Guides
The local delivery SOP checklist: opening, running, closing
A daily SOP for local delivery splits into opening, running and closing phases, each with named checks a dispatcher can sign off before every shift.
What to take away
- A delivery SOP is three sign-off sheets, not one documentopening, running, closing.
- Opening checks the fleet and the manifest before the first van rolls.
- Running checks are event-triggereda stop closes, a driver goes over on hours, a package comes back.
- Closing reconciles the day's stops against the day's paperwork and the day's pay.
- Write the version number and effective date on each sheet, and pull the old one off the wall.
This article covers delivery operations generally, not the rules for your vehicles or your state. Cargo securement, courier permits and driver classification vary by jurisdiction, so confirm them with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, your state DOT and a licensed attorney before you change a route or a pay structure.
Opening phase: before the first van leaves
The opening sheet is short and it is the same every day. Its job is to stop a bad van or a bad manifest from reaching a customer.
Opening phase checks
- Vehicle walkaroundtyres, lights, mirrors, load space
- Scanner and phone checkboth charged
- Manifest reviewcount parcels, flag exceptions
- Route and density checkstops per mile
- Driver and hours checkwho is close to limit
- Vehicle walkaround.Tyres, lights, mirrors, wipers, fuel or charge, and the load space. Log the odometer. A defect found in the yard costs a spare van; the same defect found on the road costs a tow.
- Scanner and phone check.Every driver leaves with a charged scanner and a charged phone. A dead scanner at stop 40 means the proof of delivery is a photo texted to the dispatcher, which is not a record.
- Manifest review.Count the parcels against the manifest. Check for the stops that break the day: age-restricted goods, high-value items, anything needing a signature, anything with a tight delivery window.
- Route and density check.Look at stops per mile before the vans leave. A route with twelve stops spread over thirty miles will not pay for itself, and no amount of driving fast fixes that.
- Driver and hours check.Confirm who is on, who is off, and who is close to a hours limit. A driver who runs out of legal driving time at 3pm strands the back half of the route.
The walkaround is where the day's safety record is set. Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Safety Management is the same logic applied to a yard: fix it before the van moves, not after.
Running phase: the checks that fire during the day
The running sheet is not a schedule. It is a list of triggers, each with a named person who acts when it fires.
Running phase triggers
- Stop closes -> Driver scans and captures proof
- Delivery fails -> Driver records reason code
- Driver runs late -> Dispatcher re-sequences stops
- Van breaks down -> Dispatcher swaps load to spare
- Package comes back -> Warehouse quarantines and rebooks
Running phase
| Trigger | Who acts | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Stop closes | Driver | Scan, capture proof, mark the stop closed in dispatch |
| Delivery fails | Driver | Record the reason code, not a free-text note |
| Driver runs late | Dispatcher | Re-sequence the remaining stops, call the customer |
| Van breaks down | Dispatcher | Swap the load to the spare, log the fault |
| Package comes back | Warehouse | Quarantine it, book the reattempt |
The failed-delivery reason code is the one people skip. "Nobody home" and "wrong address" and "refused" are three different problems, and only one of them is fixed by driving the same route again tomorrow.
Cargo securement is a running-phase check too. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: Cargo Securement Rules set the performance duty for loads in interstate commerce, and a load that shifts in a van is a load that injures someone in a hard stop.
Closing phase: reconcile the day
Closing is where the day's stops become the day's records and the day's pay. Do it the same evening, not the next morning.
Closing reconciliation checklist
- Every stop has a status
- Every failed stop has reattempt date and owner
- Every scanner docked and data uploaded
- Every driver's hours and stop count logged
- Every returned parcel back in warehouse
- Every vehicle fault on maintenance sheet
- Cash or card takings counted and banked
- Every stop has a statusdelivered, failed with a reason code, or carried over.
- Every failed stop has a reattempt date and a named owner.
- Every scanner has been docked and its data uploaded.
- Every driver's hours and stop count are logged against their pay basis.
- Every returned parcel is physically back in the warehouse, not in a van.
- Every vehicle fault reported during the day is written on the maintenance sheet.
- Cash-on-delivery or card-on-delivery takings are counted and banked.
The stop count from closing feeds two things: the customer's invoice and the driver's pay. If a driver is paid per stop, the closing count is the payroll record, so it has to be right the same night.
The paperwork that sits under all three sheets
Three records hold the SOP together. The manifest proves what went out. The proof of delivery proves what arrived. The closing reconciliation proves what was billed.
Internal Revenue Service: What kind of records should I keep? is the plainest statement of what to keep: a system that clearly shows income and expenses, plus the documents behind each transaction.
For a courier that means manifests, delivery proofs, fuel and maintenance receipts, and driver pay records.
How long to keep them and how to report driver pay depends on your structure, so ask a CPA or enrolled agent rather than guessing.
If you are adding drivers to cover a new contract, the hiring side matters as much as the routing side. The guide to hiring reliable staff for a local delivery business covers what to check before someone gets keys to a van.
Common questions
Does a small courier need all three sheets?
Yes, but they can be short. A two-van operation can run a ten-line opening sheet and a five-line closing sheet. The value is in the sign-off, not the length.
Who signs the opening sheet?
The person who hands out the keys. If that is the owner, the owner signs. The point is that one named person confirmed the vans and the manifest before the day started.
How often should the SOP be rewritten?
When a trigger fires that the sheet does not cover, or when a rule changes. Put an effective date and a version number on each sheet, and take the superseded copy out of circulation the same day.
