Capture the job before selecting a truck
Start with pickup and delivery locations, service dates or windows, goods, quantity, weight and the vehicle requirements. Confirm loading and unloading responsibilities, document requirements, customer charges and the agreed payer. Retain the accepted commercial terms rather than reconstructing them from the latest rate sheet.
FTL describes the transport arrangement; it should not force every job into a single stop or eliminate exceptions. Establish how the company handles multiple drops, waiting time, cancelled loads, rejected goods and changes after acceptance. A job requiring no depot should be able to proceed without creating a fictional warehouse.
Choose an owned, hired or mixed fleet workflow
For an owned vehicle, the assignment connects to the asset, driver and operating costs. For a hired truck, retain the carrier or broker identity, vehicle particulars, hire agreement, advances and commission. The vehicle can participate in the movement without becoming an owned asset in the company’s fleet register.
A mixed fleet needs a consistent operational view and distinct commercial treatment. Customer billing is one relationship; paying a carrier is another. Keep their agreements and balances separate so that an invoice to the customer does not appear to settle the carrier automatically.
| Arrangement | Record to inspect | A common mistake to prevent |
|---|---|---|
| Owned truck | Asset, driver assignment and trip operating costs | Ignoring fuel or approved duty costs in the margin view |
| Direct hired truck | Carrier, hire amount, advances and payable balance | Treating an advance as the entire final settlement |
| Broker-arranged truck | Carrier agreement and broker commission basis | Mixing the broker and carrier into an unexplained balance |
| Mixed operation | Shared movement view with separate source agreements | Forcing every hired vehicle into the owned-asset register |
Check readiness at the point of assignment
A vehicle or driver shown in a list may already be allocated elsewhere. Review overlapping work, the required capacity, relevant compliance dates and any grounding or inspection defect. If a trailer is used, preserve which equipment is coupled for the actual period of the job.
A recommendation is not the final assignment. Conditions can change while a planner reviews a proposal, so the selected resources and load must be checked again before committing. A block should explain the failed condition and the authorized next step instead of inviting repeated clicks.
- Confirm the vehicle and driver can perform the required service.
- Explain holds and inspection defects before dispatch.
- Retain the time and evidence behind the readiness decision.
- Confirm API-only readiness workflows in the proposed integration, rather than assuming a dashboard control exists.
Track the journey with evidence and freshness
The movement should show planned and actual milestones, the source of position information and its timestamp. A stale tracker reading, an inferred ETA and a confirmed arrival convey different levels of certainty. Make the difference visible so staff know whether they can rely on a map marker.
A geofence can support an arrival investigation, but unloading, quantity acceptance and waiting-time charges need their own evidence and policy. If a tracker is unavailable, use the supported manual or driver workflow and preserve its provenance. Do not manufacture a fresh vehicle position from an old reading.
Close the delivery evidence before closing the commercial work
Record the actual accepted or refused quantities and link the POD to the consignment. Review unreadable or incomplete evidence, retain the original-document handover where required and identify who needs to resolve an exception. The trip can reach its destination while a claim or POD issue remains open.
Driver duty and approved allowances can become payroll inputs, but a trip completion should not silently release payroll or make an external payment. Review the supporting records and confirm the authorized finance action. Staff should see which work is complete and which commercial obligations remain.
Reconcile revenue, costs, advances and balances
For a hired movement, calculate the carrier settlement from the agreed hire and supported adjustments, then reconcile advances and payments already recorded. Track broker commission according to its own basis. Every payable and journal should explain the source document behind it.
For an owned movement, review customer revenue against the supported operating costs. A preview made before dispatch is an estimate; final profitability depends on recorded costs, adjustments and the accounting period. Keep unbilled eligible work visible, and distinguish delivered, invoiced, collected and settled states.
- Open the source evidence behind a margin or balance.
- Check that an advance is applied once to the correct agreement.
- Keep disputed adjustments reviewable.
- Confirm that reversing an approved transaction preserves its history.
A hire agreement is not a payment
A hired truck has an agreed hire of ₹30,000 and a recorded advance of ₹10,000. The customer freight is ₹40,000. Before any supported adjustment, the carrier balance is ₹20,000; the customer receivable follows the separate customer invoice and collection records. These amounts are illustrative, not a rate or tax quotation.
- The advance links to the correct hire and is deducted once.
- The customer invoice does not clear the carrier balance.
- An approved waiting charge retains its evidence and payer.
- Profit estimates are labeled and explain included or missing costs.
- A payment retry does not create a second financial transaction.
Bring your workflow to the conversation.
Review the capabilities you need with a real FTL, PTL or hybrid job.