Can I charge for idle time with this?

Yes. Arrival-to-pour timestamps create a defensible record aligned to your contract terms for waiting time charges.

How is water addition signed off?

Drivers record exact litres added and capture the authoriser’s digital signature on site. It’s stored in the job’s audit trail.

Can drivers take photos?

Yes—geo-tagged, time-stamped photos are attached to the job for conditions, access or test results.

Does it produce an ePOD?

Yes—electronic proof of delivery with idle-time, water, signatures and photos included.

Stop Chasing Dockets: How Paperless Loads Improve Cashflow

19 Aug

Written By denise o'kelly

If you work in civil works or haulage, you already know the pain: missing dockets, illegible signatures, and week-end reconciliations that stall invoicing. In a sector where late payment is common, every avoidable query pushes cash further out. In Ireland, SMEs report some of the longest waits for payment in construction — averaging ~75 days, according to ISME’s Prompt Payments report for Q1 2024. isme.ie

The good news is that the cash gap is often an information gap. When you replace paper dockets with verifiable, time- and geo-stamped digital records (electronic proof of delivery, or ePOD), you remove the ambiguity that drives disputes — and you can invoice sooner with fewer queries. Industry and policy moves are already pointing in this direction: the EU/Irish public sector has shifted to standardised e-invoicing, precisely to reduce processing delays and errors; and the UK’s mandatory digital waste tracking is scheduled to commence in April 2026, making digital chains of custody the norm for waste/material movements. European Commission+1 GOV.UK

From paper pain to a clean digital record chain

Paper dockets create lag: they’re lost, smudged, or late to the office — which forces your team to estimate loads, phone subcontractors, and re-create journeys. That invites queries from QS and client teams.

Digital ePOD flips the sequence: a driver logs the load on a phone at pickup; the system captures timestamp, location, destination, and (if relevant) a signature/photo; the drop-off is logged at a licensed site; finance gets an instant, irrefutable trail. Vendors and case studies consistently report fewer disputes and faster billing because the invoice is backed by verifiable movement data. descartes.com aptean.com

Why cash comes in faster with paperless loads

You invoice earlier. When delivery/haulage completion is captured digitally, billing can start immediately, rather than days later when paper arrives. That alone shortens the cash conversion cycle. descartes.com
You cut preventable queries. A large share of slowed payments comes from avoidable discrepancies (quantities, destinations, timings). With time/geo-stamped proof, QS checks are quicker and audit trails are straightforward. Industry sources note that ePOD reduces back-and-forth and returns/admin overhead, improving the billing cycle. descartes.com
You align with e-invoicing expectations. Public buyers in Ireland already operate on PEPPOL / EU-standard e-invoices to reduce processing time and cost; suppliers that can feed clean, structured data (loads → invoice lines) tend to sail through processing compared with paper-based submissions. European Commission
You are future-proof for waste/circular economy rules. As digital waste tracking becomes standard (UK from April 2026), having a digital chain of custody for aggregates, planings, spoil and C&D waste reduces compliance friction and protects cashflow tied to environmental deliverables. GOV.UK

What a “dispute-resistant” record looks like

A strong ePOD entry typically includes:

Load type and quantity
Pickup timestamp and GPS
Destination (licensed facility/site) and timestamp/GPS
Driver ID / vehicle reg, optional photos/signatures
Automatic receipt for the subcontractor and your QS

This is the kind of evidence that pre-empts debit notes and keeps valuations moving. In a GS1 case example, receiving electronic proof of delivery messages eliminated invoice surprises caused by late discovery of delivery problems — disputes were surfaced immediately rather than after invoicing. gs1uk.org

Cashflow impact: what to expect

While results vary by project and client:

Invoice lead time typically shrinks because finance doesn’t wait for paper; digital entries post in near-real-time. descartes.com
Query rates fall when every line on the invoice links to a verifiable journey (time/GPS + destination). Industry analyses of ePOD repeatedly cite fewer disputes and faster billing cycles. descartes.com aptean.com
Over time, this supports a lower DSO: not by changing client policy, but by removing the frictions (missing dockets, uncertain quantities) that keep invoices parked. And in a landscape where construction waits ~75 days on average, even modest reductions matter. isme.ie

Sources

ISME, Prompt Payments Report Q1 2024 — construction sector waits average 75 days to be paid. isme.ie
European Commission (DIGITAL), eInvoicing in Ireland — national approach built on PEPPOL to reduce processing effort and improve automation. European Commission
European Commission (DIGITAL), 2024 Ireland eInvoicing Country Sheet — standardising supplier requirements to reduce costs and speed implementation. European Commission
UK Government / DEFRA-DAERA, Digital waste tracking service — mandatory digital tracking now slated for April 2026. GOV.UK
Descartes, What is Electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD)? — ePOD accelerates invoicing and reduces disputes/admin. descartes.com
GS1 UK case (Stream Foods) — electronic POD removed invoice surprises and smoothed cash collection. gs1uk.org

denise o'kelly