Proof of delivery (POD)

At handover, the driver asks the receiver to sign, date and often stamp the delivery note, the CMR consignment note or the carrier's own form, or to sign on a handheld device or app. An electronic POD may add photos, a GPS position and a timestamp. The carrier returns the POD to the forwarder, who uses it to close the shipment, update the customer and support the freight invoice.

In shipping, POD also stands for port of discharge, so context decides the meaning: on a sea booking or bill of lading it is almost always the port, on a road or courier job it is the proof. A proof of delivery also differs from a delivery order, which authorizes the release of cargo from a terminal or warehouse before delivery rather than confirming it afterward.

Remarks on the POD matter. A clean signature is evidence that the goods arrived in apparent good order, while damage or shortage noted on it, such as “two cartons crushed”, makes a claim against the carrier much easier to pursue. Many customers will not pay a freight invoice without the POD attached, so collect it quickly, file it with the shipment and make it visible to the customer.