Why logistics teams use e-signatures
Freight moves faster than paper. A load cannot be dispatched until the carrier has signed the rate confirmation. A new haulier cannot be used until their carrier agreement is on file. A customer will not pay until there is a signed delivery note. A driver cannot start until their contract and policy acknowledgements are done. The people who need to sign are on the road, at a depot, at a customer’s dock or in another time zone — almost never next to a printer.
SignPe works wherever the freight is. Dispatchers and account managers send documents from the web app; drivers, warehouse supervisors and owner-operators sign on the SignPe app for iOS and Android or in any mobile browser. Each signer gets an email with a Review & Sign Document button, and you receive the signed PDF and an audit trail as soon as the last signature lands. One account works across every device, and documents sync between them.
Carrier agreements and rate confirmations: book capacity without waiting on paper
Brokers and shippers live on capacity that disappears quickly. A carrier agreement or rate confirmation that takes a day to come back can lose the truck. With SignPe the confirmation reaches the carrier’s phone within minutes of the rate being agreed.
- Carriers sign as guests. Recipients without a SignPe account sign in their browser after accepting an electronic-records consent screen — nothing for a carrier’s dispatcher or an owner-operator to install. See sign without an account.
- The load details on the page. Use Text fields for the load reference, pickup and delivery windows or the agreed rate, and a Date field in the format your paperwork uses.
- Who signed for the carrier. Full Name, Company and Designation fields record the signatory and their capacity.
- Know when it has been seen. The Opened status tells you the carrier has the confirmation in front of them, so your follow-up call is about the load rather than about the email.
If a rate or pickup time changes after you have sent the confirmation, void the document — the old signing link stops working and the carrier is told — and send the corrected version.
Delivery notes and proof of delivery: signatures at the point of handover
A delivery is only finished when someone signs for it. Paper delivery notes get creased, rained on and lost in the cab, and a missing signed copy can hold up an invoice for weeks.
- In person Signing at the dock. Open the delivery note on your phone or tablet and hand it to the receiver to sign directly on the screen. In the mobile app the option is In-Person Signing.
- A signature that looks like one. The drawing pad is speed-sensitive, with tapered stroke ends, so a finger signature in a loading bay still looks natural. Choose black, blue or red ink, and Clear to start again.
- Scan what was signed on paper. If a customer insists on signing your paper copy, the SignPe app’s Scan option turns it — and a multi-page bill of lading — into a PDF with automatic edge detection, up to 20 pages per scan.
- Photos into one PDF. Pick several photos of a paper consignment note and SignPe combines them into a single PDF automatically.
Record damage or shortages on the page
Before handing the device over, use text and shapes to note any damage or shortage the receiver reports — a Text note, or a Checkmark beside “received in good condition” or “damaged” — so the exception is part of the document they sign.
Warehousing and 3PL contracts: put service agreements in place quickly
Third-party logistics, warehousing and distribution agreements are long, carry detailed rate schedules and service levels, and usually need signatures from several people at each company. SignPe handles all of them on one document.
- Signing order across both companies. Use Set signer order so the customer signs first and your director countersigns, with each person emailed automatically when it is their turn.
- Initials on the schedules. Place Initials on rate and service-level pages, and signers can use Apply to all fields of the same type to initial every page in one step.
- Copy operations and finance. Add the site manager or billing team as observers so they receive updates without being asked to sign.
- Contracts from the cloud. Import agreements directly from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box — see cloud storage integration.
Automated reminders nudge signers so agreements do not stall, and the Waiting for Others filter in your Documents list shows every contract still out for signature. For more on supplier paperwork, read how to sign vendor agreements online.
Driver and owner-operator onboarding: get drivers on the road sooner
Every new driver or owner-operator brings a stack of paperwork: an employment or subcontract agreement, vehicle and equipment policies, safety and conduct acknowledgements. Drivers are rarely at the office, and a contract waiting to be signed is a truck sitting idle.
- Sign on the phone they already have. Drivers sign in any modern mobile browser or on the SignPe app — no visit to the office needed.
- Acknowledgements at the depot. For a driver induction, use In person Signing so each driver signs the safety briefing on a tablet before they leave.
- Chase without phoning. The Remind button emails every signer who has not signed yet; drivers with the SignPe app also get a push and in-app notification.
- A clear record per driver. Each signature is logged with its date and time, and the audit trail PDF can be kept with the driver’s file.
Recruiting and onboarding teams can find more on contract signing in our guide to signing an employment contract online, and on HR paperwork in electronic signatures for HR teams.
A typical logistics signing workflow
Prepare the document
Upload the carrier agreement, rate confirmation or delivery note, or scan a paper document with the SignPe app. Save it as a draft if you need to confirm details first — drafts do not use a document credit.
Place and assign fields
Drag Signature, Full Name, Date, Text and Checkmark fields onto the page and assign each one to the carrier, driver, receiver or your own signatory.
Choose how it is signed
Use Set signer order to send it remotely, or In person Signing to collect a signature on your device at the dock.
Track and follow up
Follow Sent, Received, Opened and Signed in the Activity timeline on the web or the Document History page on mobile, and use Remind if anyone stalls.
Keep the record
When everyone has signed, all parties receive the signed copy. Download the audit trail PDF to keep with the load, customer or driver file.
Compliance considerations for logistics documents
Electronic signatures are recognised for most commercial contracts under laws such as the US ESIGN Act and UETA, the EU’s eIDAS regulation and India’s Information Technology Act 2000. Transport is heavily regulated, though: customs declarations, dangerous-goods documents, certain bills of lading and driver records can have their own rules, and requirements differ by country and mode of transport. Confirm with your compliance team, customs broker or legal adviser which documents can be signed electronically. The legality guide covers India in detail.
- An audit trail per document. The audit trail PDF shows the document ID, sent and completed dates, and when each signer was emailed, viewed and signed.
- Only participants can open a document. Rates and customer details are visible only to the sender, signers and observers on that document.
- Encryption in transit and at rest. Documents travel over HTTPS/TLS and are stored in encrypted cloud storage — see eSignature security.
- Aadhaar eSign in India. For Indian carriers and customers, Aadhaar eSign adds OTP verification through eMudhra and a PKI-signed PDF.
Delivery and driver documents contain personal and commercial information. Apply your own retention and data-protection policies to the signed copies you download.
How to capture a delivery sign-off on your phone
Open the delivery note
Upload the delivery note in the SignPe app, or scan the paper copy with the Scan option.
Choose In-Person Signing
Select In-Person Signing as the signing mode.
Place the fields
Add Signature, Full Name and Date fields for the receiver, and type any remarks they report onto the note.
Hand the device over
The receiver checks the note and signs on the screen with a finger or stylus.
Finish and file
The completed PDF and its audit trail are saved to your account, ready to send with the invoice.
