Transport order and consignment note: practical differences
A transport order and a consignment note serve different purposes. Here is how to distinguish them, connect them and use them without duplicating information.
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Resources and insights for people running a small transport company
Practical guides and evergreen insights on orders, drivers, trucks, documents and the daily organisation of road haulage. The Observatory also brings together industry analysis and updates.
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Consignment note: what it is and what it is for
A practical explanation of the consignment note in goods transport: evidential function, relationship with the order and contract, international CMR and handling of reservations.
Read resourceDDT and CMR: practical differences
DDT and CMR are not the same document: a comparison of the Italian tax function, the international contract, data, parties and cases in which they can coexist.
Read resourceCMR: what it is and when it is used in international road transport
A guide to the CMR Convention and the consignment note: scope, data, reservations, liability, e-CMR and Italy's accession to the electronic protocol.
Read resourceDDT: what it is, when it is used and what information it contains
A guide to the Documento di Trasporto: Presidential Decree 472/1996, minimum information, deferred invoicing, the difference from the former delivery note and cases where it should not be treated as a universal document.
Read resourceHow to avoid losing orders between email, WhatsApp and phone calls
A practical method for turning email, chats and phone calls into one flow for orders, changes, confirmations and documents in a small transport company.
Read resourceWhat to do when the trip plan changes during the day
A practical method for replanning collections, deliveries, trucks and drivers without losing control of driving times, priorities, instructions and communication.
Read resourceHow to assign trucks and drivers to orders
A method for assigning a vehicle and driver by checking availability, payload, qualifications, driving times, Driver Qualification Card, tachograph and special requirements.
Read resourceHow to manage collections and deliveries during the day
A practical guide to collections and deliveries: appointments, waiting times, the new 90-minute allowance, proof of arrival, exceptions and communication.
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The complete directory of evergreen guides from the TrucksOut Observatory.
Digitalisation
- How to avoid losing orders between email, WhatsApp and phone calls
- How to manage a small road-haulage business with Excel
- Excel for transport management: when it works and when it becomes a limitation
- How to move from Excel to transport management software
- Transport management software: what it is and what it does
- TMS: what a Transportation Management System is and how it works
- Transport management software and TMS: what is the difference
- How to choose management software for a small transport company
- Management software for 5 trucks: which functions are really needed
- Management software for 10 trucks: what changes compared with Excel
- How to digitalise a small road-haulage company without changing everything
Operations
Planning
Drivers
- How to organise drivers' work between working time, driving and rest
- How to communicate deliveries and collections to drivers
- How to manage changes to drivers' schedules
- How to organise drivers' holidays, rest periods and unavailability
- Driver apps: what they simplify and which privacy rules to consider
Orders and trips
Transport documents
- DDT: what it is, when it is used and what information it contains
- CMR: what it is and when it is used in international road transport
- DDT and CMR: practical differences
- Consignment note: what it is and what it is for
- Transport order and consignment note: practical differences
- POD: what proof of delivery is and how to manage it
- Which documents may accompany a freight transport