Steplane › Guides › Trucking company SOP template
Updated 19 October 2026 · Written by Paul, founder of Steplane, a logistics process specialist with over 13 years in logistics, including at some of the biggest freight forwarders in the world.
In short: A trucking company needs office SOPs as well as driver SOPs. The core office set runs from quote to payment: quoting, order intake and dispatch, subcontractor booking, proof of delivery, invoicing, collections, claims and compliance records. Each SOP is one page: purpose, trigger, owner, steps with an owner and a record each, and revision history.
Driver SOPs keep trucks safe and legal. Office SOPs make sure the work gets paid for. A load that was driven well but invoiced late, without the waiting time, or to a customer over its credit limit still loses money. That is where many small fleets have no written process.
Below: what belongs in office and driver SOPs, the core office SOPs in one table, a filled-in example, a one-hour method and a free blank template.
| Office SOPs | Driver SOPs | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Every load is priced, booked, documented, invoiced and paid | Every load is driven safely, legally and delivered intact |
| Who uses them | Sales, dispatch, billing, finance, management | Drivers, fleet and safety manager |
| Typical SOPs | Quote, order intake, dispatch, subcontracting, POD, invoicing, collections, claims | Pre-trip inspection, loading and securing, driving and rest times, accidents, fuel, delivery |
| Main records | Quote, order confirmation, POD, invoice, payment, claim log | Inspection reports, tachograph or ELD data, accident reports, delivery notes |
| Main risk if missing | Lost revenue, bad debt, disputes over unbilled extras | Accidents, fines, cargo damage |
This guide covers office SOPs. Driver SOPs depend heavily on your vehicles, cargo and national rules; base them on the official rules for driving time, rest and vehicle checks in each country you operate.
| SOP | Starts when | Owner | Record kept | Key rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Quoting | Rate request received | Sales | Quote with validity, inclusions and extras (waiting, extra stops) | No quote without the extras listed |
| 2. New customer and credit | New customer wants to book | Finance | Credit application, checks, approved limit | No load on credit before terms are agreed |
| 3. Order intake and dispatch | Order or tender received | Dispatch | Order confirmation, driver and truck assigned | Confirm details in writing before dispatch |
| 4. Subcontractor booking | Own fleet cannot cover the load | Dispatch | Approved subcontractor, signed transport order | Only approved, insured subcontractors |
| 5. Proof of delivery and extras | Load delivered | Dispatch | Signed CMR or BOL, POD, waiting time and extra stops noted | POD in the file within 1 working day |
| 6. Invoicing | POD in the file | Billing | Invoice with all extras | Invoice within 1 working day of POD |
| 7. Collections | Invoice due date passes | Finance | Reminder log, promised dates, stop list | Stop new loads at the agreed overdue limit |
| 8. Claims and damage | Damage or shortage reported | Claims owner | Damage report, photos, claim log | Notify in writing within the time limits |
| 9. Compliance records | Calendar date or expiry | Fleet or safety manager | Licences, insurance, tachograph or driver records | Expiry warnings 30 days ahead |
Start with SOPs 3, 5 and 6. They touch every load and decide how fast you get paid.
| Purpose | Every delivered load is invoiced within 1 working day, with all extras. |
| Scope | All road loads, own fleet and subcontracted. |
| Owner | Billing lead |
| Trigger | Driver or subcontractor reports the load delivered. |
| Done when | Invoice sent and logged; load status = invoiced. |
| # | Step | Owner | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get a photo or scan of the signed CMR or BOL and POD the same day | Dispatch | POD in the load file |
| 2 | Check the POD: signature, date, name, any damage or shortage remarks | Dispatch | Check box on the load |
| 3 | Add waiting time, extra stops and other extras from the driver's report | Dispatch | Extras on the load |
| 4 | If remarks show damage or shortage, open a claim record | Dispatch | Claim log entry |
| 5 | Create the invoice at the agreed rate plus extras | Billing | Invoice draft |
| 6 | Check the customer's reference or PO number is on the invoice | Billing | Invoice |
| 7 | Send the invoice with the POD attached | Billing | Sent invoice, date logged |
| 8 | Missing POD after 2 working days: chase and tell the dispatch lead | Billing | Chase note |
Revision history: v1.0, 19 October 2026, first issue.
| Minutes | Do this |
|---|---|
| 0–10 | Write the purpose in one sentence, the trigger, and what "done" looks like. |
| 10–30 | With the person who does the work, list the steps as they happen today. Start each with a verb. Stop at 10 steps; split if longer. |
| 30–40 | Add one owner (a role) and one record to each step. A step with no record cannot be checked. |
| 40–50 | Mark the two or three steps where things go wrong. Add the rule or the exception for each. |
| 50–60 | Read it aloud to someone who does not do this work. Fix anything they cannot follow. Add version 1.0 to the revision history. |
Do not aim for perfect. Use it for a month, check 10 loads against it, and change what people skip or work around.
One page, editable in Word, with every field in [brackets]:
For a version with freight forwarding examples, see the freight forwarding SOP template.
Ready-made office procedures for a transport company, from new customer and quote through booking, carriers, documents and claims to invoice. Each kit has a process and rollout plan with steps, owners, triggers and records, plus the forms and registers. EU and US versions.
€49 (about $55) per kit, one-time. EU and US versions. Any 3 kits €99, all 6 kits €199. 14-day money-back guarantee.
Office SOPs for quoting, new customers and credit, order intake and dispatch, subcontractor booking, proof of delivery, invoicing, collections, claims and compliance records; and driver SOPs for inspections, loading, driving and rest times, and accidents.
Purpose, scope, owner, trigger, a steps table with an owner and a record for each step, a records list, exceptions, and revision history. One page is enough for most office procedures.
An SOP says who does what, when and where the proof is kept. A checklist is a tool used inside one step, such as checking a POD. Link checklists from the SOP rather than copying them in.
Proof of delivery to invoice. It touches every load and decides how quickly you are paid. Then order intake and dispatch, then quoting.
Check a sample of loads against each SOP every month for the first quarter, then review each SOP at least once a year or when the work changes. Record every change in the revision history.
Yes. Auditors look for documented processes with owners and records that show they are followed. A one-page SOP with a records column gives them both.
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