Late payment in transport: waybills and charges

Where the money gets stuck

• The signed waybill, lost between the driver and the office. Without it, delivery is disputed and the invoice waits.
• Disputed extra charges: waiting time, handling, tolls, when they were not agreed in writing.
• Monthly batch invoicing, which starts the payment clock three or four weeks after the trip.

The clauses that matter

• The signed waybill, photographed and sent to the office the same day, over WhatsApp.
• A schedule of extra charges attached to the contract: hourly waiting rate beyond a free period, handling, road costs.
• Invoicing at delivery or every two weeks, rather than one monthly invoice.
• Payment terms in days from the invoice date, and a reminder on a fixed date.

Worked example

Fictional example. A haulier invoices 9,000,000 FCFA a month, in a single invoice on the 30th. A trip made on the 2nd is only invoiced 28 days later, then paid at 30 days: the money arrives 58 days after delivery. By invoicing every two weeks, it gains 7 to 8 days on average, roughly 9,000,000 ÷ 30 × 7 = 2,100,000 FCFA of cash freed.