In this guide 6 sections
Settle every truck trip in the same order. Record the driver advance at dispatch, add fuel and toll entries as they happen, log loading costs and deduct proven shortages. Close with one statement per trip showing freight earned against cost, so the owner sees the margin of each run.
Open the trip with the advance
A trip settlement starts at the gate, not at the end of the run. When the truck is dispatched, record the vehicle, the driver, the consignment note numbers and the cash handed over. That one entry is the opening balance.
Split the advance by purpose if you can. Fuel cash, toll cash and a small amount for the driver’s food and minor repairs behave differently at settlement. Mixing them into one lump makes every query a guessing game.
Name who approved the advance. When a driver is back with a short balance, accounts needs to know who agreed to the figure.
- Trip number, truck and driver
- Consignment notes carried
- Advance given, split by purpose
- Approver and time of handover
- Expected route and distance
Capture fuel and toll as they happen
Fuel is the largest line after freight. Record litres, rate, pump name and odometer at each fill. A fuel card statement can be matched later, but only the odometer reading tells you whether the mileage on that route makes sense. Check it early.
Toll entries are easier. Plaza receipts and FASTag statements carry a plaza name and a time stamp, so you can match every one of them against the planned route. A toll that appears twice deserves a question.
Photograph every slip as it is issued. Drivers lose paper by the third day. A photo taken at the pump settles most arguments.
Add loading, unloading and the odd expenses
Hamali, tarpaulin hire, a puncture repair, a police stop, a weighbridge slip. Each is small. Together they decide whether the trip made money.
Give these a fixed list of expense heads so reports are comparable across trips. Free text produces ten spellings of the same cost. Allow a note, but require a head.
Set a limit above which an expense needs a call to the office. The call is logged against the trip so the approval is not lost in a phone.
- Loading and unloading charges with party name
- Weighbridge slip number
- Tyre, tarpaulin and minor repair bills
- Parking, entry and detention charges
- Notes on any approval given by phone
Handle shortages and claims before you close
Shortage is a dispute between consignor, transporter and consignee. The proof is the signed proof of delivery with its count, set against the loading tally. Both must be attached to the trip before any deduction is made from the driver or the freight bill.
Record the claim separately from the trip cost. A shortage may be recovered from the driver, passed to insurance or negotiated off the freight. Each path has its own status, and mixing them into trip cost hides the true margin.
Do not close a trip with an open claim unless the claim is clearly tagged. Closed means the numbers will not change again.
Close with a statement and remove the paper bundle
The closing statement is one page. Freight earned, advance given, fuel, toll, other expenses, shortage recovered, and balance payable to or from the driver. Both sides sign it, on a phone or on paper.
Drivers usually hand in a bundle of slips and a notebook. A custom build replaces the bundle. Entries are made along the road, through a simple driver app or a clerk at the dispatch desk. Settlement is mostly done when the truck returns.
Next step: take the last ten settled trips, list every expense head that appeared and fix that list before you build anything.
Trip settlement sheet
A one-page sheet per trip. The top block holds trip number, truck, driver, route and consignment notes. The middle grid has rows for advance, fuel fills, tolls, loading costs, other heads and shortage claims, with columns for date, amount, slip number and approver. The bottom block shows freight, total cost, balance and two signatures.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
When should a trip be considered settled?
When the driver’s balance is paid or recovered, every expense has a slip or a logged approval, and any shortage claim has a status. After that point, entries should be locked.
How do we stop fuel pilferage?
Compare litres filled with distance driven using odometer readings at each fill. A fuel card with pump names helps. Unusual mileage on a route triggers a review, not an accusation.
Can drivers enter data themselves?
Yes, if the form is short. Photo of the slip, expense head and amount is enough. A dispatch clerk can verify entries when the truck reaches the yard.
Do we need a custom build for this?
Not always. A ready transport tool may cover it. A build makes sense when your expense rules, driver pay or shortage handling differ from what the tool assumes.