Proof of delivery
Also called POD
Proof of delivery is the signed document confirming the receiver accepted the freight, and it is normally what a broker requires before an invoice can be paid.
Last reviewed · by the Fleetchart team
In practice the POD is usually the delivery copy of the bill of lading, signed and dated by the consignee. Some receivers issue their own delivery receipt instead.
The POD is the trigger for getting paid. Most brokers will not process an invoice without it, and factoring companies will not advance against one without it either. A load can be delivered on time and still sit unpaid for weeks because the signed copy never made it back to the office.
This is why the gap between delivery and invoicing is worth measuring. It is one of the few places in a small carrier's cash cycle where days can be recovered without touching rates.
For example, say a load pays $2,000 on 30-day terms and delivers on a Monday. If the signed POD reaches the office that night, the invoice goes out the next day and the money lands around day 31. If the POD sits in the cab for 10 days, the invoice goes out on day 10 and the money lands around day 40.
That wait does not change the profit, but it changes when you can pay for fuel. Send a photo of the signed copy the same day.