Digital consignment note

What is a digital consignment note?

A digital consignment note is the electronic and paperless form of the conventional consignment note. The consignment note is stored in electronic form and exchanged between the shipper, carrier and recipient. By using digital consignment notes, drivers do not have to carry paper documents. The waybills can be signed or acknowledged electronically – the proof of delivery is then available to all parties involved and the delivery can be invoiced immediately.

The digital consignment note in container logistics

In container logistics, the digital consignment note only became established later. The security concerns about paperless handling were too great, especially as this often involves goods worth millions. With this in mind, a blockchain solution was developed in which each consignment note is given a unique hash key. This key is transferred to the blockchain together with a transaction number. A blockchain consists of a large number of computers on which the coded data of the acknowledged consignment notes is stored.

The hash key is calculated from the data contained in the consignment note using a standardized mathematical procedure and comprises 256 digits. Any subsequent change to the consignment note would automatically change the hash key, which would then no longer match the values stored in the blockchain.

In addition to the blockchain, driver smartphones are another important prerequisite for the digital consignment note in container logistics. The smartphones must be equipped with an app that can show the digital consignment note on the display. This allows the documents to be handed over to the drivers contactlessly.

When picking up the container, the driver completes the loading and departure times, the customer signs and seconds later the loading point and client receive the valid digital consignment note as a PDF file via email. The document is ready and legally compliant before the truck leaves the ramp.

The unloading process is just as fast: As soon as the recipient has signed the digital consignment note on the touchscreen of the driver’s smartphone, the file is sent by email to the head office, where it is archived in a legally compliant manner. This means that the receipted consignment notes are available immediately and can be invoiced.