---
id: KB-LG-001
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/logistics/document-control-in-logistics
idioma: en
categoria: sector-logistica
subcategoria: operadores
audiencia: usuario
nivel: basico
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-CS-008, KB-CS-020]
citadoPor: [KB-LG-002, KB-LG-003, KB-LG-004, KB-LG-005, KB-LG-007, KB-LG-008, KB-LG-009]
---

# Document control in logistics

_Documentation that moves with the goods and expires faster than in any other sector._

**Responde a:** transport document control · subcontracted haulier documentation · documents accompanying goods · where to start with logistics documentation

In logistics, documentation has two features no other sector shares: it expires very fast, and much of it physically travels with the goods. Checking on arrival is no use; it has to be checked before loading.

## The three levels

| Level | Documentation | Expires |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The company | Transport authorisations, insurance, tax clearance | Yes |
| The vehicle | Roadworthiness tests, insurance, special authorisations | Yes, on different dates from each other |
| The driver | Licences, professional competence, specific certifications | Yes, and it changes with turnover |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> With subcontracted fleets, checking has to be per person and per registration at loading time. A list from the subcontractor does not say who is in the van today or with which vehicle.

## What gets disputed afterwards

Two things, always: whether it was delivered and in what condition. Both are documented at delivery or not at all, because afterwards it is the carrier's word against the customer's.

**En corto**

- Proof of delivery signed by the recipient, not by the deliverer.
- Certified photos when there is an incident.
- And a certified temperature record, if it travels chilled.

> [!WARNING]
> Each branch adds its own: dangerous goods require specific documentation, cold chain requires proving temperature, and customs requires the accompanying paperwork to be right first time or the goods sit stranded at a daily cost.

> [!NOTE]
> A 30-day expiry warning across a subcontracted fleet is what avoids the classic lorry arriving with an inspection that lapsed last week.

**Can I check it at the bay?**

Yes, from a phone, and that is precisely the use case.

**What about one-off hauliers?**

A quick case with the essentials: insurance and authorisation.

**Does it serve for a transport inspection?**

It is exactly what gets shown.

## Ejemplos

**An operator with 35 subcontracted hauliers turns lorries away at the gate every week.**

- One case per haulier, with vehicles and drivers
- Checking from a phone before loading

→ Gate rejections disappear because the problem is visible three weeks earlier.

**Each job's documentation lives in an email.**

- Gathers a file per job

→ It is consulted without searching inboxes.

**A client asks about a shipment from a year ago.**

- Keeps the file with its date

→ You answer without reconstructing.

**Each operator keeps their own material separately.**

- Centralises documentation in one place

→ The answer does not depend on who is in.

**Driver documentation expires without warning.**

- Records expiries per person

→ The warning arrives before the job.

**A partner delivers without their documentation current.**

- Checks the status before assigning them a load

→ The gap shows before loading.