The job changed on the day and the invoice did not
A customer booked a standard collection. When the driver arrived there was no forklift, so it became a tail lift job. At the other end, the same pallet waited forty minutes for the goods-in team. A week later another customer's pallet failed and was redelivered twice.
All three are extras your terms allow you to charge. None of them made it onto the booking, so none of them made it onto the invoice. At month end the invoicing run pulls the bookings and prices them as booked.
Extras are known to the wrong people
The people who know an extra happened are drivers, planners and whoever took the phone call. The person who invoices sees only the booking.
- Tail lift needs are discovered at collection, not booking.
- Waiting time is in the driver's head or on a paper sheet.
- Redeliveries are rebooked, but not marked as chargeable.
- Phone agreements for extra services are never written down.
Invoicing staff cannot charge for what they cannot see, and chasing drivers for details weeks later rarely works.
What forgotten extras cost
Each forgotten extra is revenue for work you actually did. Over a month they add up to a meaningful amount, spread across many small items that nobody notices individually.
Inconsistency also causes trouble with customers. When one month includes a waiting charge and the next does not, the customer notices the charge, not the absence, and asks why.
Worse, the network may charge you for some of the same extras, such as a tail lift on a delivery done by another depot, so an uncharged extra can mean paying for it yourself.
How we catch extras where they happen
- The driver app has a short list of extras for collection and delivery: tail lift used, waiting time, access problem, redelivery.
- Waiting time is calculated from arrival and departure scans, with the driver confirming.
- Office staff who agree an extra service on the phone add it to the consignment from the booking screen.
- Extras charged to you by the network on the member statement are matched to the consignment and the customer who booked it.
- Every extra goes into an invoicing queue with its evidence: the driver's entry, the times, or the statement line.
- Invoicing approves, adjusts or waives each one before the invoice run, which then includes them in Xero, Sage or your transport system.
| Extra | Captured by | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Tail lift at collection | Driver | App entry, photo |
| Waiting time | Driver and scans | Arrival and departure times |
| Redelivery | Planner | Failed delivery record |
| Extra agreed by phone | Office | Note on the consignment |
What you charge, and when you waive it for a good customer, remains your call. The queue makes it a decision rather than an accident.
Invoices that reflect the work done
At month end the extras are already there, each with its reason. Invoicing reviews a list rather than chasing drivers. Customers get a consistent approach and a clear explanation for each charge.
You also see how often jobs change on the day for each customer, which is useful when their rate card comes up for review.
Signs extras are slipping past
- Tail lift and waiting charges are rarely invoiced.
- Drivers record extras on paper, if at all.
- Redeliveries are not charged even when your terms allow it.
- The network charges you for extras you do not pass on.
- Customers query charges that appear one month and not the next.