The trucking business can be stressful, especially when facing problems with payment terms and not being paid properly due to numerous reasons. To avoid such problems, most trucking companies use a tool called the trucking invoice.

With this tool, truck drivers can provide a document containing all the essential information regarding a service. The trucking invoices can be true life savers, ensuring key details on the payment due date and a safe delivery for the client.

In this article, we will show you how to create a professional invoice for your trucking services. Be sure to follow each step carefully to guarantee the best results out of your invoice template.

As you might expect, the invoice for trucking companies is a document dedicated to registering all the important information regarding a service. It goes from basic information like client names and hourly rates to more detailed information like the services done or the number of products delivered.

Having an invoice format is vital not only for the truck driver but also for the client. It guarantees that both parties agree to the payment terms and ensure everything is correctly delivered.

Now that you know what the invoice is and why it is an indispensable part of any trucking business, it is time to learn how to create your own template. Be sure to follow each step carefully to guarantee an effective document.

Here are the main categories that must be included:

Title of the Project or Service

The first thing you need to do is to identify the invoice with a title. The title can go from the type of service you are providing to more specific information. Having a clear identification of each invoice can drastically save time.

You can also use this space to describe what the customer is being invoiced for. Avoid generic titles since you can easily mistake documents with similar names.

Company Details

Next, you must clearly identify your trucking company and its basic information, like contact and name. The business name will ensure the customer will not mistake you for another company.

If you have a logo for your business, it is also recommended to add it to the top of the form. This makes your document easier to identify and looks more professional.

Client Details

Along with the details from your trucking business, you must also identify the customer. Adding information like client name and the number is vital in case of an emergency.

If you need to contact your clients, this is where you will look for the necessary information. Along with the phone number, it is recommended to add a field for the email address.

Invoice Number

Each invoice must have a unique number to identify the document. This unique invoice number serves as a register in case you need to track down the document in the future.

You are expected to safely transport all the items, but if something happens with the package or the service, this is the number used to find the invoice. Double-check the number every time to ensure that it is not duplicated.

You can base these numbers on sequence or client. The first three numbers regard the order, and the last three regard the customer.

Due Dates

You also need to identify two important dates along with the unique number. The first one is the date when the invoice was written. You need to keep a record of when the document was delivered to the client.

The other date regards the deadline for finishing the service or delivering the package. With this information, the customer can expect when the job will be completed.

Items and Description

This is the main part of your invoice template. Here you will note all the items provided, whether services or products. Along with the name, you can also add the value regarding each one and a brief description of it.

This clarifies everything that will be done for the client and how much they are paying for each item. Clarity is vital to avoid problems when collecting payments or discussing values.

Taxes

Commonly, the trucking business charges specific taxes on services and products. It is essential for both the trucking company and the customer that these values are highlighted in the document.

These values must be right above the subtotal when invoicing someone. This way, when the clients agree to the payment and its details, they are also aware of this value.

When it comes to creating an invoice for your trucking company, there are tons of options available online. From known software like Google Docs all the way to specialized programs, each one with its own features.

Among all the options available, we highly recommend using Microsoft Word. MS Word not only has the best tools set available, but it is also an industry standard. This way, you will have software capable of doing all the main tasks for your job in one place.

If you don’t have a Microsoft Office activation key, you can find one at RoyalCDKeys for a considerably lower price. This way, you can access all the tools and features and still save money that can be used in other parts of your company.

If you don’t want to create your trucking invoice from scratch, hHere are some free template examples you can download and edit to better suit your needs. Using MS Word lets you add or remove sections from the examples below.

Template #1

Simple invoice template with space for logo. Indicated for businesses with structured visual ID.

Get this template

Template #2

Invoice template containing all the main fields. It can be easily edited to better fit specific needs.

Get this template

Template #3

Minimalistic template for a trucking company. A simple template containing the vital information for a professional invoice.

Get this template

Running a truck business can be hard when dealing with details like due dates and payment information. Thankfully, a professional invoice can quickly solve most of those problems.

The document can benefit both the truck driver and the customer in different ways. But for this to happen, it must be well-written.

Be sure to follow each step to guarantee you are not missing any vital information. Along with that, you can use Word to create the perfect document for your business.

Now that you know everything you need, it is time to create your own template. With this document, you will have fewer problems with payments and missing information.