Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 9 July 2026

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the External Transport Manager platform, including the website at externaltransportmanager.co.uk, our member areas, listings, directories and related services (together, the “Platform”). The Platform is operated by Box 4 Digital Group Ltd (T/A External Transport Manager), company number 17253991, registered at Suite 114 Business First, Davyfield Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2QY (“we”, “us”, “our”, “ETM”). You can contact us at info@externaltransportmanager.co.uk or on 0208 088 8371.

Please read these Terms carefully. They form a legally binding agreement between you and us. By registering for an account, purchasing a paid plan, or otherwise using the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

These Terms are general template terms reflecting common UK marketplace and subscription practice. They are not, and should not be relied upon as, formal legal advice for your own business or circumstances.

1. About the Platform and what we do

1.1 External Transport Manager is an online marketplace that connects UK goods-vehicle operators with external Transport Managers (TMs), training providers and related transport-compliance services.

1.2 We provide the technology, listings, directories, profiles, messaging and enquiry tools that allow members and visitors to find and contact one another. We are an introductory and listing service only.

1.3 We are not a party to any agreement, engagement or contract that members enter into with each other. We do not employ, supervise, endorse, guarantee or assume responsibility for any Transport Manager, training provider, operator or other member, nor for the quality, legality, safety or suitability of any service they provide. Any engagement between members is strictly between those members.

1.4 We do not provide transport-management services, operator-licence advice, training or DVSA/Traffic Commissioner representation ourselves. Listings sourced from public registers (including the DVSA operator register) are provided for information only.

1.5 We are a listing and subscription service, not a payment intermediary. The only money we collect is the membership or listing fee that a member pays us for their own account and chosen plan, and the optional Priority Matching Service fee paid by an operator who expressly chooses that service. We do not hold, escrow, process, route or transmit any money between members or between any users of the Platform. Any fee or payment for work that members arrange with each other is settled directly between those members, and we take no part in it and no share of it.

2. Eligibility and accounts

2.1 You must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract to register. If you register on behalf of a business, you confirm you are authorised to bind that business to these Terms.

2.2 You are responsible for keeping your login details confidential and for all activity that takes place under your account. Tell us immediately if you suspect any unauthorised use.

2.3 You agree that all information you provide on registration and in your listing or profile is accurate, current and complete, and you will keep it up to date.

3. Membership types, plans and pricing

The Platform offers several membership types. The plan you choose determines the features available to you. All prices are stated in pounds sterling. Introductory prices apply for the period stated at sign-up and may revert to the standard price on renewal; we will make the applicable price clear before you commit.

3.5 Exact features for each plan are described on the relevant pricing or sign-up page at the time of purchase and may be improved or adjusted from time to time. Where we make a material reduction to the features of a paid plan, we will give reasonable notice.

3.6 Optional Priority Matching Service

3.6.1 Operators submitting a Request TM Support enquiry may choose our optional Priority Matching Service for a one-time fee of £149.99. Standard matching remains available free of charge.

3.6.2 The Priority Matching Service includes: matching your request with a Transport Manager suited to your stated needs; support from a dedicated adviser; priority handling of your matched request; and matching based on the location, skills and requirements you provide.

3.6.3 The fee is paid in advance as a one-time card payment through Stripe. It pays for our adviser-led matching work and does not cover, or form part of, any fee charged by a Transport Manager for their services.

3.6.4 We use reasonable care to identify and introduce suitable active Transport Managers, but we cannot guarantee that a particular Transport Manager will accept your request, that you will appoint a Transport Manager, or that any resulting engagement will achieve a particular outcome. You are responsible for providing accurate requirements and for carrying out your own checks before appointing anyone.

3.6.5 The Priority Matching Service fee is non-refundable once we have identified and introduced at least one candidate who reasonably meets the core requirements in your request. If we are unable to identify and introduce a suitable candidate, we will refund the Priority Matching Service fee. Nothing in this clause limits any statutory rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

3.6.6 We act only as a matching and introduction service. We are not a party to, and are not responsible for, any discussion, work, agreement or contract between you and a Transport Manager.

