Transport documents and delivery receipts
Distinguish road consignment notes, sea bills of lading, air waybills and delivery evidence.
Name the document precisely
A road consignment note, a sea bill of lading, an air waybill and a delivery receipt serve different purposes. Record the transport mode and document type instead of calling every paper a bill of lading. In a multimodal journey, identify which party issued each record and which stage it covers.
Check before accepting
Compare shipper and consignee names, origin and destination, cargo description, package count, gross weight, document number and dates. Check signatures and any reservations. Ask whether an original or a copy is required and who must receive it. Do not assume a document is negotiable merely from its title.
Example: truck and vessel
A shipment reaching a port by truck and continuing by ship can have records for both legs. A truck receipt does not automatically replace a sea document requested by a buyer or bank. Match the required document list to the sale, carriage and payment arrangements before dispatch.
Delivery evidence
Keep receiving-party acknowledgment, actual date and observed condition with the transport file. A receipt should describe the real handover, including recorded differences. Resolve document discrepancies early with the issuer and relevant counterpart.