you can keep. From order to truck: picking, checking, packing, loading, and the departure checklist. The route and the vehicle. Then the customer's door and beyond, with incidents, returns, haulers, a weekly dashboard, and the daily routine.
WHAT YOU GET
Everything included in your purchase
- The Logistics and Delivery Handbook in PDF: 24 tools, each with a step by step, a worked example, and an exercise
- The logistics and delivery spreadsheet in Excel and Google Sheets, with 6 working tabs, filled in with the example company
- The Template kit: 15 ready-made texts and sheets, including the day-before message, the departure checklist, the daily route plan, and the hauler agreement checklist
- 2 worksheets to fill in (customer delivery and one-day logbook), a final checklist, and a 30-day plan, one week per stage
- Access to your handbook on the Consylion platform
Full table of contents
The 24 tools, in the order you'll use them
Part 1 · Part 1 · The delivery snapshot
- 01The delivery mapWho receives, where, on what day, and how much, on one sheet and one map
- 02Cost per kilometer and per stopWhat it costs to drive and what it costs to stand still, from fuel to the driver
- 03Cost to serve each customerThe customer who buys little, far away, and in a hurry, with the cost in plain sight
- 04The perfect orderOn time, complete, undamaged, and with the correct invoice, in a single number
Part 2 · Part 2 · Lead times and promises
- 05Fixed days by areaEach area on its own days, so the truck leaves full
- 06Order cutoff timeThe time that decides whether an order goes out tomorrow or the day after
- 07Receiving windowThe hours each customer can take deliveries, written down and in the driver's hands
- 08Delivery noticeShort messages with the day, the time, and any delay, before the customer calls
Part 3 · Part 3 · From order to truck
- 09Picking by routeOne list per route, in aisle order, so pickers stop crisscrossing the warehouse
- 10Checking before loadingA second person checks item, quantity, and weight before the package goes on the truck
- 11Packing and keeping goods cold in transitCrates, stacking, and temperature so the goods arrive intact
- 12Loading in route orderThe first delivery by the door, the last one at the back
- 13Departure checklistVehicle, documents, load, and route checked in 10 minutes
Part 4 · Part 4 · The route and the vehicle
- 14Daily route planThe order of stops that respects every window and drives fewer kilometers
- 15Vehicle utilizationWhen to combine trips and when the truck is already full
- 16In-house fleet or outsourced deliveryThe cost of each trip with your own vehicle and with a hauler, side by side
- 17Preventive maintenanceA mileage-based plan that keeps the truck from breaking down on your busiest day
- 18Route logbookDeparture, stop, and return times, with the driver's hours on record
Part 5 · Part 5 · At the customer's door and beyond
- 19Delivery at the doorCheck with the customer, note the exception, and bring back the signed receipt
- 20Delivery incidentsClosed doors, refusals, damage, and shortages: a written rule for each one
- 21Returns and reusable cratesRefused goods and empty crates coming back with a record and a destination
- 22Freight carriers and independent haulersGet quotes, run test trips, and put it in writing with whoever delivers for you
- 23Weekly delivery dashboardPerfect orders, cost per delivery, utilization, and incidents on one sheet
- 24The daily shipping routineFrom the order cutoff to the truck's return, with a time and an owner for each step
Who it's for
It's for you if
- You deliver what you sell with your own vehicle, a courier, or an independent hauler, in town and the surrounding area
- You deal with late deliveries, short orders, damaged goods, and trucks that leave half empty
- You don't know what each delivery costs or which customers cost more to serve than they bring in
- You want a picking, checking, routing, and delivery routine that runs even when you're not in the warehouse
It's not for you if
- You want to manage purchasing and inventory. That's The Purchasing and Inventory Handbook
- You want to set the shipping price and the minimum order. See The Product Pricing Handbook
- You want to set up an online store and its shipping options. See The E-commerce Handbook
- You want a promise of lower costs or higher profit. This handbook organizes your deliveries and measures whether they got better
Frequently asked questions
I have one car and I make the deliveries myself. Is this for me?
Yes. Start with cost per kilometer and per hour, fixed delivery days, and receiving windows. The shipping tools shrink to a short checklist before you leave. Every tool has an In your industry box for services, retail and commerce, manufacturing and distribution, and independent professionals.