4. Payment, billing and renewals

4.1 Paid memberships are collected by Direct Debit and/or card payment through our third-party payment provider. By taking out a paid plan you authorise us, via that provider, to collect the recurring fee for your chosen plan and billing cycle. We may change our payment provider from time to time; where we do, we will tell you if any action is needed from you.

4.2 Payments are recurring and continue automatically until you cancel. Monthly plans renew each month and yearly plans renew each year, at the price then applicable, until cancelled.

4.3 You are responsible for ensuring sufficient funds are available. If a payment fails, we may retry collection and may suspend or restrict paid features until payment is received.

4.4 We may change our prices from time to time. Any change to the price of your existing plan will be notified to you in advance and will take effect from your next billing date; you may cancel before then if you do not wish to continue.

4.5 We do not hold or transmit funds between members. The only payments we collect are membership and listing fees that you pay to us for your own account and chosen plan, and the optional Priority Matching Service fee described in clause 3.6. We do not collect, hold, escrow, process or pay on any money between members, between operators and Transport Managers, or between any other users of the Platform. Any fee, engagement or payment arising from work that members arrange with each other is solely a matter between those members and is settled directly between them. We are not a party to it and take no commission, fee or share in respect of it.

5. No fixed contract, cancellation and access

5.1 There is no fixed-term contract and no tie-in. You are free to cancel your membership at any time.

5.2 To cancel, you may cancel your membership through your account and/or cancel the Direct Debit mandate or card authority with your payment provider. We will acknowledge cancellation requests sent to info@externaltransportmanager.co.uk.

5.3 When you cancel, your paid access continues until the end of the period you have already paid for, after which the membership will not renew and paid features will end. Free-tier and unclaimed listings may remain in line with our normal practice and the Privacy Policy.

6. Accuracy of listings and member content

6.1 You are solely responsible for the accuracy, legality and completeness of any information, text, images, qualifications, certifications or other content you publish on the Platform (“Member Content”).

6.2 You must not publish content that is false, misleading, fraudulent, defamatory, infringing, unlawful, or that misrepresents your identity, qualifications, accreditations or regulatory status.

6.3 We may, but are not obliged to, review, edit, refuse or remove any Member Content, listing or enquiry that we reasonably believe breaches these Terms or is otherwise inappropriate.

7. Acceptable use

7.1 You agree to use the Platform lawfully and professionally, and not to:

• use it for any fraudulent, unlawful or harmful purpose;
• scrape, harvest, copy or resell data, listings or content except as expressly permitted;
• introduce viruses, malware or other harmful code, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Platform or other accounts;
• interfere with or disrupt the operation, security or integrity of the Platform;
• send spam, or use enquiry and messaging tools for unsolicited marketing or for purposes other than genuine engagement of services;
• impersonate any person or organisation or misrepresent your affiliation.

8. Zero-tolerance conduct policy

8.1 We operate a strict zero-tolerance policy on abuse. Behaviour that is rude, hateful, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, abusive or otherwise unprofessional towards our staff, other members or visitors will not be tolerated.

8.2 Any person found to be in breach of this policy may be removed from the Platform immediately and without refund, and we may decline to provide services to them in future. This applies in addition to any other rights we have under these Terms or at law.

9. Refunds

9.1 Except for the specific Priority Matching Service refund provision in clause 3.6, we do not offer refunds. Fees already paid are non-refundable, including where you cancel mid-period, choose not to use the Platform, or are removed for breach of these Terms.

9.2 Nothing in this section removes or limits any rights you may have under applicable UK consumer law that cannot lawfully be excluded, including, where they apply to you, statutory cancellation/cooling-off rights and the right to a remedy where a paid service has not been provided with reasonable care and skill or as described.

10. Suspension and termination by us

10.1 We may suspend, restrict or terminate your access (with or without notice depending on the seriousness) if you breach these Terms, if payment fails, if we are required to do so by law, or to protect the Platform, our staff, members or visitors. Termination for breach does not entitle you to any refund.

