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Before dispatch, agree who confirms each freight handoff and who takes over when the plan changes. Give each role a named contact and an alternate if the primary contact is unavailable.
Build the handoff record
- Release: The warehouse confirms the count and readiness. Dispatch records the confirmation and releases the truck.
- Collection: The loading contact and driver reconcile the dispatch count against the job reference.
- Delivery: The receiver confirms acceptance or records exceptions. Dispatch follows up on outstanding units.
- Closeout: Accounts checks the accepted rate, approved extras and delivery evidence.
Worked example: the loading team finds a discrepancy
A Midrand warehouse counts 18 cartons against a brief for 20. The warehouse confirms the physical count. Dispatch asks the shipper whether to wait or send the 18. The receiver confirms whether it can accept the partial delivery. Record the decision and who approved it before releasing the vehicle.
Suppose the shipper authorises the 18 cartons at 09:20 and the receiver confirms it can accept them at 09:25. Dispatch updates the collection instructions and asks the driver to confirm receipt. The warehouse marks two cartons as outstanding against the original order. If the driver still has the 20-carton instruction, dispatch sends the revised count before release. Give the receiver the new count and an agreed time for the next update on the balance.
Record the approval alongside the instruction
Keep the job reference, decision, approver and time together. Give the driver the current instruction through the agreed dispatch channel. For a managed movement, send Synesys your freight brief and handoff contacts.
Further reading Kweli’s dispatch handover checklist.
Related Synesys guide Cargo ready for collection a shippers release checklist.
Freight handoff checklist
For each handoff write down who releases the freight, who accepts it and what evidence closes the step. Give dispatch a named escalation contact for incomplete or disputed handoffs.
Worked example
A driver reports delivery complete but the receiver signs for nine of ten units. Dispatch records nine accepted and one unresolved, assigns the count check to the origin warehouse and tells accounts the closeout is pending.
“An EPCIS event records what was involved in a business process step, when the event took place, where it took place”
For each freight handoff, record the job and unit references, the site, the time and the person confirming receipt. Distinguish the actual event from the instruction that authorised it. If the receiver signs for nine units, keep that evidence intact while dispatch checks the tenth.
Set a deadline for the count check. If the warehouse cannot confirm the missing unit by that deadline, the dispatcher should notify the shipper, explain which records have been checked and name the next person who will investigate. Tell accounts when a signed correction or a separate delivery record arrives.
Cover photo by U.S. Army. Cropped and branded.
Freight handoff FAQs
Who approves a partial collection?
The warehouse confirms the physical count. Dispatch gets the shipper’s approval and confirms the receiving site can accept the revised quantity before releasing the truck.
What should the driver do if two instructions conflict?
Ask dispatch to confirm the current instruction against the job reference before proceeding. Dispatch should record who approved the change and confirm that the driver has received it.
Who owns a shortage after delivery?
Dispatch assigns a named owner to trace the missing unit and sets the next update time. Keep the signed receiving count with the exception and inform accounts that closeout is pending.