What is a proof of delivery?
A proof of delivery, or POD, is the document the receiver signs to confirm that a consignment arrived: what was shipped, what was received, in what condition and when. It is also called a delivery note, goods receipt note or signed delivery receipt.
The signed POD is what the shipper or carrier needs to invoice, and what both sides use when a customer later reports a shortage or damage. A POD signed with no remarks is usually read as "received complete and in good condition", so the remarks section matters as much as the signature.
How to use the POD form and register
- Prepare the form: the office fills the consignment details and shipped quantities and prints two copies.
- Record the times: the driver writes the arrival, unloading and departure times as they happen.
- Count and check with the receiver: quantities, seal number, packaging and, for chilled or frozen goods, the temperature on arrival.
- Write exceptions before signing: any shortage, overage, damage, wrong item or refusal goes in section 5, with photos.
- Get both signatures and the stamp, leave one copy with the receiver and return the other to the office.
- Enter it in the register with the date the POD came back, and follow any exception until the case is closed.
How to record delivery exceptions
An exception is anything that differs from what was shipped or agreed: short, over, damaged, wrong item, refused, out of temperature, seal broken or late. Record the line, the quantity and what you saw, take photos, and have the receiver write their remark on the POD itself. A remark added later by email is easier to dispute.
Damage that cannot be seen until the goods are unpacked has to be reported within the period in your contract. The register calculates that deadline from the delivery date and the notice period you enter on Settings, and flags open cases once it has passed. In Saudi Arabia, deliveries that need an electronic transport document from the Bayan platform can carry its number on the POD; keep the documents in the Bayan register.
How does the register calculate POD and exception figures?
The six flags are a quantity difference with no exception type, an exception with no value, a POD overdue, a notice deadline passed with the case open, an exception with no receiver remark, and an arrival after the window. The 2-day return target, the 7-day notice period and the 15-minute allowance are example values on the Settings sheet; replace them with your contract terms.
Worked example: one week of store deliveries
- POD-26-1042: 120 cartons shipped, 114 received. The receiver wrote the shortage on the POD and the value is 260. The van arrived at 12:40 for a window ending at 12:00, so the row is flagged Arrived after the window.
- POD-26-1043: damage found on delivery on 5 October; the signed POD came back on 9 October, 4 days later, so its status is Late against a 2-day target. With a 7-day notice period the deadline was 12 October, and the case is still open: flagged.
- POD-26-1045: delivered on 8 October and the POD is not back after more than 2 days: Overdue.
- POD-26-1046: 700 shipped, 696 received and no exception type entered. The register flags the difference so it is not lost.
- For the month the summary shows 6 deliveries, 83% arrived in window, 80% of PODs on time, an exception rate of 50% and 2,840 in exception value.
Common mistakes with proof of delivery
- Signing before counting. A "subject to count" stamp rarely helps if the quantities column is empty.
- Remarks on a separate paper. Write them on the POD the receiver signs.
- No seal number. Without the number at loading, a broken or different seal proves little.
- PODs left in the cab. Invoices wait and the notice period runs out; track the return date.
- Times written from memory. Waiting time at the site is then guesswork when you charge for it.
- No root cause. Without it, the same picking or loading error repeats every week.
What the template does not do
The register works with what you copy into it; it does not read tracking data or electronic PODs. Notice periods, claim procedures and liability come from your contract and the law that applies to it, not from the template. Where an authority requires an electronic transport document or other records, the POD does not replace them. For courier runs with many stops and cash collection, use the Delivery Run Sheet and COD Reconciliation Template. To put a cost on late deliveries, use the Late Delivery Penalty Calculator.