Notes for owners · Industry-Specific Software Guides
Month-End Close for a Transport Company: PODs, Freight Bills and Hire
A transport company closes the month in five steps. Chase every unsigned POD, then bill the consignments whose PODs are in. Account for to-pay cash with drivers and branches, and settle trip sheets. Release attached lorry balances only against a POD. GullySystem’s transport software holds each step against the LR.
Ganesh HS, Strategy and Technology, GullySystem · · 3 min read
List every LR booked in the month
The close starts from the LR or bilty series, not from the bill book. Pull every consignment booked in the month with consignor, consignee, freight terms and the lorry it went on. Gaps in the series are the first thing to explain.
Mark each LR as paid, to-pay or billed later. Those three groups close differently. Mixing them is how a to-pay load ends up billed twice.
Chase the PODs still outside
A freight bill cannot leave without the signed POD. So the unsigned list decides how much of the month you can bill. Sort it by party and by driver, oldest first.
Photographs help here. A driver who photographs the signed copy at the delivery point saves the folded paper from the cabin. The original can follow later for parties that insist on it.
- Consignments delivered but with no POD on file
- PODs marked with shortage, damage or refusal
- Drivers holding more than one unsigned copy
- Parties that need the original paper, not a photograph
Bill the month and follow to-pay cash
For contract parties, gather the month’s consignments into one bill with the LR list and POD copies attached. Bill one-off parties per consignment. Rates come from the party’s agreed card, so the clerk is not ringing the owner.
To-pay freight is collected at the delivery end. Post each collection against the driver or branch that took it. Anything not yet deposited is a balance to clear before the month is called closed.
Settle trip sheets and driver advances
Each returned trip carries an advance and a pile of slips. Set diesel, FASTag toll, hamali and bata against the advance, and settle the difference into the driver’s account. FASTag statements can be matched to the tolls entered.
Trips still on the road stay open. Note them so next month’s close picks them up. Do not estimate them to make the month look tidy.
Release attached lorry balances against the POD
Broker-hired lorries carry an advance at loading and a balance after delivery. Release the balance only when that trip’s POD is in the file. Detention claims are checked against the unloading dates on the trip.
End with the vehicle papers. List permit, fitness, insurance and pollution dates falling due next month. It is quicker to renew from a list than to hear about a lapse from a check post.
- Hire, advance and balance per attached lorry
- Broker ledger agreed before payment
- Vehicle papers due in the coming month
Transport month-end checklist
List the five close steps on a single page, with a column for the count at each step and the person who owns it. Fill in the unsigned PODs, unbilled LRs, undeposited to-pay cash and open trips. The counts show which step holds the month up.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Does GullySystem’s transport software generate e-way bills?
No. It does not create, verify or extend e-way bills. The consignment record can hold the e-way bill number your consignor gives you. How e-way bills apply to your loads is a question for your accountant or adviser.
Can the month’s figures go into Tally?
Not built in. Freight, hire and expense figures can be read in the system by your accountant. Settle the ledger layout first, and an export is then quoted against it.
Does it show profit or loss per trip?
It totals freight against diesel, toll, hire, driver advance and repairs on each trip. How depreciation and office overheads are treated is left to your accountant.
Can a branch close its books while the line is down?
No. The software is hosted so every branch works on one consignment series, which needs a connection. A clerk on mobile data can still book and post.