Haulage Run Sheet Template: What Drivers Need on the Page

A driver leaves the yard at 05:30 with three drops, a collection on the way back and a booking-in slot at a regional distribution centre that closes its gate at 10:00. If the only instruction is a scribbled list on the back of a fuel receipt, the first phone call to the office usually comes before 06:00: wrong unit number, no reference for the gatehouse, no idea whether the pallets come back. A good haulage run sheet template stops most of those calls before they start.

This guide sets out what a driver run sheet should contain, how it differs from a job manifest, and when paper, a printable manifest or a driver app makes the most sense. It finishes with a field-by-field template you can copy into whatever system you use today.

What is a run sheet in haulage?

A run sheet is the driver's working document for a shift. It lists the jobs in the order the office expects them to be done, with the information needed to complete each stop without ringing in. A job manifest is closely related but usually describes the load: what is on the trailer, for whom, with what references and quantities. In a small operation the two are often the same piece of paper. In a busier one, the run sheet is per driver per day and the manifest is per vehicle or per trailer load.

The distinction matters because different people read them. The driver needs sequence, addresses, times and contacts; the warehouse needs to know what goes on which trailer.

What should a driver run sheet include?

Start with what the driver needs at the gatehouse. Each line should answer a question the driver would otherwise ring about.

Shift header

• Date, driver name and the vehicle registration and trailer number allocated
• Start time and expected finish, so the driver can raise a problem with hours early
• Office contact number for the shift and an out-of-hours number

Per stop

• Stop number and type (collection, delivery, tip, trailer swap, empties return)
• Customer or site name and full address, with postcode and any site entrance note
• Booking-in time or opening hours, and whether the slot is fixed
• Customer reference, purchase order or booking reference the gatehouse will ask for
• Goods summary: pallet or package count, weight where known, any special handling
• Site contact name and phone number
• Site rules the driver must know: PPE, reversing assistance, no-waiting areas, where to report
• What to bring back: pallets, cages, paperwork, a signed copy

End of shift

• Where the trailer is to be dropped and in what state
• Any paperwork to hand in and to whom

Keep loading information honest. DVSA's guidance on securing loads on HGVs and goods vehicles says a driver who does not load the vehicle can ask the consignor for a copy of the load plan, and that a plan could include the load's weight, how it is secured and unloading instructions. If you have that information, put a pointer to it on the run sheet. If you do not, the run sheet should not pretend you do.

Site instructions deserve their own attention. Our guide to recording loading and unloading site instructions covers how to keep those notes on the customer or site record so they appear every time, not only when someone remembers.

Run sheet template: a field-by-field example

Here is a worked example for a fictional operator, Ridgeway Freight, with invented names and references.

Note that the references are the ones the receiving site uses, and the returnables stop says what to count.

Paper, printable manifest or driver app?

It depends on how often plans change during the day and how much evidence you need back.

Many operators use two at once: the app as the live instruction and a printed manifest for the trailer or the customer's goods-in office. That works if everyone knows the latest version in the system wins. Our article on keeping drivers on the right version of a job goes into that in more detail.

How to build run sheets each afternoon

A run sheet is only as good as the planning behind it. A practical routine for a small office:

1. By 14:00: confirm next-day bookings with customers and record booking-in times against each job.
2. By 15:00: allocate vehicles and trailers, checking anything marked off road or with an open defect.
3. By 16:00: allocate drivers, checking that the planned shift is realistic under drivers' hours rules. GOV.UK's guidance on operator responsibilities for drivers' hours says operators must schedule work properly so the rules are met.
4. By 16:30: sequence the stops. Put fixed slots first, then work the open-hours stops around them.
5. Before the driver finishes: issue the sheet or publish the jobs, and get the driver to confirm they have it.

For multi-drop work, our guide to managing multi-stop haulage jobs explains how to keep each stop's evidence separate, which also makes the run sheet easier to read.

Common run sheet mistakes

• Internal job numbers only, with no customer reference, so the gatehouse turns the driver away.
• Booking times written as "AM". If the customer gives a window, write the window.
• No trailer number. On a swap day, the wrong trailer means a missed delivery.
• Returnables not mentioned, which makes pallet disputes hard to settle weeks later.
• Changes made by phone and never written back to the sheet or the system.

Frequently asked questions

Is a run sheet a legal requirement for HGV drivers?

There is no general legal requirement to issue a document called a run sheet. Operators do have legal duties around drivers' hours, vehicle roadworthiness and load security, and a clear run sheet is one of the ways the office shows work was planned with those in mind. For a specific contract or load type, check what the customer and any relevant regulations require.

What is the difference between a run sheet and a delivery manifest?

A run sheet is organised around the driver's day: stops, times and instructions in sequence. A manifest is organised around the load: what goods are on the vehicle, for which consignees, with references and quantities. Small operators often combine them on one page.

Can I keep using a printed run sheet if I move to a driver app?

Yes. Many operators keep a printed manifest for the cab or the customer while the app carries live changes and proof of delivery. Decide which source is current and make sure drivers know it.

Where HauliK fits

In HauliK, jobs, Fast Jobs and multi-stop Journeys carry the stops, references, customer and site details that a run sheet needs, and the driver sees them in the app with proof of delivery captured per stop. Assignment checks warn the office if a vehicle is off road or a compliance date has expired before the job goes out. These sit in the Fleet plan and above, described on our haulage dispatch software page.

If you want a planning board and printable job manifests for drivers or sites that still need paper, those are part of the Ultra plan, covered on the haulage planning software page. HauliK does not plan routes or track vehicles live, so the sequencing judgement stays with your planners. You can try it on your own jobs with a 14-day free trial, no card needed.