I don't sell produce. Does it still apply?
Yes. The example is a produce distributor, but the math is the same for any business that delivers: driving costs you per kilometer, standing still costs you per hour, and a half-empty truck costs almost as much as a full one. The packing and cold tool leans most on perishables, and its In your industry box covers the rest.
Do I need route planning software?
Not to start. For a route like the Downtown one in the example, the method works on paper. With more stops and heavy traffic an app helps, and the handbook shows you how to check its route against the same criteria.
Should I just outsource all my deliveries?
It depends on the math for each area. A fixed, daily, nearby route usually costs less with your own vehicle, and a faraway, occasional one with a hauler. Where hiring a hauler or recording a driver's hours depends on local rules, the handbook tells you what to check with your lawyer or accountant.
What if my customers won't accept fixed delivery days?
Show them what they get in return: a known day, a time slot, and a notice before the truck arrives. For anyone who needs a delivery off their day, the handbook has you offer a rush option for a fee, under a written rule.
How much time does this take?
About 2 hours and 24 minutes of reading, or 6 minutes per tool, at a beginner to intermediate level, plus the exercises. The 30-day plan gives you one week each for the snapshot, the promise, shipping, and the route and the door.
What do I get, and in what formats?
Each handbook is a PDF of about 100 pages with 24 to 27 tools. Every tool has step-by-step instructions and a worked example. You also get the handbook's spreadsheet in Excel (.xlsx), which opens in Google Sheets too, with the example already filled in. The message, policy, and clause templates are in the Template Kit inside the PDF, ready to copy and adapt. Read it in the member area or download the files.
How do I know if it fits my business?
Each handbook's page shows the problem it solves, who it is for and who it is not for, the full table of contents, sample pages, and the company used in the examples. The examples come from small businesses in several industries, with illustrative numbers. If it is not a fit, you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of your purchase, as described in the Refund Policy.
What is the difference between a handbook, an area set, and the Series?
A handbook solves one problem. An area set brings together every handbook and spreadsheet in one of the 6 areas, for less than the price of 5 single handbooks. The Consylion Handbook Series brings together all 100 handbooks and 100 spreadsheets, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks, and includes the next handbooks in the Series. Products outside the Series, from Consylion Life or Consylion Business, have their own price. They are sold separately and are not part of an area set or the Series.
Do I need to read everything before I start?
No. Each tool works on its own. Open the table of contents, pick the tool for today's problem, and start there. You can also read it cover to cover.
Do I need to know Excel?
The basics are enough: open the file and fill in the marked fields. The formulas are already built, and the handbook's example is filled in for reference.
How do I pay, and when do I get access?
By card or bank transfer, as a one-time payment with no subscription. Once your payment is confirmed, you get access to the member area by email. Approved card payments are confirmed right away. Bank transfers are confirmed when the funds clear. If access does not arrive within 24 hours of confirmation, check your spam folder and write to team@consylion.org.
How long do I have access, and how can I use the files?
Access does not expire, and you can download the files for offline use. The license is individual. You may read the handbooks, print them for your own use, and fill in and adapt the spreadsheet and templates with your company's data. If you are a consultant, accountant, or manager, you may apply the tools with your clients and deliver the result of your work, not the files. You may not share, resell, or distribute the files or the access.
How do support and refunds work?
Support is by email at team@consylion.org, on business days, with a reply within 5 business days. It covers questions about access, files, and payment. It does not include consulting or advice on applying the material to your case. You can cancel within 14 days of your purchase, without giving a reason, and get the full amount back through the payment method you used. Send the request to the same email. The details are in the Refund Policy.
CONSYLION HANDBOOK SERIES
The 6 departments of your business, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks.
This handbook solves today's problem. The Series solves the next one, and the one after that, with nothing more to pay.
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One-time payment of $197.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
Operations and Product · Nº 87
Know what every delivery costs before you drive it
Delivering well doesn't take a new fleet or expensive software. It takes a few calculations and a routine your team can keep. This handbook gives you the tools, the spreadsheet, and a worked example to promise a day you can keep, load it right the first time, and see the cost of every stop.
See all 100 handbooks · $197.00
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.