Delivery Instructions for Drivers: Write Down Every Customer's Rules

Short answer: Write one delivery sheet per customer site covering access, booking slot, contact, vehicle limits, PPE and site rules, unloading, proof of delivery and what to do if it fails. Keep it where every driver can find it, with an owner and a last-checked date. HSE's "Delivering safely" guidance recommends a written delivery plan for regular deliveries.

Every dispatch office has a driver who "just knows" the awkward drops. The farm with the weak bridge, the hospital that only takes deliveries at the back gate before 7, the builder's merchant that wants two copies of the delivery note. When that driver is off sick, the new driver finds out the hard way. A wasted trip costs fuel, a slot, and sometimes the customer.

This guide is for US and UK fleets. The safety guidance we cite is from HSE (Great Britain), but the structure of a good delivery sheet is the same on both sides of the Atlantic.

Why put customer delivery rules in writing?

Because a run that only one person can do is a single point of failure. Written instructions let any competent driver do the run, let dispatch answer "how do I get in?" without phoning the regular driver, and give you something to check when a customer says a delivery went wrong.

There's also a safety reason. HSE's "Delivering safely" guidance says a common factor in delivery accidents is the lack of any agreement between supplier, carrier and recipient about who is responsible for what. Its three principles are to send safety information to others in the delivery chain, request it from them, and agree a safe delivery plan. Where a recipient regularly receives similar deliveries, HSE says the parties should agree a written delivery plan.

What should a delivery instruction sheet include?

Ten headings cover almost every site. Use the same order for every customer so drivers know where to look.

The example entries are made up to show the level of detail. Your own will come from your customers and drivers.

Which details do drivers most need at the gate?

The ones that stop a delivery if they're missing. HSE's list of what to exchange before a delivery reads like a checklist for this:

• Vehicle restrictions: the size and type the site can handle, and whether reversing aids are required.
• Time restrictions: when goods can be delivered or collected.
• Approach routes: especially one-way systems, low bridges, narrow roads or awkward access.
• A site plan showing parking, reception, the route through the site and the unloading area.
• Where to park and whom to report to on arrival.
• Site procedures, such as hi-vis, mobile phone limits, reversing rules or a banksman.
• Who is in charge of unloading.
• What to do if the driver isn't satisfied with the safety arrangements, and who to report concerns to.
• Contact details for the other parties if there's a problem.
• What to do if the load has shifted in transit.
• The point where the driver gives permission for the vehicle to be unloaded.

HSE's "Visiting drivers" page adds that site rules, directions, maps and approach information can be printed on the back of order forms and invoices. That's a good habit for your own yard too, if other carriers collect from you.

How do you write proof of delivery requirements?

Be specific enough that two drivers would do the same thing. "Get a signature" isn't enough. Write down:

1. Who can sign. Any staff member, goods-in only, or a named person.
2. What they sign. Your POD, their goods-received note, or both, and how many copies.
3. Printed name and time, if the customer disputes deliveries.
4. Photos: what to photograph (goods in place, damage, seal numbers, the open gate if nobody answers).
5. Exceptions: how to record shortages, damage or refusals on the paperwork before the customer signs.
6. Special loads: temperature readings, batch numbers or seal checks if the customer requires them.

If the customer has written requirements in a contract or supplier manual, quote those rather than paraphrasing, and note the document and date.

What should the failed delivery procedure say?

Everything a driver needs to decide without guessing. Most of the cost of a failed delivery comes from the driver not knowing whether to wait, leave the goods, or bring them back. Write it as steps:

1. How long to wait after the booked time or after arrival.
2. Who to call first: the site contact, then dispatch. Give both numbers.
3. What evidence to collect: time of arrival, photo of the closed gate or the refusal, name of the person who refused.
4. Whether goods can be left, where, and with what record. If they can never be left, say so.
5. What to do with the load: return to depot, try the next drop and come back, or deliver to an alternative address the customer has approved.
6. Who tells the customer and who rebooks.

How do you keep instructions current?

Give each sheet an owner, a date and a route for changes.

• One owner per customer, usually the dispatcher or account manager, plus a backup.
• A "last checked" date at the top of every sheet. Drivers will trust a sheet checked last month more than one from three years ago.
• A simple way for drivers to report changes: a message to dispatch, a form, or a note on the run sheet. The owner approves and updates the sheet.
• A trigger list: new contact, new gate, new booking system, new site rules, a failed delivery, or a near miss. Any of these means a review.
• A fixed review for every active customer, on a cycle you can keep.
• Retire old versions so there's only one sheet per site.

Start with the drops that cause the most phone calls. Ask the driver who knows them best to talk through each one while someone writes it down. That's usually an hour per driver, not a project.

Getting the answer from the cab

Once the sheets exist, the next problem is finding the right line from the cab. If your delivery sheets live in Google Drive or SharePoint, Verika can sync them, and a relief driver can ask by voice "where do I report at the Mill Lane depot?" and hear the answer from that customer's sheet, with the sheet named. If the sheet doesn't say, Verika tells the driver it doesn't know and logs the question so the dispatcher can add the answer once. See how this works for transport and logistics teams. If you run interstate trucks, the same approach works for compliance paperwork. Our driver qualification file checklist is a good place to start.

Sources

1. Delivering safely — Health and Safety Executive (Great Britain), workplace transport guidance
2. Visiting drivers — Health and Safety Executive (Great Britain), page updated 17 November 2021