The truck is empty, the receiver has the freight, and the load shows delivered. But there is no signed proof of delivery in the file, so there is no invoice, and the money sits. Every dispatcher and back-office person has chased this one. This guide covers how to recover a missing POD quickly, what makes a POD usable, and how to stop the same gap from reappearing next week.
The invoice is built from three documents: the rate confirmation, the bill of lading, and the proof of delivery. Brokers and factoring companies generally want the signed delivery paperwork before they pay or fund, which is why a delivered load without it tends to sit unbilled. Requirements differ by broker, so check the payment terms on your own rate confirmation. If you factor, see what paperwork a factoring company needs to fund a load.
Start with the person most likely to have it. Drivers often have the signed copy in the cab or a photo on their phone and simply have not sent it. Send one specific request: the load number, the receiver name, and exactly what you need (all pages, receiver signature visible, date and printed name legible). A vague "send your paperwork" gets a blurry half-page.
If the driver does not have it, the receiver will have a copy of what they signed. Call or email their shipping or receiving office and give them what they need to find it: load number, delivery date, the PO or reference numbers on the bill of lading, and the driver's name. Ask for the signed delivery receipt by email, and write down who you spoke with and when. Large receivers can be slow, so ask the same day delivery happened rather than at the end of the week.
Some brokers have their own way to confirm delivery, such as their tracking app or a signed release from the receiver. Ask what they will accept before you send a copy that does not meet their rules. Keep the answer in an email so you can point to it later.
Rule of thumb: ask for the POD the day of delivery. Every day of delay makes the receiver's copy harder to find and the invoice later.
A photo is not enough if it cannot be used to bill. Before accepting one, check:
Practical guides on trucking sites describe these as the usual causes of rejected or short-paid invoices. They are industry practice rather than regulation, and your broker's own requirements come first. This is general information, not legal advice.
Recovering one POD is a chore. A process that gets the POD at the dock is better. Whatever system you use, aim for these four habits:
ReadyTMS is built around those four habits, and it does only what its code does:
Some limits worth knowing: the audit is an AI check and can report a signature as unknown, so it supports your review rather than replacing it. ReadyTMS does not add GPS location to POD photos, and it does not bill detention automatically. For more on the audit itself, see POD audit software for trucking, and for what to do if a broker pays less than your rate confirmation says, see when a broker pays less than the rate con.
Ask the driver for a photo of the signed paperwork first. If they do not have it, request a copy of the signed delivery receipt from the receiver's shipping office, quoting the load number, date and reference numbers, and note who you asked and when.
You can send an invoice, but many brokers and factors will delay or short-pay without signed proof of delivery. Check the payment terms on your rate confirmation. This is general practice, not legal advice.
A missing receiver signature, a missing page, an unreadable photo, or a load or reference number that does not match the rate confirmation.
It gives drivers an easy upload, notifies the office, keeps a POD inbox and a delivered-not-invoiced list, and audits the paperwork against the rate confirmation before billing.
ReadyTMS is $149/month flat, not per truck. Try it free and see where your delivered-not-invoiced loads stand.
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