Shipping document
The delivery note, and what a signature proves
A delivery note is your own warehouse's receipt: this many pallets came in, at this time, and somebody took charge of them. It moves stock onto your books. It is not the transport document, the carrier is not a party to it, and a reservation written there does not reach the party the carriage rules are about.
The figures
| Who issues it | The seller or the packhouse, as a commercial document accompanying the goods |
|---|---|
| What it records | Receipt of the packages at the delivery address, and the time |
| Legal form in the EU | None prescribed. It is commercial practice, not a regulated document |
| Where a carrier reservation belongs | On the consignment note, at delivery for apparent damage (CMR, article 30.1) |
What it changes on an order
You run shifts at the dock
The signature belongs to whoever was there, and it will be read later as though it were an inspection. Decide what your people are actually confirming and write that on the form.
You use subject to check as standard
It is a useful internal flag and it changes nothing outside your own records. Paired with an entry on the carriage note it becomes worth something.
You reconcile deliveries against orders
This is the document that closes a delivery in your system, so an error here propagates into stock and into payment. It is worth matching against the packing list on the day.
What this note does not settle
- This explains what the document is for. It is not advice on the effect of any signature, and what your own terms of purchase say about acceptance is a separate question.
- Practice varies by country. In some jurisdictions a domestic road movement carries its own mandatory control document alongside the commercial delivery note.
- We have no agreed delivery documentation and no agreed terms of sale. What would arrive with a load from us is unsettled.
Source: Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR)
Signed by whoever happened to be at the dock
The delivery note is your own warehouse's receipt: this many pallets came in, at this time, and somebody took charge of them. It is the internal record that moves stock onto your books. The person who signs it is a forklift driver at the end of a shift, and the signature is worth exactly what a forklift driver at the end of a shift could reasonably have checked.
Nobody is criticising warehouses here. The point is to be clear about what that signature is doing, because later on somebody will read it as though it were an inspection report.
A reservation belongs on the transport document
Writing subject to check on a delivery note is a habit worth examining. It records a doubt inside your own paperwork, which is useful. It does not put the carrier on notice, because the carrier is not a party to that document and does not keep a copy of it.
So if something is visibly wrong, write it on the carriage note as well, in the box that exists for the purpose, and then write it on your own. Two entries, one minute. The alternative is a file that shows your warehouse noticed a problem and told nobody who could act on it.
Talk to the grower
Tell us the variety, the sizes and the delivery week you need. You get a delivered price and what we can commit to in writing, from the person who picks the fruit.
The grower handles enquiries. Response times are still to be confirmed.