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A cash-on-delivery amount is on the bill. No envelope of cash is with it. You flip the paper over to check for handwritten amendments tucked between the receipt copies taped to its reverse, tap the edge of the bill against the corrugated top of the 4-skid load sitting in bay 3, and glance up at the carrier driver leaning against their truck door waiting for your signoff to unload.
Cross-Reference the Two Listed COD Amounts on the Straight Bill of Lading
This is the standard freight document for pre-paid and COD shipments moving between non-brokered parties, and it almost always includes two distinct COD line items when last-minute adjustments are made at pickup. You first run through a quick cross-reference check to make sure you can clearly identify both lines, no smudges or faded ink obscuring either value. Follow these four steps to complete the cross-reference consistently for every incoming COD shipment:
- Locate the pre-printed COD line in the “Special Instructions” field on the upper right third of the document, printed in black sans-serif font alongside the shipment’s purchase order number and pre-scheduled delivery appointment confirmation code.
- Locate the handwritten COD line in the empty white space below the consignee signature field, scrawled in blue or black ballpoint, with the driver’s employee ID number and the pickup date written in parentheses directly after the listed amount.
- Match both listed amounts to the accounts receivable confirmation you pulled up on your handheld scanner 10 minutes before the driver pulled into the dock driveway, noting any gaps between the two listed amounts and the figure your finance team expects for this shipment.
- Circle any discrepancy between the two COD amounts in red marker directly on the face of the document, so you don’t mix up the values as you move through the rest of your check-in process.
You might see discrepancies as small as a few dollars for fuel surcharges or as large as a few hundred dollars for unexpected palletization fees, and every single one requires the same clear cross-reference to avoid billing headaches later. Illustrative example: The pre-printed COD line lists $427.90, aligned with the purchase order your team sent to the shipper two weeks prior, while the handwritten line lists $452.90, a $25 difference from an unexpected liftgate service fee the shipper added at pickup that your accounts receivable team did not flag in their pre-delivery alert. You don’t need to resolve the fee discrepancy on the spot, but you do need to clearly note both amounts before you make any call about shipment release or sign any carrier-provided documentation.
Confirm Which Line Takes Priority for Shipment Release
The key rule for straight bill of lading amendments is that handwritten changes dated and initialed by both the shipper and the pickup driver take priority over pre-printed text, as long as the amendment matches the supporting pickup receipt attached to the back of the document. You flip the bill over to find the triplicate pickup receipt taped to the last page, and cross-check the handwritten COD amount against the fee listed on that receipt. If the two match, the handwritten line is the controlling amount for this shipment. If they do not match, the pre-printed line aligns with your team’s original purchase order, so it is the controlling amount. You don’t need to argue with the driver about the discrepancy if the amounts don’t line up; you simply note the mismatch and alert your operations lead before you approve unload or sign for the shipment. This step ensures you don’t lock your team into paying a fee that was never agreed to, or hold up a valid shipment over an administrative gap that can be resolved later by the billing team. You only need enough information to confirm which line is valid per the documentation in front of you, no additional calls to the shipper or carrier required unless your operations lead asks you to make them.
Annotate the Document With Your On-Dock Observation
Once you confirm which line controls, you add three quick annotations directly to the face of the document to create a clear, time-stamped record of your on-dock observation. First, you write the current date in the margin directly next to the two COD amounts, using the same blue or black ink you use for all dock signature requirements. Second, you circle the controlling COD line in green marker, and write your employee initials directly next to the circle, so anyone reviewing the document later knows who confirmed the controlling value. Third, you add a short, clear note below the circled line explaining your call: either “Handwritten matches pickup receipt, controls” or “Pre-printed matches PO and AR confirmation, controls”. You also add a separate note directly below the two COD amounts that reads “No cash received with shipment” to tie back to your initial observation when you first picked up the document, so the billing team knows the COD balance is still outstanding, not misplaced somewhere on the dock during unload. You log the discrepancy and annotation in your dock management system to cross-reference with the physical document, no extra paperwork required beyond the note on the bill itself if you use Dock Tally to track incoming shipment details. Once all annotations are complete, you set the bill aside in your “to file” stack while you oversee the unload and count the individual skids and boxes to confirm no damage or missing items.
When You Pull This Straight Bill of Lading For Reference Later
You file the annotated document in the dedicated incoming shipment binder by delivery date once the unload is complete, and you won’t need to look at it again unless a billing dispute arises 30, 60, or even 90 days down the line. When you pull this exact page out of the binder in response to a query from your billing team, the shipper, or the carrier, you have all the information you need to answer questions immediately, no digging through old emails or relying on faded memory of a random shipment from months prior. You can point directly to the two listed COD amounts, the red circle around any discrepancy, the green circle around the controlling line, your dated initials, and the note that no cash was received at delivery to confirm exactly what you observed on the dock the day the shipment arrived. You can provide a scanned copy of the annotated document to all relevant parties to support the dispute resolution process, no additional statements or testimony required unless specifically requested. You don’t have to weigh in on which party is responsible for the fee mismatch or follow up on the resolution process yourself; your only role is to provide the accurate, time-stamped record you created on the day of delivery. If the billing team asks for additional context, you can share that you followed standard check-in protocol for COD shipments, and all relevant details are noted directly on the face of the bill of lading for easy reference.