The fastest way to get paid in transport is to invoice the moment proof of delivery (POD) is captured, and the way to do that is to make sure the job, the POD and the charges all live in one place and flow to Xero or MYOB automatically. In many transport businesses the POD comes back as paper or a photo, sits in a tray or inbox, and someone in the office retypes the job, works out the surcharges and creates the invoice days later. Fixing that usually means three things: capturing POD electronically against the job, applying rates and surcharges automatically, and connecting the transport system to the accounts.
Where the process usually breaks
POD comes back late or on paper
Signed dockets come back with the driver at the end of the run or the week. Until they're in, nothing can be invoiced, and lost dockets mean disputes.
Jobs are retyped to invoice
Even when the transport system has the job, someone retypes it into Xero or MYOB, often from printed run sheets.
Rates and surcharges by hand
Fuel levies, waiting time, tail-lifts and after-hours charges are worked out manually, so they're missed or applied inconsistently.
Disputes take days
When a customer questions a charge, the booking, POD, weights and notes are in different places, so finding the evidence takes longer than the original job.
Step by step: from POD to invoice
- Capture POD electronically against the job. Most transport and driver apps support signature and photo capture. If drivers already carry a phone, this is usually the first and cheapest fix.
- Agree the rate rules. Write down how each customer is charged, including surcharges and minimums, so the system can apply them consistently.
- Set the trigger. Decide when a job is ready to invoice: POD captured, charges checked, no open exceptions.
- Connect the transport system to Xero or MYOB. Ready jobs become invoices automatically, coded correctly, with the POD attached or linked.
- Handle exceptions, not every job. Missing PODs, disputed charges and unusual jobs are flagged for a person; everything else flows through.
- Invoice daily, not weekly. Once it's automatic, there's no reason to batch invoices, and cash comes in sooner.
When your current system is enough
Many transport management systems already capture POD and connect to Xero or MYOB. If yours does, the job is mostly setting it up properly: rate tables, surcharges and the invoicing trigger. Check what you already pay for before adding anything.
It's worth getting help when:
- the built-in connection doesn't handle your rates, surcharges or several entities,
- jobs come from more than one system, such as bookings, a weighbridge and subcontracted carriers,
- POD, weights and charges need matching before invoicing,
- or the office is still retyping despite having the software.
That's the work we do for transport businesses. See transport and logistics and connecting your systems.
Frequently asked questions
What is proof of delivery?
Proof of delivery is the record that goods were delivered: usually a signature, name, time and often a photo, captured by the driver. It's the evidence that the job is complete and can be invoiced.
Can proof of delivery trigger an invoice automatically?
Yes. When POD is captured against the job in the transport system or driver app, the job can move straight to invoicing, with only exceptions such as missing PODs or disputed charges held back for a person to check.
How do I stop surcharges being missed?
Set up each customer's rate rules, including fuel levies, waiting time and other surcharges, in the transport system, so they're applied automatically when the job is completed rather than worked out by hand.
Do I need new transport software to automate invoicing?
Often not. Many systems already capture POD and connect to Xero or MYOB; the gains come from setting them up properly and connecting what's missing. We'll tell you if your system genuinely can't do it.
If your office still retypes jobs to invoice, book a free initial chat. We'll tell you what your current system can do, and what's worth connecting.