11. Intellectual property

11.1 The Platform, its design, software, branding, text, graphics and compilation of listings are owned by or licensed to us and are protected by intellectual-property laws. You may not copy, reproduce or exploit them except as expressly permitted.

11.2 You retain ownership of your Member Content, but grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce and distribute it on and in connection with the Platform for as long as it is published.

12. Limitation of liability

12.1 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded by law, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.

12.2 Subject to clause 12.1, we are not liable for any loss arising from the acts, omissions, services, advice or conduct of any member, nor for any business interruption, loss of profit, loss of goodwill, loss of data, or indirect or consequential loss.

12.3 Subject to clause 12.1, our total aggregate liability to you arising out of or in connection with the Platform and these Terms is limited to the total fees you paid to us in the twelve (12) months immediately before the event giving rise to the claim.

12.4 The Platform is provided on an “as available” basis. We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access and may carry out maintenance or make changes to the Platform.

13. Data protection

13.1 We process personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, which form part of these Terms. They explain what data we collect, our lawful bases, how we use and share it (including sharing enquiry/lead data with relevant members), how long we keep it, and your rights. Please read them carefully.

14. Changes to these Terms

14.1 We may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last updated” date shows when. Material changes will be notified to members where reasonably practicable. Continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

15. General

15.1 If any provision is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

15.2 Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.

15.3 You may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our consent; we may transfer ours to a successor of our business.

15.4 These Terms are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Platform.

16. Governing law and jurisdiction

16.1 These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any non-excludable rights of consumers to bring proceedings in their local courts.

17. Contact us

Box 4 Digital Group Ltd (T/A External Transport Manager)
Company number 17253991
Suite 114 Business First, Davyfield Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2QY
Email: info@externaltransportmanager.co.uk
Tel: 0208 088 8371

Leads, exposure and what your membership includes

External Transport Manager (ETM) is, first and foremost, an exposure and visibility platform. Its purpose is to put Transport Managers, operators and service providers in front of visitors and businesses browsing the site for services in the regions they have listed. It is not a lead-generation engine and it is not a guaranteed-leads service.

By signing up you are not guaranteed any leads. Becoming a member gives your profile exposure to the people using the site; it does not promise a set number, value or frequency of enquiries.

Leads flow through the website and are distributed by region. When a buyer submits an enquiry, members who cover that region receive a notification of a new lead and have the opportunity to contact the buyer. Being part of a region means you are eligible to be notified of relevant enquiries in that region.

If a free Transport Manager member receives a lead or enquiry allocated to their profile, ETM may send that member a limited summary of the enquiry and an opportunity to upgrade to a verified or paid membership in order to view and respond to the full lead details. Unless ETM states otherwise in writing, that upgrade opportunity will remain open for 24 hours from the time ETM sends the notification.

If the free member does not upgrade or otherwise secure access to the lead within that 24-hour period, ETM may redistribute the enquiry to verified, paid or otherwise suitable members in the relevant region or service category so that the operator is not left waiting. Free-member lead previews must not be treated as a guarantee that the lead will remain exclusively available to that member.

Specialist enquiries may be offered to premium, verified or otherwise suitable members first where the enquiry requires particular experience, qualifications, urgency, vehicle knowledge, public inquiry support, licence application support, training provision or another specialist service. ETM may, at our discretion, designate a lead as specialist and allocate it to a suitable specialist member instead of sending a general regional alert. Membership tier and suitability therefore affect how and when certain enquiries are distributed to you.

To be clear about how this works commercially: members pay us only for their membership or listing, which is what gives them exposure and the opportunity to receive and respond to enquiries. Any work that results from an enquiry is arranged and paid for directly between the members concerned. We do not take any commission, fee or share of that work, and we do not handle any money that passes between members.

Standard visitor requests remain free of charge. The Priority Matching Service is an optional paid service and is not required in order to submit a standard request. We invest company profits into ongoing marketing activity and use a range of techniques to grow site traffic and awareness, in order to increase the exposure available to our members. While we work hard to drive that traffic, the volume and outcome of enquiries cannot be guaranteed and will vary.