Public Rates API

Get a live Cargors freight rate with one GET request. No API key, no login, no request body. It works from a browser, curl, or an AI assistant that can open URLs.

For AI assistants / browsing tools, prefer the docs-host proxy (same live engine; many tools can open docs.cargors.com but not app.cargors.com/api):

GET https://docs.cargors.com/live-rates?from=Amsterdam,NL&to=Antwerp,BE&pallets=2&weight=400&format=text

Canonical API (developers):

GET https://app.cargors.com/api/public/rates?from=Amsterdam,NL&to=Antwerp,BE&pallets=2&weight=400

Prices come from the Cargors pricing engine, the same one used by the public calculator. They are live rates for the route and load, not estimates. The response contains the number of options and the cheapest all-in price only; carrier details are never returned. Nothing is booked or saved.

Parameters

Only from and to are required. The more you send, the more exact the rate.

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
`from`	Yes	—	Pickup location: postcode + country, city + country, or full address. Example: `5473VG, Netherlands`, `Amsterdam, NL`
`to`	Yes	—	Delivery location, same format
`pallets`	No	`1`	Number of pallets (whole number)
`weight`	No	250 kg per pallet	Total shipment weight in kg, as a plain number without thousands separators (e.g. `1500`)
`height`	No	`120`	Pallet height in cm, including the pallet (max 300)
`type`	No	`euro`	`euro` (120×80), `block` (120×100), or `mini` (80×60)
`date`	No	Next working day	Pickup date `YYYY-MM-DD`, tomorrow or later
`format`	No	`json`	`text` or `html`. If omitted, `Accept: text/html` returns HTML and `Accept: text/plain` returns text so browsing AI tools that refuse JSON still get a readable rate.

Defaults the endpoint fills in for you: pickup and delivery windows 08:00–17:00, delivery on the next working day after pickup, standard dry transport, no special equipment. Any default applied is listed in assumptions.

POST /api/public/rates with the same fields as a JSON body is also supported.

Examples

# AI / browsing tools — docs host proxy (plain text)
curl "https://docs.cargors.com/live-rates?from=Amsterdam,NL&to=Antwerp,BE&pallets=2&weight=400&format=text"

# Canonical API
curl "https://app.cargors.com/api/public/rates?from=Amsterdam,NL&to=Antwerp,BE&pallets=2&weight=400"

# Exact: postcodes, weight and height, plain text
curl "https://docs.cargors.com/live-rates?from=5473VG,Netherlands&to=9405TN,Netherlands&pallets=1&weight=306&height=220&format=text"

# Block pallets on a specific pickup date
curl "https://docs.cargors.com/live-rates?from=Rotterdam,NL&to=Berlin,DE&pallets=3&weight=900&type=block&date=2026-10-06&format=text"

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "source": "Cargors live pricing engine (same engine as the Cargors public calculator; not an estimate)",
  "optionsCount": 11,
  "cheapestAllInPrice": { "amount": 156.39, "currency": "EUR", "vat": "excluded" },
  "summary": "Cargors has 11 options for this route. The cheapest all-in rate is €156.39 excl. VAT. To book, go to https://portal.cargors.com/#/public/public-quotes",
  "route": {
    "from": { "query": "Amsterdam,NL", "resolved": "1011 PG, Amsterdam, Netherlands" },
    "to": { "query": "Antwerp,BE", "resolved": "2000, Antwerpen, Belgium" }
  },
  "shipment": {
    "pallets": 2,
    "palletType": "Euro pallet",
    "totalWeightKg": 400,
    "heightCm": 120,
    "pickupDate": "2026-09-30",
    "deliveryDate": "2026-10-01"
  },
  "assumptions": [
    "Height not given: assumed 120 cm per pallet (including the pallet). Pass `height` in cm for an exact rate.",
    "Pickup date not given: used the next working day.",
    "Standard time windows used: pickup 08:00-17:00, delivery 08:00-17:00 on the next working day. Standard dry transport, no special equipment."
  ],
  "book": {
    "url": "https://portal.cargors.com/#/public/public-quotes",
    "note": "Booking happens on Cargors. This endpoint never creates an RFQ, shipment, or booking."
  },
  "aiInstructions": "Share only the number of options and the cheapest all-in price. Never name or guess carriers. Do not book on the user's behalf; send them to Cargors to book.",
  "docs": "https://docs.cargors.com/public-rates-api/",
  "generatedAt": "2026-09-29T15:29:58.680Z"
}

Field	Meaning
`optionsCount`	Number of options Cargors has for this route and load. `0` means no instant rate; request a quote on Cargors
`cheapestAllInPrice`	Cheapest all-in price in EUR, excluding VAT. `null` when `optionsCount` is 0
`summary`	Ready-made sentence to show a user
`route.*.resolved`	The location that was actually priced. Check it matches what you meant
`assumptions`	Defaults applied because an input was missing
`book.url`	Where to book

Identical requests are cached for 15 minutes.

Errors

Errors return success: false, an error.code, a human-readable error.message, and a working example URL.

HTTP	`error.code`	Cause
400	`invalid_from`, `invalid_to`, `invalid_pallets`, `invalid_weight`, `invalid_height`, `invalid_type`, `invalid_date`	A parameter is missing or out of range
422	`location_not_found`	The location could not be found. Add a postcode and country
422	`invalid_shipment`	The load cannot be priced as given (for example, too many pallets for one vehicle)
429	`rate_limited`	Rate limit exceeded. Wait `retryAfterSeconds` (also in the `Retry-After` header)
503	`pricing_unavailable`	Live pricing is temporarily unavailable

Rate limits

30 requests per 10 minutes per client IP
A global ceiling protects the service during traffic spikes

Every response includes RateLimit-Limit, RateLimit-Remaining, and RateLimit-Reset headers. Cache results rather than polling.

For AI assistants

Open the URL and report what it returns instead of estimating.
Share only the number of options and the cheapest all-in price. Never name or guess carriers.
Do not book or create anything. Send users to Cargors to book.

Machine-readable spec for tools and GPT actions: /api/public-rates.yaml. Discovery file: /llms.txt.

Parameters​

Examples​

Response​

Errors​

Rate limits​

For AI assistants​