Two panels short, says the site manager
Your driver dropped a load of cladding flashings and brackets at a building site on Tuesday. The site manager signed the delivery note on the tailgate. On Friday, the customer's buyer emails to say two panels were short and one was bent, and they will not pay until it is sorted.
Your driver thinks everything was there. The signed delivery note is in the van's door pocket. Nobody took a photo of the load.
Why delivery disputes are hard to win
Fabricated parts are often delivered to sites and yards, not goods in bays, and signed for by whoever is nearby. Loads are checked by eye, paperwork comes back when the driver remembers, and the only evidence is a signature that says nothing about what was actually on the van.
- Loads are not photographed or counted item by item.
- Signatures are collected on paper and returned days later.
- Signed notes are not linked to the job or invoice.
- Damage at delivery is not recorded at the time.
- Part deliveries against the same order are not tracked clearly.
What the disputes cost
Invoices held until the argument is settled. Parts remade and delivered again when they may not have been missing. Driver and office time spent reconstructing what happened. And a dent in the relationship with a customer who now doubts your deliveries.
The delivery app we build
- The driver's run for the day is on a phone or tablet, with each drop's delivery note, item list and site contact.
- At loading, the driver or yard person ticks each item and takes photos of the load secured on the van.
- At drop off, the driver photographs the items unloaded, and the recipient signs on the screen with their printed name. Any damage or shortages reported at the time are recorded with photos.
- The proof of delivery, with photos, signature, time and location, is sent to the office and emailed to the customer's contact straight away.
- Part deliveries are recorded against the order line, so the balance still to deliver is always known.
- The invoice can be raised from the confirmed delivery, and a dispute can be answered with the photos and signature from that drop.
| Moment | What is captured |
|---|---|
| Loading | Item checklist and load photos |
| Arrival | Time and location |
| Unloading | Photos of items on the ground |
| Signature | Signed name on screen |
| Issues | Damage or shortage noted with photos |
What changes for the office
Proof of delivery arrives the same day, with photos. Invoices go out on confirmed deliveries, and disputes are answered with evidence rather than memory. Genuine problems, such as a panel damaged in transit, are recorded at the time and can be put right quickly. Customers who receive a POD email with photos tend to raise fewer disputes in the first place.
Drivers benefit as well. They are not blamed for a shortage they did not cause, and they have a simple record of every drop. The office can see which deliveries are done in real time, so when a site rings to ask whether the flashings are on their way, the answer is on screen.
Over time the photos also show packing problems. If parts keep arriving scratched or bent, the load photos tell you whether it happened on the van or on site, and whether the way you pack long flashings or coated panels needs to change.
Are deliveries turning into arguments?
- Signed delivery notes come back days later, if at all.
- Customers dispute quantities after delivery.
- Nobody photographs loads.
- Invoices are held over delivery disputes.
- Part deliveries are hard to reconcile.