How do I get proof of delivery for my shipment?
You get proof of delivery from the carrier or broker that handled your load, and on a truckload it is the bill of lading or delivery receipt signed by the receiver, with the date, the time and any notes about shortage or damage. Ask for it by name when you book, and say who should receive it and how fast, because a photo or scan can usually be sent soon after the truck unloads. Lifetime Logistics Services LLC sends the signed copy with its invoice on the loads it moves, and the quote form on this page starts a booking.
Today's numbers
Computed October 29, 2026 (Pacific) from our own lane history and that morning's diesel price. Full truckload, US dollars.
| Lane | Trailer | Miles | Typical | Most loads | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas to the Inland Empire | Dry van | 333 | $800 | $700 to $825 | $2.40 |
| Salinas to Los Angeles | Dry van | 316 | $725 | $700 to $850 | $2.29 |
Diesel this week: $8.155 a gallon, the U.S. Energy Information Administration's average retail price for California for the week of October 26, 2026.
Full truckload, linehaul including fuel, before accessorials such as detention or lumper.
These are estimates, not quotes. Ask for a firm quote on your load.
What counts as proof of delivery
Proof of delivery, usually shortened to POD, is the paper the receiver signs when your freight comes off the truck. On a full truckload it is most often the bill of lading the driver carried from the pickup, now with the receiver’s signature, a printed name, the date and time, and anything written at the dock. Some carriers use their own delivery receipt, or an electronic signature taken on the driver’s phone, and that counts too, as long as it shows who signed and when.
The notes matter as much as the signature. A clean POD says the load arrived complete and undamaged. If the receiver counted short, found a crushed pallet or refused part of the shipment, the POD should say so on the same page, in the receiver’s own hand or typed into the electronic record. That line is what a freight claim rests on later.
Who sends it, and when
The POD starts with the driver and travels back through whoever booked the truck. If you hired a carrier directly, ask the carrier. If a broker arranged the load, the broker collects the signed papers from the carrier and passes them to you, usually alongside the invoice, since most carriers are not paid until they turn them in.
Timing depends on how the carrier handles paperwork. Many drivers photograph the signed papers at the dock and upload them right away; others hand them in at the end of the trip. If you need the POD quickly, to bill your own customer or close out an order, say so when you book and ask for it to be emailed to a named person on your side.
Live unload or drop trailer
On a live unload the driver waits while the receiver empties the trailer, so the count, the notes and the signature all happen before the truck pulls out. On a drop trailer the driver leaves the loaded trailer, hooks an empty and drives off, and the receiver unloads on its own schedule. The driver gets a signature for the trailer itself, and the count comes afterward, which is why a POD on a dropped load can read subject to count or reach you a little later than a live one.
Neither way is wrong for paperwork; they simply work differently. If your receiver takes drop trailers, ask how and when it reports shortages or damage after unloading, and make sure that report reaches whoever handles claims on your side.
When the POD shows a problem
Read every POD the day it arrives. If it notes a shortage, damage or a refused item, contact the carrier or broker right away with the bill of lading, the POD, photos from the receiver and the value of what was lost. Under the federal rules for interstate carriers a cargo claim has to be filed in writing within nine months of delivery, but a claim raised in the first few days, while the driver, the dock crew and the photos are all easy to reach, is far simpler to settle.
A clean POD on a load you later find damaged is harder to work with, because the receiver signed that everything looked fine. That is why receivers should look over the freight before they sign, and note anything they can see at the dock rather than after the truck has gone. Damage hidden inside packaging can still be claimed, but report it in writing the moment it is found.
Getting a POD on every load
Put it in the booking. Name who should receive the POD, whether by email or through a portal, and how fast you need it. Ask for the actual delivery date and time in the same message, so the paper and your own records agree. If you ship through the same broker on several lanes, a single standing instruction covers all of them.
We book van, flatbed and power only freight across the western states, with our own trucks and with partner carriers we screen, and our dispatch desk gathers the signed POD before the invoice goes out. You can see how a lane like Salinas to Los Angeles runs, then send the form at the top of this page with your own pickup and delivery.
From our own loads
Nearly all of our dry vans from the Salinas Valley to the Inland Empire are hauled by partner carriers we screen, and a share of them are drop trailers: the driver leaves the loaded trailer at the receiver and takes an empty, so the count and the signed delivery receipt can come after the driver has gone. Those loads typically arrive the day after they load.
Questions shippers ask
- What does POD stand for in trucking?
- It names the signed record that a load was handed over, usually the bill of lading or a delivery receipt, showing that the receiver took the freight, when they took it and in what condition.
- Can I get the POD before the invoice?
- Usually, yes. Ask for the signed copy as soon as the load unloads, and most carriers and brokers can send a photo or scan of it ahead of the bill.
- Does an electronic signature count as a POD?
- Yes, when the record shows who signed, the date and time, and any notes about the condition of the freight. Keep it with the bill of lading in your files.
- What if the receiver signed but the freight was damaged?
- Report it to the carrier or broker in writing as soon as you find it, with photos and the paperwork. A clean signature makes the claim harder, but damage hidden inside the packaging can still be claimed.
Ready to price a load?
Send the quote form or call us. A person on our team replies with a price.