Free Delivery Note Generator

How to make a delivery note in 3 steps

1. 1

   Fill in the details

   Enter your business, the customer and delivery address, then the items and quantities. Add the driver, vehicle and number of packages if you like. Prices stay off unless you turn them on.

2. 2

   Choose a layout and check the preview

   Pick one of the layouts at the top of the page. The sheet updates as you type, exactly as it will print, and you can click any text on it to edit it there, including the title and wording.

3. 3

   Print, deliver and get it signed

   Print two copies, or two on one page, and take them with the goods. The person receiving them ticks the condition boxes, signs and keeps one copy; you keep the other. On a phone, they can also sign on screen and you download the PDF.

Delivery note, packing slip, invoice or bill of lading?

These four papers often travel with the same order, but each does a different job.

Delivery note

Travels with the goods and lists what was delivered and how many. The person receiving the goods signs it, so it doubles as proof of delivery. It usually has no prices.

Packing slip

Goes inside the box and lists what was packed. It is for the person opening the parcel and is normally not signed.

Invoice

Asks for payment. It shows prices, totals, tax and payment terms and goes to whoever pays, not to the loading dock.

Bill of lading

Issued by or for a freight carrier when goods are handed to it. It is the carrier's receipt and the contract for carrying the goods. If a trucking company moves your goods, it usually supplies its own.

What a delivery note should include

• A delivery note number, so each delivery can be found later
• The delivery date, and the customer's order or PO number if there is one
• Your business name, address and phone
• The customer's name and the delivery address, with a site contact if useful
• Each item with its code or SKU, a short description and the quantity
• The number of packages or pallets
• Who delivered it: the driver or carrier and the vehicle
• Boxes to tick for the condition of the goods, and space for notes
• The printed name, signature, date and time of the person receiving the goods

Should a delivery note show prices?

Usually not. A delivery note is read and signed by drivers, warehouse staff and site workers. They need to check what arrived, not what it cost, and many businesses would rather not show their prices to them.

Gifts and drop-shipped orders are another reason: the person receiving the goods is often not the person who paid.

Some businesses do send a priced delivery note, for example when the customer pays on delivery. Turn on “Show prices” and the table adds a unit price, an amount for each line and a total.

Proof of delivery: what the signature does

A delivery note signed by the person receiving the goods is a record that the goods arrived, when, and in what condition. Keep your signed copy with the order.

• If a customer later says the goods never arrived, or arrived damaged, the signed note with the condition boxes and any notes is the evidence you will be asked for. Write damage and shortages on the note at the time, not afterwards.
• Card payments: Visa and Mastercard let customers dispute a payment for goods they say they did not receive (Visa reason code 13.1, Mastercard 4853). The seller can answer with evidence, and proof of delivery to the right address, ideally signed, is the usual answer.
• The signature does not by itself decide who carries the risk if goods are lost or damaged. In the US that depends on your agreement and the shipping terms, under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC § 2-509). For example, when you deliver with your own vehicle as a business, the risk generally passes when the buyer receives the goods.
• Ask the person signing to print their name too. A signature alone is often hard to read.

Checked in October 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.

• Cornell Law School: UCC § 2-509, Risk of loss in the absence of breach