Proof of delivery (POD) is the evidence that a shipment reached its destination and was accepted. At a minimum it shows who received the goods, when and where. A good POD also records what arrived and in what condition, including any shortage or damage noted at the door.
It can be a signed delivery receipt or a signed copy of the bill of lading, an electronic signature on a driver's device, photos of the delivered goods, or a combination.
Why it matters
- Billing: the seller can show the customer received what it is being invoiced for.
- Disputes: "we never got it" is settled with a record, not an argument.
- Accounts payable: on the buyer's side, the receiving record is the third document in a three-way match.
- Claims: damage noted at delivery is much easier to claim from a carrier than damage reported days later.
Example
A food distributor delivers 40 cases to a restaurant (illustrative). The driver photographs the pallet, notes two crushed cases, and the receiving manager signs with her printed name. The invoice bills for 38 cases, and the two damaged cases go into a credit request with the photos attached.
Common pitfalls
- Unreadable signatures with no printed name.
- Exceptions not recorded at the door, so shortages are argued later.
- Paper slips lost between the truck and the office.
- Photos without time or location, which prove little in a dispute.
In Easyflow, the Proof of delivery process records the receiver's signature and photos stamped with time and location, then issues a delivery receipt PDF.